Tutorial 3: Baby Play Gym

Ok, so I was going to post a tutorial on how to make an adorable play-gym for your little one BUT, I didn't take ANY photos of the 'in-between' process, so here is all I've got for you I'm afraid.

Ingredients:

x2 - 4mm fibreglass rods about 1.8M long

x1 hacksaw

spare stripy fabric

Method:

My fabric had stripes in the wrong direction, so I had to cut heaps of short strips and sew them together so that the stripes were going across the tubing.  I didn't want them going along the length of the tubing.  Each strip was about 10cm wide - total length approx 5M.  Sew it inside out to get one LONG tube.  Turning it 'right-side-out' is a pain in the neck!

Cut one end of each of the two rods so you have two short lengths approx 40cm long and two long lengths, approx 1.4M long.

Cut the fabric tubing so you have two lengths of about 1.5M each - feed the two long rod into this.  Cut the un-used fabric tubing so you have two more lengths of about 50cm each - feed the two shorter rods into these.  Now, sew up the ends together so you have a rectangle.

Cut the remaining tubing in half.  The hard part is next.  Sewing these ends to opposite ends of the long rods.  You'll have to bend the rods and probably get someone to hold them while you sew it so they don't flick all over the show.  I had to get Roy to help me.  Yes, there are easier ways to do this like sewing it all first then feeding the rods in but, I didn't want to have to then sew the opening up where the rods fed through.

If all of the above doesn't make any sense, just go to the shop and buy one!  They start around $35NZD.  Not bad for all the hassle it can be to make one :)

See pic below of happy baby playing with his toys under brand-new play gym.  I placed the blue mat over the 'base' of this play gym.  This is just over top so you can see it's frame-work.  I have also sewn in a 15cm piece of ribbon to the top and tied the two sides together.  Most play gyms are in the shape of an X.  This one is more like two C's back to back.  Still not making sense??  Sorry about that, good luck!

Love Love Love