Handmade Doggie Toys

I needed to make a hostess gift for a party last weekend, and I saw the perfect idea on Sew It, Love It.  The hostess is a huge dog lover, and the proceeds from the party were going to her rescue organization.  I decided to stick with the theme and make some gifts for her 4-legged family members.  I did not follow the tutorial I linked to, but just used it as inspiration.  I wanted very solid filling instead of just filling the balls with fabric scraps.  So I took some plain white socks (I'd bought a package of cheapo white socks for another project and have a ton left over.  I balled one sock up, then placed it into the toe of another sock.  I then twisted the sock and folded it back over the ball until I had a solid ball form.  For the tube, I cut a large 24"x9" rectangle of fabric.  I folded the two short ends down 1/4" then 1/4" more, and stitched them in place with a 1/8" seam allowance.  Then I folded them right-sides together down the long side to make a long tube.  I stitched along the long side along a 1/8" seam allowance then again along a 1/4" seam allowance for added stability.  Then I pulled the tube right-side-out and tied a tight knot in one end.  I stuffed it with one sock ball, knotted it as closely to that ball as possible, stuffed in another sock ball, then tied a final knot.  I got a puppy-approval picture as a thank-you.  They love it!