Before I had kids I used to think the warning labels
on plastic bags "this is not a toy" were so ridiculous.
Who would ever give a baby a bag?
But then I had kids and I understood.
Babies like things that crinkle.

So here is a way to make something cute and crinkly
without the warning labels.


Supplies:
6 ribbons
Flannel
Something crinkly.
(I am using a wipes package, but clear gift wrap
or microwave popcorn wrappers are also nice and noisy.)


Cut two 6 x 6 inch flannel squares and one 6 x 6 inch crinkle square.
Cut six 4 inch pieces of ribbon.


Lay one flannel square right side up.
Pin folded ribbons along the edges with the
folds towards the center of the flannel.


Place second flannel square on top, right side down.


Pin all layers together with crinkle material on top.


Sew along all sides using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.
Be sure to leave enough room to turn inside out.
(I started sewing right before the aqua ribbon
and stopped after the brown satin one.)


Take out all pins, trim excess ribbon, seams and corners.


Turn inside out.
Tuck in raw edges between the ribbons.
Topstitch around entire square, making sure to close the opening.


This would be a great opportunity to use those
fun decorative stitches on your machine.

I obviously do not have any.
Zig zag is as fancy as I get.


My assistant is also my product tester.
She gives it a big, drooly five stars.

*I forgot to add that I have washed this dozens and dozens of times with the normal laundry and it is holding up just fine. No purpose in having baby things that are complicated to clean, right?


96 Comments

  1. Great idea! I've made "tag" blankets before but hadn't thought about making it make noise. I will have to try this! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great idea! I know what I'm doing this weekend. My 4 month old is just putting his hands together and is grabbing for toys, he will love it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. So so cute, my nephew is 3 months and starting to crasp, so I am going to try and whip one up tonight, since my babies are 10&11. Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow you make it look so easy peasy! I'll be trying that out soon! Got a little one coming in August that I will make one for!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. THAN YOU SO MUCH!!! My little princess LOVES things that make noise!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Totally great idea! I'm going to make one!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awesome...this may accompany my tag blankets that I give as gifts! LOVE it. Thanks for another awesome idea/tutorial! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. So cute and simple! I LOVE it!

    thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Adorable! What a great idea! Love the reuse of the wipes packages.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I was reading along thinking how cute that monkey fabric was, until I got to the last picture and saw HOW CUTE YOUR PUNKIN IS!!!! She is so delicious!! And the monkey fabric is pretty cute, too :)

    I do have a brand new sewing machine around here somewhere, but I don't really know how to use it...

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh man thanks so much for the great idea! I've heard of the taggie blankets plenty...but making it crackly makes it soooo much better and way more entertaining for baby...not a good church toy...but man, that should entertain for a long time. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am definitely going to make this :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. that's awesome! I love it! I've got a "product tester" too that I'm sure will give it a big thumbs up too!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love this idea! I am making 2 tonight for a shower this weekend! I'll post them on my blog and link back to your post ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is a fantastic idea! I'm going to add it to my tumblr, so I remember to do it when I have a baby one day!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. lovely baby...and wonderful idea...
    Thnx for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  18. My neighbor just brought her baby boy home and I think this would make a great addition to her baby gifts! Thanks for the great tut...I've shared a link at my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a fab idea, I've seen plenty of ribbon blankets, but nothing like this. I will have to share the link on my next link round up post. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  20. thanks I have been looking for something like this with the crinkly paper!

    ReplyDelete
  21. All I have to say is: I. Love. This!!!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Perfection!! I was going to buy some noisy toys for my 5 mos old but now I will just whip up a few of these and she will be so happy and my hubby will be happy because I won't be spending any money!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Awesome idea! Especially for a beginning sewer like myself. Great for baby gifts too! Have an awesome weekend!

    My Shop ~
    http://swirlsofcreativity.etsy.com

    My Blogs ~
    Swirls of Creativity’s Purple Thursday ~ Every Thursday!
    http://swirlsofcreativity.blogspot.com

    Reducing, Reusing, & Recycling
    http://greenresolution.blogspot.com

    Our Journey as a Christian Homeschooling/Unschooling Family
    http://briobridge.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. SMART! I've made lots of tag blankets and knit baby toys and I've always wondered how to get them crinkly.
    Thanks for the tip. Janey is a super cute product tester!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Man you have the best ideas, now I want a baby again!

    ReplyDelete
  26. JUST CREATED ONE FOR MY NEPHEW, USED THE POPCORN WRAPPERS BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO WAIT TO GET ANYTHING ELSE. GAVE YOUR BLOG SITE OUT WITH TUTORIAL ON MY FLICKR POST THAT HAS THE IMAGE. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12784349@N08/3575723235/
    THANKS AGAIN!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I LOVE THIS!...made one today have yet to have give it to my "tester" thank you so much for sharing !

    ReplyDelete
  28. once again, this is brilliant! I am linking!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I LOVE THIS!...made one today have yet to have give it to my "tester" thank you so much for sharing !

    ReplyDelete
  30. I just made two today... SUPER fast and EASY, thanks for the GREAT tutorial!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I made 6 taggie receiving blankets for my grandson. But your crinky taggie is a great idea. I guess I'll be making some soon.

    ReplyDelete
  32. That is freakin' brilliant!! Love it!!
    Oh, my bsafeonline hates your mamamanifesto. I have to type my password two times everytime I come to your page. Even after commenting. Some serious love coming from the Southeast, cause this is a pain in my hiney!! BUT you are worth it!!
    Elise

    ReplyDelete
  33. Just love the idea. I am expecting my 3rd in October and will be making a few of these. I hope you don't mind that I posted about your cute idea on my blog. www.joyslightbulbs.blogspot.com

    Are you a Joy too?

    ReplyDelete
  34. My friends are going to love these. I love these. Here are the ones I made last night....

    http://lilblueboo.blogspot.com/2009/05/baby-crinkle-tag-toy.html

    ReplyDelete
  35. As promised, I sewed up a few of these bad boys! Here's the link in case you're interested

    ReplyDelete
  36. great GREAT project! I've seen the taggie blankets, but I really like this size alot, especially adding the crinkly layer. I'm totally making a bunch of these. I think you could dangle it from a car seat using those plastic rings.

    ReplyDelete
  37. What a fabulous idea!
    I'm bookmarking this one!

    Thanks for the great tutorial. It looks like even a beginner like me might be successful :)

    ReplyDelete
  38. After seeing this tutorial I made one for a baby shower this weekend. It was a hit! It was the only gift that got passed around the room! ;) Thanks for the great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I was just wondering how to make a "tag" blankie! I am making this tonight after the kiddos go to bed!!!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I had come up with something similar, but your idea had definite improvements over what I was going to do. I am so glad that I found this post.

    http://www.eyeballgirl.com/2009/06/crinkle_blanket_with_ribbon.html

    Stephanie@eyeballgirl.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Great tutorial! I just made some for my one year old...he may be a bit big for this but I figured for a 10 hour road trip I'm gonna give it a try! Thanks!

    Here's the link to mine...and I linked yours in the post!
    http://purejoycreative.blogspot.com/2009/06/noisy-taggie-square.html

    ReplyDelete
  42. Brilliant! Love the use of the Kirkland wipe package. JUST emptied one tonight...off to crinklicize!

    ReplyDelete
  43. These are addicting! I just made 7 of them :)

    Thanks again for the tute!

    ReplyDelete
  44. thanks for the great idea. i made my own and they turned out nice and crinkly.

    ReplyDelete
  45. www.krinklzbaby.com has an adorable assortment of "crinkle paper" squares that are super easy to clean. They can also go in the dryer!

    ReplyDelete
  46. What an awesome idea!! I followed a link on flikr to your tutorial and I HAVE to make one of these! I'm expecting any minute now and this is just the coolest idea.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Thanks for the tute! I made these and they turned out great. My 5 month old loves them. My sister is pregnant, I am gonna make a few for my nephew who should be here in a few weeks.

    Here are mine:
    http://lesliegbarton.blogspot.com/2009/08/im-so-crafty-not.html
    I linked back to you for the tute!

    Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  48. thanks so much for this great tutorial!

    i am just starting to sew again- i learned years ago from my mom- and this was a great first project to get back into it! all of the materials i used i had already so the adorable was at no cost.

    thanks, again!

    ReplyDelete
  49. I'm nuts about this idea! I included it in my weekly roundup here. I'm going to have to make some SOON! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  50. We received a taggy blanked for my son's shower and it is definately a treasure!

    ReplyDelete
  51. This is such a fantastic baby idea! I made a Baby Craft Projects post on my blog and included your idea! I have yet to make it but I will very soon!
    http://fantasticfind.blogspot.com/2009/10/baby-craft-projects.html

    ReplyDelete
  52. These are great. I made round ones and instead of putting crinckle stuff inside I put little bells between some quilting batting I had left over. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Great idea! I think I like these better than the tag blankets.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Love it! -- Does it hold up in the washing machine, or what's best to wash it? (I'm clearly not a parent yet!) :)

    ReplyDelete
  55. Such a cute idea! I had the same question as killarobot, can/do you put it in the dryer? Also, when you turn it right side out, do/can you iron it flat? Not sure how the plastic holds up to heat.

    ReplyDelete
  56. I have washed ours a ton. Regular cycle with the rest of the laundry. still as crinkly as ever. not sure about ironing... I am a lazy ironer and try to avoid it at all costs!

    ReplyDelete
  57. Thanks Julie! Can't wait to try this out.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Thanks so much! I posted the one I made on my blog: http://sunshinemamasite.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-told-billy-that-i-will-likely-never.html

    ReplyDelete
  59. I confess I made a test one for my puppy she loves the tags on her toys and I couldn't believe I hadn't made her one before. I used an extra layer of canvas on each side for durability. After I finished I realized I should have used the doggie treat bag and not the wipes bag !duh! next time. Thanks from me and the dog

    ReplyDelete
  60. I love this idea. So quick/cute/easy. Just great. Thanks for sharing
    Beth
    here's the one I did.
    http://mycraftblogs.blogspot.com/2009/11/crinkle-toy.html

    ReplyDelete
  61. Omg Omg!!! these r soooo cute!! xD i will be makin some for my four legged feline "testerz" as they lurve the crinkly stuff too!!!ty ty 4 the gr8 idea!!

    ReplyDelete
  62. Thanks for the tutorial. I had a feeling it was ok to use the wipe bag by doing this. I am glad you posted about this. Does it hold up to the washing?

    ReplyDelete
  63. ooh! love this! :D

    i make little tag blankies and pillows, and i was wondering how to make them crinkle. clever. :)

    since you're using plastic, can it be put in the dryer??

    ReplyDelete
  64. Joy, I love this idea. I too have always wondered what they put in those toys to make them crinkle. I now have a new appreciation for all types of items that were previously trash. What a great way to recycle. I was wondering if you have any copyright restrictions on items made using this idea. I have a charity website http:projectsweetpeas.com and would like to make some small blankies to help raise funds for the project. You can contact me privately at jeanne@projectsweetpeas.com. I tried to use the link on your website to contact you but it wouldn't work. Thank you for a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Thanks for posting this. Inspired by it I made a similar toy for my little man.
    http://muffinsnmore.blogspot.com/2010/03/crinkly-toy.html

    He loves it! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  66. Quick, frugal, and easy- All 3 are the recipe for a GREAT craft! I'm going to try my hand at this sometime this week!

    Please feel free to add this tute to my Baby Week link party at My Frugal Family.

    It can be found at:

    theherberfamily.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  67. Don't trim the ribbons too much before you turn it right side out. I made one for my baby, and she had gotten one of the ribbons out 5 minutes after I gave it to her! I made a new one and left the ribbon ends long inside the toy, and it hasn't come apart yet!

    ReplyDelete
  68. I love this! I bought my first sewing machine and this will be my first project! Wish me luck!!

    Hanan
    http://lilaccitymomma.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  69. Thank you for sharing this! I've wanted one of these for my baby for a long time and I finally thought I should just try to see if I could make one. Turns out - it's really easy and it turned out so cute!

    ReplyDelete
  70. I just made one of these using a potato chip bag!

    ReplyDelete
  71. OH MY SOUL!!! These are so cute and I just happen to have a new granddaughter on the way. Thanks so much for the tutorial!!

    ReplyDelete
  72. I saw this idea on a link party from another blog (can't remember which one, it was months ago) and made it for a dear friend who had just had a baby boy. Fast forward 6 months to today and I was checking out your blog for new ideas (since I'm a follower) and decided to read your post about Joy. It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of a similar experience that happened to my dear friend in 2008 AND 2009. You're an inspiration to a lot of people! You can check out her blog if you want, its kellyandblue.blogspot.com oh and she said her son loves his crinkle toy and that it's his favorite! So thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  73. I'm trying to make this super cute blanket, but I'm having trouble with getting my machine to sew over the wipe wrapper. My machine is eating right through it. Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe I just needed to change a setting on my machine (which is the most basic Singer model), but thought maybe you'd have some tips. Help! Thanks :-)

    ReplyDelete
  74. Thank you so much for the tutorial. I let my girls each decorate one with fabric markers to make as a gift for our new baby. http://havingfunathomeblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/crinkle-baby-squares.html

    ReplyDelete
  75. I'm thinking mylar would work well, too, for the crinkle... good use for those shower balloons! =) Thanks for the tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  76. Your project ROCKS! I just wanted to let you know I featured it today on "You Sew Rock Me Fridays" on my blog Sew Rockin'. You can view the post here: http://wp.me/p1VAkT-mG.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Love the idea, Can you put this in the dryer? Will the plastic melt?? Thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  78. Love the idea, Can you put this in the dryer? Will the plastic melt?? Thanks in advance!

    ReplyDelete
  79. I made this yesterday. LOVE IT! :)

    http://www.bird-on-a-line.com/2012/02/handmade-for-baby.html

    ReplyDelete
  80. I just made this as my first sewing machine project! It looks so terrible and crooked, but I still love it.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Just whipped one of these up in about 5 minutes! Thanks for the directions!

    ReplyDelete
  82. Is it washable? Have you washed your's yet? And if so, did you do the washer and dryer? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I added notes about washing to the bottom of the post. It held up fine. Normal cycle. Normal dryer.

      Delete
  83. This is so adorable! I just love it. Thanks so much for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  84. I got a brand new Singer for my birthday yesterday! My old singer (my great grandmothers 1930's model) has a needle jammed in the bobbin and the only singer shop in the state is about 4 hours from me so its just to expensive to fix right now, or lug around its a big cabinet machine.. so i got the Singer 3116 simple stitch yesterday and this is the first thing i made! i used a peice of a bag that laundry detergent packs come in (purex) and it makes a louded crinkle than a baby wipe bag. Thanks for the Pattern!!

    ReplyDelete
  85. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Great tutorial, thanks!
    Can you wash this without problem?

    ReplyDelete
  87. I have been looking for sites like this for a long time. cute baby... Thank you! Baby toys

    ReplyDelete
  88. Nice to read your blog on this website. different experience to read this blog. i get some awesome information throw this article. Revolua Registration

    ReplyDelete
  89. I Love this toy! I wanted to make one for my grandson today but my room is so disorganized! I shared this on my blog with a link back to your blog for the tutorial. Thanks so much for sharing! Have a beautiful day! ~Yolanda~

    ReplyDelete
  90. I loved your easy to follow directions. I just made it in two hours (nap-time). It is so cute, we didn't have flannel or ribbons, but used satiny fabric to make ribbons and appliqued a flower onto plain fabric for the square. We are missionaries in Uganda and I have a single mom living with us with a 5 month old. We have very few toys for her. This will be so exciting as she is in the "I love crinkly things" stage. We are so excited for her to wake up from her nap to show her. Thanks for sharing your heart in this website.
    God bless you. Jen

    ReplyDelete
  91. I recognize that you made this post quite some time ago but I just happened up on it today.
    I am so excited about this simple yet adorable little idea. I have a preschool and have had several things the kids can do for their parents when a new sibling arrives. BUT this is way too sweet! a gift they can make for the baby?? awesome!!
    Thank you THANK YOU for sharing you idea!!

    ReplyDelete