Kat Plushie, Easy Peasie

I am sharing projects to provide activities for 4-H members and anyone else looking for something fun and useful to create. Our fiber arts club, We’re Those Kids, is a Gila County 4-H club with the University of Arizona. Please check back for new Instructables produced by and for 4-H Club members. Zed the Terrier mascot is in the studio with me and will share tips with us.

This is a project is suitable for new fabrics and re-purposing garment fabric. We used polyester stuffing, but scraps or other materials could be used for that as well. Both new and re-purposed fabrics were used for this project.

You may sew this by hand or by machine. Details may be embroidered, sewn, or painted.

Take your time sewing. This is a good beginner sewing and embroidery project.

* You may want a raveled, fuzzy edge, in which case use cotton

fabric, cut slightly larger, 1/2 inch or more, than the pattern.

Please read all instructions before beginning the project.

Fabric-

18 x 12 inches of fabric, woven preferred, for the Body

3 x 5 inches of non raveling fabric, such as craft felt or acrylic fleece, for the Face

Thread appropriate for the chosen fabric. I used Dual Duty thread.

Embroidery floss

Hand sewing needle

Embroidery (large eye) needle

Scissors- both fabric and craft/ utility scissors. I also used thread snips and pinking shears, but those are optional.

Straight edge for marking, I used a scrap of poster board paper

Disappearing marker, pen or chalk

Fabric pins or clips

Sewing machine with a sharp needle, such as a “Jeans” needle

Chop stick, knitting needle or tool to help insert the stuffing.

Print the attached pdf file on standard letter size paper.

Using your craft scissors, cut out the pattern.

Carefully cut out the 'Face'. You can do this by cutting across the head then cut around the face. Set it aside.

You may tape where you cut to keep the 'Body' pattern secure.

Select fabrics, prewash or iron if necessary.

Assemble threads and tools.

Trace the Body shape onto the right side of the fabric. Some people call that the ‘pretty’ side.

Carefully cut the fabric. Do not worry if you cutting isn’t perfect, but try to stay outside of the lines. This is an easy design that does not require a perfect fit.

Next trace the Face pattern onto the felt or fleece. Carefully cut the fabric for the Face.

Position the Face on the right side of the Body piece that will be the front of the Kat plushie. Center it from side to side, and leave plenty of space below the ears. It should be well below where the seam will be.

Pin the Face in place. A safety pin works well.

Sew the Face onto the Body around the edge. If using a sewing machine, either set the zig zag width to it's widest setting with a stitch length of 2-2.5, or sew a straight stitch 1/8 of an inch inside the edge.

If sewing by hand sew around the edge with embroidery floss, a blanket stitch, cross stitch or other of your choosing will look nice.

Pull all thread ends to the back side of the Body.

Using a disappearing ink pen or chalk pencil, draw the eyes, nose and whiskers on the Face.

Leave space around the edge of the Face and draw the whiskers to extend onto the Body.

You can embroider the features, cut out fabric pieces and sew them on, or paint the features. It may be difficult to paint on the fleece or felt, so practice on scraps first. I chose to embroider these.

When embroidering, please note that the fleece fabrics are a little tough to push the needle through. Waxing your needle will help, as will using a needle puller. Bar soap may also help if rubbed on the needle.

Stitches used:

Chain stitch

French knot

Satin stitch

Couching stitch

Running stitch, to sew the body together

Blind stitch, closing the body after stuffing

Please use and add whatever embellishment you like.

If the plushie is for a child do not use buttons for the eyes, or anything a child might choke on.

I have included 2 Options for construction, allowing for two different finishes.

For both options, back stitch at the beginning edge of a bottom corner and sew up around the ears and back down, back stitching again at the other bottom corner. This leaves the bottom open for stuffing. Either a straight stitch is used if sewing with a machine, or a running stitch if sewing by hand.

Option A: Place and pin Body parts together, right sides of the fabric facing each other. Remember to leave an opening at the bottom for stuffing.

Option B: You should have left extra fabric around the edges, a 1/2 inch or so border. This will be sewn with right sides to the outside, back sides facing each other. After sewing together, before stuffing, you will trim the fabric close to, but not into where the body is sewn. I used pinking shears for this. Leave extra fabric at the bottom until the plushie is stuffed and the opening has been closed, then trim as above.

If you chose Option A, turn your Kat plushie right sides out.

If you chose Option B, it is not necessary to turn your Kat plushie.

Prepare to stuff.

Stuff the plushie, being sure to fill out the ears. It is not necessary to fill to body too much, this should be soft.

Using a blind stitch for Option A close the opening.

For Option B use either the machine or the running stich to close the opening. The edges will fray and fluff after washing.

This project is machine washable. It will be necessary to wash it to remove the sewing guide marks.

Enjoy your Kitty Kat plushie and new skills you may have learned.

I re-wrote the instructions which are on the pattern for clarity, and replaced the previous pattern. I hope this is helpful.