Spiral Cot Toy

We saw these in the shops made me want one for Devon but looking I felt that they either a hideous colour scheme with nice hanging things or nice colours but odd looking hanging things and ends. The worst one I saw looked like two teddys had been decapitated and there heads then rammed on each end, It looked wrong to say the least. I found my self mentally swapping bits from one toy to the next, Until the words "I can make one" cropped into my head.
Unfortunately my daughter is a lot older now and although she still likes it she doesn't really need it as it is for babies but with moving house and one thing and another I only just finished it, This instructable has been in the makeing for nearly a year, I hope that some ones little one can get the enjoyment out of it that my baby missed :(

Working out a way of doing it with what materials I have already got was easy enough, Tho constructing it was a bit fiddly at times.

The only stitches you will need are Back Stitch and Over Stitch.

Materials and Tools you Will Need

A Piece of Card (For the Template I used the Back of a cereal packet)
A compass (or Objects to draw round one approximately 14 cm in Diameter and one approximately 5.5 cm in diameter)
Some Fabric (at least 10 pieces a bit bigger than your template I few of Mine were bought as quilting squares)
Some Ribbon
Scissors
Needle and Cotton
Fabric Pencil
Pins + Safety pins
Embroidery cotton or Top Stitch various colours (thicker cotton for over stitching the seams)
Stuffing
Hooks (Toy Plastic S Hooks / Toy Linking rings) optional

For the hanging bits, you can use toys you have with hooks already attached or toys that can be put onto hooks, this is what I did, but to start with I was going to make toys to hang off it
I was going to do this with fabric with animals on cutting out the animals loosely, stitching around the outline face down onto a coloured piece of fabric and stitching a loop between the layers as I have with the ribbon on the spiral links and then turn inside out and stuff.

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Step 1: Making the Template

I did this by cutting the back off a cereal packet and then drawing round my little boys Star Wars bowl and the lid of a baby bottle but this is a lot easier if you own a compass cause you be sure the center circle is actually in the center rather than guessing it by eye.

The Template when drawn onto fabric gives you the lines to stitch over so the thickness of the ring drawn is the thickness of each link if the spiral before its stuffed.

The Inner Circle needs to be big enough to fit round what you are wanting to rap it round mine was 5.5 cm
The Outer on mine was 14 cm and that seemed to work well but there is room for adjustment on that,

Once you have drawn the template you just need to cut it out.