Homemade Fleece Toys for Dogs

I found this fun craft idea online, just in time for the holidays.

This fleece pom-pom makes a perfect toy for your pet dog or cat and cost a lot less than similar items sold in stores. Cut your cardboard to a large size for larger pom-poms. I would love to make one of these for each of my pets!

First, start out by gathering these supplies.

• Piece of Cardboard, cut to approx. 3" x 6"

• Fleece, less than an 1/8 of a yard (can use scraps)

• Scissors

Fold your fleece in half a few times so you can cut strips out of several layers at once. Cut 3 to 6 strips, about 1/2 - 1 inch wide, they do not have to be perfect! The fleece I buy is 60 inches wide so I fold it in half twice so that I am cutting through 4 layers to make one strips that measures approximately 1-inch by 60-inches. For a fuller look to the ball, use as many as 6 strips (60-inch length), for a floppier ball you can use as few as 3! If you have scraps, feel free to use them up!

Start loosly wrapping your pieces of fleece around the 3-inch width of the cardboard. Do not pull too tight on the pieces of fleece or they will stretch out of shape! Start wrapping the second strip of fleece about where the first ends. This does not have to be exact or perfect! Just wrap away, leaving about an inch of cardboard showing on each side.

Once all your fleece is wrapped, gently slide it off the cardboard and set it on your work surface. Cut a piece of fleece, about 1-inch wide and 6 inches long. Pull on both ends of this piece of fleece to stretch it as far as it will go without breaking. Gently slide this under fleece, centering it between the loops on both ends, and tie it as tight as you can. Trim the ends of the tied fleece strip.

Now take your scissors and poke the end through the loops and cut! Cut through all the loops on both sides and fluff out your ball. Trim as desired. You can trim it down to be a denser, smaller ball or leave it larger.

Experiment and see what you like best! Use up your scraps and you can even mix and match colors. Try making thick balls using 6 strips or floppier balls using as few as 3 strips. You can even stretch your pieces of fleece before you wrap them on the cardboard and see what you end up with!