With this method you can transform an old pair of tights into an adorable sausage dog. Easy to make, it requires very little sewing and can be attempted by children of any age, especially if the eyes and ears are glued on. We used old mittens for ears, but children's socks would work equally well. Use it as a draught excluder or simply snuggle up with your huggable hound!
• Old pair of woolly tights
• Scraps of fabric
• Two buttons
• Needle and thread
• Stuffing or old socks (clean!)
• Old mittens
1. Cut one of the legs from an old pair of woolly tights as high up as possible with a pair of scissors.
2. Fill the cut leg of the tights with stuffing (or whatever you're using) so it forms a sausage shape. Leave a bit unstuffed at the end.
3. Cut a length of wool and tie it firmly around the end of the sausage, finishing with a double knot to hold it in place.
4. At the other end, tie another piece of wool around the toe to make a big doggy nose. Again tie a knot to hold the shape in place.
5. Sew an old mitten on to each side of the sausage just above the nose to make the dog's ears.
6. Use a heart template to cut out some hearts from scraps of fabric.
7. Sew the hearts on to the sausage using a needle and wool. Tie a knot in the end of the wool and stitch through the tights. Push the needle up from the back of the heart to the front near the edge and then stitch back through the tights. Continue around each heart shape and finish with a knot.
8. Sew the buttons on to the sausage to make eyes. Tear a strip off some fabric or use a piece of ribbon and tie around the doggy's neck to make his collar.