We have two dogs, two lovely ladies who demolish all purchased dog toys in no time. The purchase of all those toys became a bottomless pit in which all the dollars disappeared. Time to save some money!

From a few old T-shirts, I made ‘Octopussy’: a toy they love. And, weird enough, a toy that last longer than toys bought in the store. It is easy and quick to make and replaced easily when torn apart.

Step 1: What You Need

Some old T-shirts
Thread (option)
Needle (option)
Marker (option)
Scissors
Yarn

Step 2: Cutting Strips

For this Octopussy I used three old t-shirts. To make 8 arms, I cut 24 strips. Put the T-shirt down flat and cut the hem off. Now cut a strip of approximately 4 cm wide, do not cut the strip open (it remains a circle) Octopussy gets some broader arms. Repeat till you have 24 strips.

Step 3: Tie the Strips Together With an Overhand Knot

Pull on all 24 strips to make them longer, the t-shirt fabric now curls up like a kind of thread. Take all 24 strips together and make a overhand/thumb knot at the top. Make sure that there is about 5 cm of strips above the knot and pull the knot tight.

Step 4: Braid the Arms

Time to braid the arms, take three strips for each braid. Braiding is easier if you attach Octopussy to a cupboard or chair with some yarn. Put a thumb knot at the end of each braid. You can leave Octopussy now as it is or you can give him eyes.

Step 5: The Eyes

For the eyes you can choose: the easy way draw them with a marker or if you have some more time you can sew the eyes. I did both. I sew the eyes and iris and draw the pupil. You can also choose to embroider them, that is entirely up to you of course. Your dog will be happy with any kind of Octopussy.