DIY Dog Chew Toy From Old T-Shirts: Quick, Eco-Friendly Craft

Got some old cotton T-shirts lying around? Before you ditch them, think about up-cycling them into easy-to-make chew toys for your pup! Here's how:

Things You'll Need

• 3 T-shirts

• Scissors

Step One: Create strips.

Using your scissors, make a cut to make a 3-inch strip.

Once you've made a little cut, it's easiest to rip the shirt (unless you have a very sharp scissors or a fabric cutter).

Once you've separated your fabric from the shirt, make a cut to turn it from a circle into a strip. Pull the strip to lengthen it as much as possible.

Repeat with your shirts until you have 12-18 strips in three different colors. (Or all the same color, two colors, etc. — it's up to you!) Create three sections with either three or four strips, depending on your dog's size and how thick you want the toy to be.

Step Two: Knotting.

Gather one section and tie a simple knot at one end. Repeat with your other two sections.

Step 3: Create gathering ties.

Cut about one inch off of the sleeves of your tee, snipping to create a smaller strip. Repeat on other sleeve so you have two smaller strips.

Step 4: Put it all together.

Gather your three sections. Using your smaller strip you just made, tie it underneath the knots.

Then, braid your strips together until you feel the toy is long enough.

Knot each section again at the end. Secure as you did before by tying your smaller strip at the base of the knots.

Step 5: Even out the ends.

Cut off any excess.

And voilà! Machine-washable chew toys!