Calorie-free dog friendly ice cream fun! Sprinkles and squeakers? Yes, please! Check out our homemade stuffed squeaky DIY ice cream cone dog toy. It’s big scoop of squeaky fun. Here’s how our easy sew squeaky ice cream cone dog toy was made.
Sewing DIY Dog Toys
Stuffed 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. It is particularly important to know your pet and how they play before making or buying toys. Not all toys are suitable to all pets. Check out our post on toy safety for helpful links and resources.
How to Make a Stuffed Ice Cream Cone Dog Toy
I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!
Or pleading puppy dog eyes and wizzles of impatience for squeaky ice cream fun, as the case may be. Made of scrap fleece with easy-sew external seams, this ice cream cone toy concept can be easily scaled and customised to suit your sewing and toy preferences. I opted for simple vanilla, with slightly tricky to sew (but oh so cute cute) sprinkles and a cherry on top. I also thickened the cone with offcuts to create a waffle cone texture just for fun! Waffle cones are my favourite after all! And a little extra texture and thickness make it extra fun for play.
Fleece is fun and easy to sew, but it’s not as durable as many of the fabrics I prefer using for DIY stuffed toys. If you’d prefer a stronger toy, you can swap the base fabric and embellish with fleece instead. That’s how we like to make most of our homemade dog toys. It’s much sturdier and more durable. The fleece here has raw edges, so changing the fabric may require modifying the toy to conceal the seams. Based on Humphrey’s love for his triangle toys, I think that if I was making another ice cream toy in the future, I’d use a rounded version of this design with cone and ice cream embellishments. See our DIY squeaky stuffed Halloween witch for an example of the triangle toy DIYs.
Supplies and Materials
To make a similar DIY stuffed squeaky ice cream cone dog toy, you will need:
- Brown fleece for the cone
- White fleece or other colour of your preference for the ice cream
- Scraps of fleece for embellishments (optional)
- Stuffing for filling for the stuffed toy
- Squeakers (optional but so much fun!)
- Complimentary coloured thread
- Sewing machine and general cutting / sewing supplies
This toy is fully fleece, which is what give us the added texture at the non-fraying raw edges. This was especially handy on the waffle cone. However, as noted above, it’s not as durable as some base materials. You can adjust if/as you see fit for your specific DIY toys.
Because fleece is colourfast and doesn’t fray, it’s an easy option for embellishments on dog toys. I keep fleece off cuts from other sewing projects and tug toy ends for embellishment supplies. It’s also very forgiving to sew, since the stitches of coordinating thread often seem to disappear into the fluff. No matter what material or technique you choose, security and safety trump looks for toys. It’s important to make sure that any embellishments are very securely attached
I try to salvage squeakers in our DIY dog toy hospital for reuse when possible, but I also have purchased packs of replacement squeakers in different shapes, sizes, and sounds. Squeakers can be tricky to find in shops. Try the toy section of large craft shops or look online at specialist suppliers or large retailers like AliExpress or Amazon. You can check out the replacement dog toy squeakers on Amazon (affiliate link) for product examples and ideas.
Making the DIY Ice Cream Cone Dog Toy
Cutting and shaping the materials:
- Cut two identical triangles of brown fleece to the the full size for your finished cone.
- If you’d like to embellish the cone, cut strips of brown fleece for the waffle texture (optional) and cone lip (optional).
- Cut two identical pieces of fleece for your ice cream.
- Cut small pieces of coloured fleece for sprinkles (optional) and any other embellishments (optional). I made a drip of ice cream and a cherry topper.
Attaching the embellishments to create the (optional) wafffle cone design:
- Position and sew your waffle strips (optional) onto the front of one cone triangle.
- To further accentuate the waffling (optional) sew additional seams parallel to the strip edges (I sewed one in the middle of each strip) and then perpendicular at approximately even gaps.
- Position and sew a strip of fleece for the cone top lip (optional) even with the edge at the top of the cone.
- Trim to remove excess fleece and/or threads if/as required.
Attaching the embellishments to create the ice cream cone:
- Sew your sprinkles and cherry (both optional) securely into place on the front of one ice cream piece. Trim any excess threads if/as needed.
- Carefully position the embellished ice cream piece on the embellished cone, overlapping at the top of the cone, and pin into place.
- If you’re including a drip (optional) also position this at the same time so that it starts from underneath the ice cream edge.
- Sew the drip (optional) and ice cream into place. I sewed a double seam for the ice cream, one close to the edge and a bit higher at a small seam allowance just for a little added strength and style.
Sewing and stuffing to finish the toy:
- Carefully position and pin the back ice cream piece on the back cone, overlapping at the top of the cone. Ensure that the pieces match the edges at the front.
- Sew the ice cream into place.
- Position and pin the two ice cream cones together, embellished side out.
- Sew the external ice cream edges (around the outside of the toy only, not across the cone) securely together using a complimentary coloured thread.
Optional: If you’ve included the optional cherry, you can skip this section and sew it closed with matching red thread later, as shown. You can use red thread in the top and ice cream colour in the bobbin to hide the stitches on the back of the toy.
- Sew the cone edges securely together using a complimentary coloured thread, leaving an open gap for stuffing.
- Add stuffing and (optional) squeaker(s).
- Sew to finish stitching the toy closed.
- Trim any excess fleece or threads if/as needed and enjoy!
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 or her any new toy. Some dogs try to eat toys or parts (whether bought or handmade) and that’s doggone dangerous. Toys are for playing, and playtime is always safer (and more fun!) with you involved. You can read more in our dog toy safety post, including tips and helpful links for safer playtime. Have fun and play safe!
