I got crafty this morning!/ Washcloth Teething Ring Tutorial

Jacob's getting his first teeth and everyone gives me one of  two pieces of advice: "Teething rings are the best!" or "Washcloths in the freezer worked better then teething rings!" So I decided why not have both? And viola a washcloth teething ring.

I'm sure someone else came up with this idea before me but I've never see a tutorial on one so I decided to make one...

Materials Needed:
A Washcloth (new or old is just fine)
Gross Grain Ribbon (Any thickness is fine but thinner may work better)
A Lighter
Scissors
A Sewing Machine & Thread

This is what I started with, a washcloth and a spool of gross grain ribbon. My ribbon was thick because that's what I had in the house but thin would have worked better.

I cut the tag off the washcloth and then cut the washcloth in half. Then I put the pieces right side together and pinned the two ends.

Here you can see that I sewed just the end. I decided to sew a 1/4in seam from the stitching already on the wash cloth.

This is what it looked like finished and before I turned it right side out. It doesn't have to look pretty, no one will ever see your mess-ups (as you can see I made a few when finishing my stitching because I rushed). Once all ribbons are in place raw edges shouldn't be an issue but if you'd rather play it safe you could always turn down the raw edges and sew them a 1/4 seam (do this before sewing the ends!)

I turned it right side out and scrunched it together. My goal was to make it so that no raw edges would be visible or chewable.

I cut 10 ~4 in pieces of ribbon. In the end I only used 6 (because the ribbon is so thick it took up more space then I anticipated) and ended up trimming an inch or so off after I tied the ribbons but I needed that length to tie them and make sure I could DOUBLE KNOT the ribbon for security from baby hands and teeth.

Originally I used a lighter and singed the edges of the ribbon so no strings would get in baby's mouth but as I previously mentioned I had to cut the ribbons to be shorter after I tied them to the washcloth  and ended up having to singe them all again. I actually found it easier to hold the ribbon after it was tied but whether you do it before or after you tie the ribbons is up to you!

Finished product! It only took about 30 to 40 mins and would be a great baby gift.

If you like the idea and want to use it as a gift I would suggest buying a cheap pack of thin baby washcloths (Mine came from Target but try the dollar store!) and make several at a time. Anytime someone has a baby shower you have an already "made with love" gift to throw in the gift bag!