Before I had kids I used to think the warning labels
on plastic bags "this is not a toy" were so ridiculous.
Who would ever give a baby a bag?
But then I had kids and I understood.
Babies like things that crinkle.
So here is a way to make something cute and crinkly
without the warning labels.
Supplies:
6 ribbons
Flannel
Something crinkly.
(I am using a wipes package, but clear gift wrap
or microwave popcorn wrappers are also nice and noisy.)
Cut two 6 x 6 inch flannel squares and one 6 x 6 inch crinkle square.
Cut six 4 inch pieces of ribbon.
Lay one flannel square right side up.
Pin folded ribbons along the edges with the
folds towards the center of the flannel.
Place second flannel square on top, right side down.
Pin all layers together with crinkle material on top.
Sew along all sides using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Be sure to leave enough room to turn inside out.
(I started sewing right before the aqua ribbon
and stopped after the brown satin one.)
Take out all pins, trim excess ribbon, seams and corners.
Turn inside out.
Tuck in raw edges between the ribbons.
Topstitch around entire square, making sure to close the opening.
This would be a great opportunity to use those
fun decorative stitches on your machine.
I obviously do not have any.
Zig zag is as fancy as I get.
My assistant is also my product tester.
She gives it a big, drooly five stars.
*I forgot to add that I have washed this dozens and dozens of times with the normal laundry and it is holding up just fine. No purpose in having baby things that are complicated to clean, right?
Great idea! I've made "tag" blankets before but hadn't thought about making it make noise. I will have to try this! Thanks!
ReplyDeletelove it! :) Very cute!
ReplyDeleteYour baby is adorable.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I know what I'm doing this weekend. My 4 month old is just putting his hands together and is grabbing for toys, he will love it. :)
ReplyDeleteSo so cute, my nephew is 3 months and starting to crasp, so I am going to try and whip one up tonight, since my babies are 10&11. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWow you make it look so easy peasy! I'll be trying that out soon! Got a little one coming in August that I will make one for!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Very cute!
ReplyDeleteTHAN YOU SO MUCH!!! My little princess LOVES things that make noise!
ReplyDeleteTotally great idea! I'm going to make one!
ReplyDeleteAwesome...this may accompany my tag blankets that I give as gifts! LOVE it. Thanks for another awesome idea/tutorial! :)
ReplyDeleteSo cute and simple! I LOVE it!
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing!
Adorable! What a great idea! Love the reuse of the wipes packages.
ReplyDeleteI was reading along thinking how cute that monkey fabric was, until I got to the last picture and saw HOW CUTE YOUR PUNKIN IS!!!! She is so delicious!! And the monkey fabric is pretty cute, too :)
ReplyDeleteI do have a brand new sewing machine around here somewhere, but I don't really know how to use it...
Oh man thanks so much for the great idea! I've heard of the taggie blankets plenty...but making it crackly makes it soooo much better and way more entertaining for baby...not a good church toy...but man, that should entertain for a long time. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI am definitely going to make this :)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletethat's awesome! I love it! I've got a "product tester" too that I'm sure will give it a big thumbs up too!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea! I am making 2 tonight for a shower this weekend! I'll post them on my blog and link back to your post ;)
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic idea! I'm going to add it to my tumblr, so I remember to do it when I have a baby one day!!
ReplyDeletelovely baby...and wonderful idea...
ReplyDeleteThnx for sharing
My neighbor just brought her baby boy home and I think this would make a great addition to her baby gifts! Thanks for the great tut...I've shared a link at my blog!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fab idea, I've seen plenty of ribbon blankets, but nothing like this. I will have to share the link on my next link round up post. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletethanks I have been looking for something like this with the crinkly paper!
ReplyDeleteAll I have to say is: I. Love. This!!!
ReplyDeletePerfection!! I was going to buy some noisy toys for my 5 mos old but now I will just whip up a few of these and she will be so happy and my hubby will be happy because I won't be spending any money!
ReplyDeleteAwesome idea! Especially for a beginning sewer like myself. Great for baby gifts too! Have an awesome weekend!
ReplyDeleteMy Shop ~
http://swirlsofcreativity.etsy.com
My Blogs ~
Swirls of Creativity’s Purple Thursday ~ Every Thursday!
http://swirlsofcreativity.blogspot.com
Reducing, Reusing, & Recycling
http://greenresolution.blogspot.com
Our Journey as a Christian Homeschooling/Unschooling Family
http://briobridge.blogspot.com
SMART! I've made lots of tag blankets and knit baby toys and I've always wondered how to get them crinkly.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. Janey is a super cute product tester!
Man you have the best ideas, now I want a baby again!
ReplyDeleteJUST CREATED ONE FOR MY NEPHEW, USED THE POPCORN WRAPPERS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO WAIT TO GET ANYTHING ELSE. GAVE YOUR BLOG SITE OUT WITH TUTORIAL ON MY FLICKR POST THAT HAS THE IMAGE. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12784349@N08/3575723235/
ReplyDeleteTHANKS AGAIN!
I LOVE THIS!...made one today have yet to have give it to my "tester" thank you so much for sharing !
ReplyDeleteonce again, this is brilliant! I am linking!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS!...made one today have yet to have give it to my "tester" thank you so much for sharing !
ReplyDeleteI just made two today... SUPER fast and EASY, thanks for the GREAT tutorial!!
ReplyDeleteI made 6 taggie receiving blankets for my grandson. But your crinky taggie is a great idea. I guess I'll be making some soon.
ReplyDeleteThat is freakin' brilliant!! Love it!!
ReplyDeleteOh, my bsafeonline hates your mamamanifesto. I have to type my password two times everytime I come to your page. Even after commenting. Some serious love coming from the Southeast, cause this is a pain in my hiney!! BUT you are worth it!!
Elise
Just love the idea. I am expecting my 3rd in October and will be making a few of these. I hope you don't mind that I posted about your cute idea on my blog. www.joyslightbulbs.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteAre you a Joy too?
My friends are going to love these. I love these. Here are the ones I made last night....
ReplyDeletehttp://lilblueboo.blogspot.com/2009/05/baby-crinkle-tag-toy.html
As promised, I sewed up a few of these bad boys! Here's the link in case you're interested
ReplyDeletegreat GREAT project! I've seen the taggie blankets, but I really like this size alot, especially adding the crinkly layer. I'm totally making a bunch of these. I think you could dangle it from a car seat using those plastic rings.
ReplyDeleteThis is great! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous idea!
ReplyDeleteI'm bookmarking this one!
Thanks for the great tutorial. It looks like even a beginner like me might be successful :)
After seeing this tutorial I made one for a baby shower this weekend. It was a hit! It was the only gift that got passed around the room! ;) Thanks for the great idea!
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering how to make a "tag" blankie! I am making this tonight after the kiddos go to bed!!!
ReplyDeleteI had come up with something similar, but your idea had definite improvements over what I was going to do. I am so glad that I found this post.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.eyeballgirl.com/2009/06/crinkle_blanket_with_ribbon.html
Stephanie@eyeballgirl.com
Great tutorial! I just made some for my one year old...he may be a bit big for this but I figured for a 10 hour road trip I'm gonna give it a try! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to mine...and I linked yours in the post!
http://purejoycreative.blogspot.com/2009/06/noisy-taggie-square.html
Brilliant! Love the use of the Kirkland wipe package. JUST emptied one tonight...off to crinklicize!
ReplyDeleteThese are addicting! I just made 7 of them :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the tute!
thanks for the great idea. i made my own and they turned out nice and crinkly.
ReplyDeletewww.krinklzbaby.com has an adorable assortment of "crinkle paper" squares that are super easy to clean. They can also go in the dryer!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea!! I followed a link on flikr to your tutorial and I HAVE to make one of these! I'm expecting any minute now and this is just the coolest idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tute! I made these and they turned out great. My 5 month old loves them. My sister is pregnant, I am gonna make a few for my nephew who should be here in a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteHere are mine:
http://lesliegbarton.blogspot.com/2009/08/im-so-crafty-not.html
I linked back to you for the tute!
Thanks again!
thanks so much for this great tutorial!
ReplyDeletei am just starting to sew again- i learned years ago from my mom- and this was a great first project to get back into it! all of the materials i used i had already so the adorable was at no cost.
thanks, again!
I'm nuts about this idea! I included it in my weekly roundup here. I'm going to have to make some SOON! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteWe received a taggy blanked for my son's shower and it is definately a treasure!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fantastic baby idea! I made a Baby Craft Projects post on my blog and included your idea! I have yet to make it but I will very soon!
ReplyDeletehttp://fantasticfind.blogspot.com/2009/10/baby-craft-projects.html
These are great. I made round ones and instead of putting crinckle stuff inside I put little bells between some quilting batting I had left over. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! I think I like these better than the tag blankets.
ReplyDeleteLove it! -- Does it hold up in the washing machine, or what's best to wash it? (I'm clearly not a parent yet!) :)
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute idea! I had the same question as killarobot, can/do you put it in the dryer? Also, when you turn it right side out, do/can you iron it flat? Not sure how the plastic holds up to heat.
ReplyDeleteI have washed ours a ton. Regular cycle with the rest of the laundry. still as crinkly as ever. not sure about ironing... I am a lazy ironer and try to avoid it at all costs!
ReplyDeleteThanks Julie! Can't wait to try this out.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I posted the one I made on my blog: http://sunshinemamasite.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-told-billy-that-i-will-likely-never.html
ReplyDeleteI confess I made a test one for my puppy she loves the tags on her toys and I couldn't believe I hadn't made her one before. I used an extra layer of canvas on each side for durability. After I finished I realized I should have used the doggie treat bag and not the wipes bag !duh! next time. Thanks from me and the dog
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. So quick/cute/easy. Just great. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteBeth
here's the one I did.
http://mycraftblogs.blogspot.com/2009/11/crinkle-toy.html
Omg Omg!!! these r soooo cute!! xD i will be makin some for my four legged feline "testerz" as they lurve the crinkly stuff too!!!ty ty 4 the gr8 idea!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tutorial. I had a feeling it was ok to use the wipe bag by doing this. I am glad you posted about this. Does it hold up to the washing?
ReplyDeleteooh! love this! :D
ReplyDeletei make little tag blankies and pillows, and i was wondering how to make them crinkle. clever. :)
since you're using plastic, can it be put in the dryer??
Joy, I love this idea. I too have always wondered what they put in those toys to make them crinkle. I now have a new appreciation for all types of items that were previously trash. What a great way to recycle. I was wondering if you have any copyright restrictions on items made using this idea. I have a charity website http:projectsweetpeas.com and would like to make some small blankies to help raise funds for the project. You can contact me privately at jeanne@projectsweetpeas.com. I tried to use the link on your website to contact you but it wouldn't work. Thank you for a great idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. Inspired by it I made a similar toy for my little man.
ReplyDeletehttp://muffinsnmore.blogspot.com/2010/03/crinkly-toy.html
He loves it! :-)
Quick, frugal, and easy- All 3 are the recipe for a GREAT craft! I'm going to try my hand at this sometime this week!
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to add this tute to my Baby Week link party at My Frugal Family.
It can be found at:
theherberfamily.blogspot.com
Don't trim the ribbons too much before you turn it right side out. I made one for my baby, and she had gotten one of the ribbons out 5 minutes after I gave it to her! I made a new one and left the ribbon ends long inside the toy, and it hasn't come apart yet!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I bought my first sewing machine and this will be my first project! Wish me luck!!
ReplyDeleteHanan
http://lilaccitymomma.blogspot.com/
Thank you for sharing this! I've wanted one of these for my baby for a long time and I finally thought I should just try to see if I could make one. Turns out - it's really easy and it turned out so cute!
ReplyDeleteI just made one of these using a potato chip bag!
ReplyDeleteOH MY SOUL!!! These are so cute and I just happen to have a new granddaughter on the way. Thanks so much for the tutorial!!
ReplyDeleteI saw this idea on a link party from another blog (can't remember which one, it was months ago) and made it for a dear friend who had just had a baby boy. Fast forward 6 months to today and I was checking out your blog for new ideas (since I'm a follower) and decided to read your post about Joy. It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of a similar experience that happened to my dear friend in 2008 AND 2009. You're an inspiration to a lot of people! You can check out her blog if you want, its kellyandblue.blogspot.com oh and she said her son loves his crinkle toy and that it's his favorite! So thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to make this super cute blanket, but I'm having trouble with getting my machine to sew over the wipe wrapper. My machine is eating right through it. Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe I just needed to change a setting on my machine (which is the most basic Singer model), but thought maybe you'd have some tips. Help! Thanks :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the tutorial. I let my girls each decorate one with fabric markers to make as a gift for our new baby. http://havingfunathomeblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/crinkle-baby-squares.html
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking mylar would work well, too, for the crinkle... good use for those shower balloons! =) Thanks for the tutorial!
ReplyDeleteYour project ROCKS! I just wanted to let you know I featured it today on "You Sew Rock Me Fridays" on my blog Sew Rockin'. You can view the post here: http://wp.me/p1VAkT-mG.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea, Can you put this in the dryer? Will the plastic melt?? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea, Can you put this in the dryer? Will the plastic melt?? Thanks in advance!
ReplyDeleteI made this yesterday. LOVE IT! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bird-on-a-line.com/2012/02/handmade-for-baby.html
I just made this as my first sewing machine project! It looks so terrible and crooked, but I still love it.
ReplyDeleteJust whipped one of these up in about 5 minutes! Thanks for the directions!
ReplyDeleteIs it washable? Have you washed your's yet? And if so, did you do the washer and dryer? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes! I added notes about washing to the bottom of the post. It held up fine. Normal cycle. Normal dryer.
DeleteThis is so adorable! I just love it. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI got a brand new Singer for my birthday yesterday! My old singer (my great grandmothers 1930's model) has a needle jammed in the bobbin and the only singer shop in the state is about 4 hours from me so its just to expensive to fix right now, or lug around its a big cabinet machine.. so i got the Singer 3116 simple stitch yesterday and this is the first thing i made! i used a peice of a bag that laundry detergent packs come in (purex) and it makes a louded crinkle than a baby wipe bag. Thanks for the Pattern!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial, thanks!
ReplyDeleteCan you wash this without problem?
I have been looking for sites like this for a long time. cute baby... Thank you! Baby toys
ReplyDeleteNice to read your blog on this website. different experience to read this blog. i get some awesome information throw this article. Revolua Registration
ReplyDeleteI Love this toy! I wanted to make one for my grandson today but my room is so disorganized! I shared this on my blog with a link back to your blog for the tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing! Have a beautiful day! ~Yolanda~
ReplyDeleteI loved your easy to follow directions. I just made it in two hours (nap-time). It is so cute, we didn't have flannel or ribbons, but used satiny fabric to make ribbons and appliqued a flower onto plain fabric for the square. We are missionaries in Uganda and I have a single mom living with us with a 5 month old. We have very few toys for her. This will be so exciting as she is in the "I love crinkly things" stage. We are so excited for her to wake up from her nap to show her. Thanks for sharing your heart in this website.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you. Jen
I recognize that you made this post quite some time ago but I just happened up on it today.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited about this simple yet adorable little idea. I have a preschool and have had several things the kids can do for their parents when a new sibling arrives. BUT this is way too sweet! a gift they can make for the baby?? awesome!!
Thank you THANK YOU for sharing you idea!!