How to make a cute baby toy from fabric scraps & old buttons...

I've been making these little baby chew / rattle toys for a while now and the littlies just love 'em. So I thought I'd share the how to. It's a quick easy project and even the least crafty amongst us could pull this one off! Great as gifts, these suit babies of about 3 - 6 months.

You will need: 2 x co-ordinating fabric scraps (at least 10 x 14 cm's), scissors, approximately 70cms of ribbon (mine was rescued from our family xmas table!), pins, measuring tape or ruler and buttons. They don't need to be fancy, these were just what I had handy, any old random buttons will do.

Cut your fabric scraps into 14 x 10 cm rectangles. 

Cut your ribbon into lengths approx 10cms long, though I like to vary the length to create a bit more interest. You could also use lots of different bits of ribbon- babies love the different colours and textures.

Place your fabric pieces right sides together, fold your ribbon pieces and slot them in between them and pin down.

Two ribbons on each long side, and one on one of the short sides. Leave one short side open.

Stitch around the outside, leaving a third of the open side (in the middle) unstitched for turning out. I like to sew around twice to ensure safety for any persistent little chewers.

Turn out and (it helps to use a blunt chopstick to poke out the corners) half fill with buttons. Slide the last remaining ribbon piece into the opening and pin down. Topstich to close the opening and secure the final ribbon and you're done!

Hello happy baby! :)