A Very Happy Cat

I can cross another gift off my "must sew" list. I started this cat yesterday morning and finished it up this afternoon. I had to wait for the pieces to dry after I washed out the blue marker. The most time consuming part was the embroidery. It was slow going. I hadn't embroidered anything in a long, long time. I had to break out my Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework to refresh my memory. That is an awesome reference book, BTW. Here is my finished cat, followed by my step-by-step how to. If you'd like to sew a Happy Cat of your own, here's where I got the pattern.

The first step is to print out the pattern and directions. My computer was not cooperating. I had to open each pattern piece in a new window and print it from there. Once the pieces are printed you have to tape them together. I trimmed off all the extra paper bits to make the pattern easier to trace. I also went over the cat's features with a Sharpie so they would show through the fabric. I don't have a light box. Instead I used painters tape to stick the pattern to a window.

The features were traced with a water soluble marker.

Then the most important part, giving the cat a personality.

The nose is a piece of gray fleece.

I used a blanket stitch to sew it on.

Before sewing the front and back together I applied  fray check to all the embroidery knots. I sewed the cat together with 1/4" seams, using a narrow zig zag, and went very s-l-o-w-l-y as the tutorial recommended. I left the bottom of the cat open for stuffing. I stuffed it very firmly taking special care to make sure enough stuffing was packed into the arms and legs. The bottom opening was hand sewn closed.

The last step was to give the cat some toes and make sure to apply fray check to those knots, as well. All that remains is to wrap it and place it under the tree. I hope little Izzy likes it.