DIY Squeaky Stuffed Witch Halloween Dog Toy

We've got a witch! A witch! A witch! We have found a witch. May we BITE her?  This DIY squeaky softie dog toy is a fun Halloween treat and easy to adapt to different witchy styles.  Humphrey is loving his coven of squeaky witches. He has three of them, spoiled spotty devil, but it has been a bit of a special time around here lately as noted at the end of the post.  A little spoiling and some Humphrey-centric fun was definitely in order.

The materials and craft supplies used in making the toy shown are:

• Fabric
• Scissors
• Stuffing
• Squeakers
• Sewing Supplies Can be fully hand sewn if you wish, but will be much quicker/easier if you have a sewing machine. Basic sewing skills are needed - nothing too fancy or difficult!

To make your own witch toy, you will need pre-shrunk/washed sturdy fabric, mixed fleece scraps for embellishments (a great use for offcuts!), complementary coloured thread, stuffing, squeakers (optional), and scissors/sewing tools. Softie dog toys follow the same basic principles as you would use if sewing (or buying) for a small child - no loose parts to nibble free and everything securely stitched into a sturdy toy.   I experiment with many materials for toys, but the toughest fabric I've used thus far is the green upholstery fabric as seen in toys like our homemade Frankenstein dog toy and the infamous Snakey Snake squeaky dog toy . The heavy upholstery fabric with a bonded black fleecy backing - thick work for sewing but it is really great for tough stuff! Unfortunately, it's not easy to find and when I do, the colour options are rather limited.  It is, however, perfect for witches and monsters! Yay!

• Cut two identical triangular* pieces from sturdy base fabric (don't forget to include seam allowances). You can shape and scale your toy to best suit your fabric and your pet. If you are working from a large piece of fabric, you can also cut the toy as a large diamond and fold at the bottom instead of having a seam.
• Cut scraps of fleece for the witch's hat, hair, eyes, mouth, and (optional) other embellishments. Personally, I'm a bit fan of the angry eyebrow and evil sneer, but you can do a friendly face if you'd rather. I added some black for the shoulders of the witch's dress, a band to the hat, and used the centre off cut of yellow fleece from my hat buckle for the dress button.
• Sew the dress (if using) then sew the hair into place. You can use a single piece cut to size for the hair or multiple strips, as shown. I used pinking shears on the bottom of the witches bangs/fringe for a little extra style as well as added extra lines of stitching to the hair, which is primarily for looks, but also ensures the strips are very securely attached.
• Sew the hat into place, ensuring that the band covers the top edge(s) of the hair.
• Continue layering to best suit your embellishment placement, incrementally sew the eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and any other extra embellishment pieces securely to the base.
• Layer (or fold) your triangular pieces so that the witch is right/embellished side in.  Pin to secure. 
• Sew together along the seam allowances, leaving an opening gap for inverting and stuffing.
• Trim any excess threads/material and invert to right-side-out. 
• Add stuffing and (optional) squeaker(s).
• Sew to securely stitch closed the gap.
• Trim any threads if/as needed, and enjoy!

*This basic triangle shape can be adapted is as you wish, such as including a protruding hat band, rounding the face, and much more. Your imagination is the limit!  Humphrey (who has been a bit glum with all the extra attention Oli has been getting post cataract surgery) received not one but three squeaky witches. I had lots of scraps, so sewed up a few extras. The coven has been nicknamed the b*tchy witchies. Haha! One has a wide hat band, and the other is stouter and square from the band down, as that piece was too small for a good full triangular toy.

Safety first, furfriends! Remember, no matter what a toy is made of or how it's made, toys are meant for supervised interactive play. Know your dog before giving him/her any new toy. Some dogs try to eat toys/parts (whether bought or handmade) and that's dangerous. Toys are for playing, and playtime is always safer (and more fun!) with you involved. You can read more on our dog toy safety page, including tips and helpful links for safer playtime. Have fun and play safe!