Texture Cube Taggie for Baby

This is a "texture cube" for a baby. (This was one of my first sewing machine projects so it’s not perfect, but I wanted to share). I have already washed mine in the washing machine and air dried it, it was fine. The ribbon loops are also handy for baby rings.

MATERIALS:
* 6 scraps of fabric in different textures. I used denim from old clothes, red faux fur, towel, brown microfiber, light (striped) cotton, heavy ribbed cotton.
* ribbon scraps, assorted colors, widths and lengths. I used 24 ribbons, which is 2 per edge.
* toy filling.
* needle & thread, scissors, ruler, pins
* sewing machine (optional)

STEPS:
1. pick out and cut 6 squares in each of the 6 fabrics. Mine were 4.5 inches square
2. decide which textures will go in which order. Keep in mind that you will have to sew one seam by hand at the end. You may want to place the textures in a set order so that the 2 textures on the seam you'll sew by hand will be easy to sew together. For example, I decided to sew the denim to the striped cotton because the towel and faux fur were stretchy.
3. pick out assorted ribbons, cut in various lengths and fold in half
4. pin ribbons in place: pin them to the right sides of the fabric, with the fold toward the middle of the square. Keep in mind how the squares will fit together. For example, in my layout (see photo) the denim and towel were to be sewn together, even though they aren't laid together, therefore the denim only need 4 ribbon tags, the towel needed 8 and the middle pieces had 6 each. Also, if you lay the squares out with 4 in a row and 1 top and 1 bottom you will not need ribbons pinned to the top and bottom sides. You may want to ensure that the colors of the ribbons are different from their seam fabrics for added interest.
5. Sew 1 square to another, wrong sides together, along 1 seam. Sew another square to the second one on the other side (so you have 3 in a row). Add another (so you have 4 in a row). Then, sew the forth one to the first one, making a loop.
6. Sew a top square on the loop to make a box.
7. Sew a bottom square on THREE SIDES ONLY to make a cube with 1 seam open.
8. Turn the cube out, unpin ribbons and stuff with toy filling.
9. Sew final seam closed by hand
10. Enjoy!

If you make one I’d love to hear about it!