Meet the Boo-Boo Beagle: your kid’s new best friend for dealing with the inevitable bumps and bruises of childhood. He’s a fairly quick DIY suitable for a beginner sewer and needing only minimal fabric lengths. Read on for the full scoop on how to get this lovable DIY boo-boo pad in your life, pronto.
Note: This dog is not a toy and should only be used under supervision.
Materials: Beagle Pattern, 6″ of fabric for main body (min 30″ width), 6″ fabric for belly (min 30″ width) OR 1/3 yd of fabric if you want to make your dog all one color, small amount of felt for face, non-fraying fabric for ear and tail (felt, vinyl, pleather, etc), thread to match all your fabrics, handful of poly-fill (optional), 2 lbs of rice (approximately 3-4 cups), fabric paint, scissors, pins, sewing machine, iron, funnel.
- * All seam allowances are 1/4″ unless otherwise stated. Remember to back stitch the beginning and end of each stitch length.
1. Begin by printing out our free pattern. You should have 4 pages and check the 1″ box with a ruler to be sure it printed to the correct size. Cut out all the pattern pieces on the outside of the light grey border, this is your seam allowance. Align and tape the triangles on the main body sections together to create one long pattern piece like shown below.
2. Trace and cut the pattern pieces from their corresponding fabrics.
3. Position the tail above one set of legs on the right side of the main body fabric. With tail-colored thread, top-stitch around the tail, staying as close to the edge as possible.
4. Place the face piece on the opposite side of the hound main body. Again, top-stitch around the curve with matching thread, but leave the top edge open.
5. If desired, you can stuff a little poly-fill into the face—just don’t overstuff it. This step is optional.
6. Align the straight edge of the ear with the straight edge of the face and top-stitch both into place. Don’t forget to change thread color again!
7. Before you pair the body pieces together, pin the ear up and out of the way so I doesn’t get caught in the seam.
8. With right sides together, pin your belly piece to your main body.
9. Start sewing on the tail end, just above the leg. Go all the way around and stop sewing on that long side, leaving a gap of about 3″ for turning.
10. Before you turn the hound, use your scissors to clip the inner corners and curved edges of all 4 legs. This helps those areas turn more easily.
11. Turn your hound right-side-out and iron flat.
12. Now for the cooling agent: RICE! You’ll need a funnel to get uncooked rice into the hound through the turning hole. First fill the front legs and head area, but stop there.
13. With coordinating thread (tired of changing thread yet?!), sew a straight line just above the ear to keep the front body full of rice.
14. To help the rice inside conform to your hound’s shape, you’re going to sew a straight line down it’s back. Start about 1.5″ up from the seam you just sewed at the head and end right before the tail.
15. Fill the remainder of the hound body and back legs with rice. Leave a little room for the rice to move around; this will allow the hound to bend more easily, so don’t pack it too terribly tight. You may not need to use all 2 lbs of rice.
16. Sew shut the hole with a top-stitch or hand stitching. Make sure all your seams are secure so that no rice can come out.
17. Use fabric paint to add a small eye and nose detailing to the face. Let dry before handling.
Please remember, your boo-boo beagle is not washable due to his rice filler. Spot clean with care, as you do not want any moisture making the rice mushy. Never leave a child unattended with the dog—it is not a toy and the rice could be dangerous if swallowed.
Just call him Mr. Comfort Hound! Place him inside a plastic bag (to keep him clean and keep out smells) and put him in the freezer to be used as a cold boo-boo pad. Remove from plastic bag when you need to use him.
Bumps and bruises are an inevitable part of childhood, but at least now you’ll have your secret weapon to dispatch during times of need. And I won’t tell if you use him yourself too—he won’t mind.
