I bet whoever designed the wooden clothes peg (apparently that was Jérémie Victor Opdebec, according to Wikipedia) had no idea they would be used a century later for kids crafts. But they're perfect for making little people... and especially for making ballerinas with fun pom-pom tutus!

Love to make pom-poms? Then you have to get your hands on a Loome tool, our latest craft tool obsession!

What you'll need:

• wooden clothes-pegs
• acrylic paints or marker pens
• yarn
• scissors
• 2x pom-pom templates cut out on some thick card (an empty cereal box is perfect for this sort of thing)

Let's go:

1. First, paint your pegs with acrylic paint or draw on them with marker pens. If you're making these with younger kids, definitely go for the marker pens. Don't forget to paint some ballerina shoes on them too! Once you're happy with them, set them aside to dry.

2. Cut out your templates from the cardboard and start to wrap the yarn around both of them at the same time. Keep wrapping until you cover all the card with yarn. If you're using thin yarn this could take a little while!

3. Place your peg doll in the middle of the pompom template and wedge your scissors in between the two pieces of card. Cut the yarn all the way around the pom-pom template. Then, cut a piece of yarn about 20cm in length, wrap it around the peg doll in between the two pieces of card and tie a tight double knot around the peg doll.

4. Remove the card templates and give your ballerina tutu a little haircut. When you're happy with how it looks, you're done!

You could also add a coat of varnish to the peg doll after painting if you like, especially if you know they're going to get a lot of wear and tear. You can also add some hot glue around the bottom of the tutu to make sure the yarn stays in place.

Now, for the dance of the sugar plum fairies!