Hi everyone! I’m excited to share this easy sewing project with you! Today, we’ll be sewing a simple felt cat that’s perfect for kids ages 6 and up (with a bit of adult supervision!). This project is a fantastic way to learn sewing basics while letting their creativity shine. Ready to get started? Let’s create our feline friend!

What You’ll Need:

• Felt (in your chosen colors for body)
• Free Cat pattern (link below)
• Sharpie Creative Markers (or similar) for tracing
• Embroidery floss (try to match the colors to your felt)
• Needle with the big eye / Embroidery Needle (a child-friendly one works best)
• Scissors
• Stuffing (polyester filler, scrap felt, or even ripped-up plastic grocery bags)

Step 1: Trace and Cut

First, grab your free cat pattern, click pattern image below to download, and print it out.

Then let’s get tracing! The pattern includes the cat’s body, legs, and tail.

Lay the pattern pieces on your felt and use your marker to trace around them. Remember to flip the pattern pieces when tracing any that you need to cut out twice; this ensures they match up perfectly when you sew. After tracing, carefully cut out your felt pieces, trimming any marker lines off where possible. Don’t forget to save any scraps as they make great stuffing for your cat!

 

Step 2: Create Eyes and Whiskers

Now, let’s add some adorable eyes! You can either use small pieces of felt (perhaps in a bright color) for the eyes or create simple stitched eyes.

Make a simple knot at the end of the embroidery floss, then poke the needle from the back of the cat’s body piece to the front where you want the eye. Secure it by making a “knot stitch” — just pull the thread tight and tie a little knot by looping the floss and pulling it through. Repeat for the second eye, ensuring the knots are on the inside of the cat piece.

 

To make whiskers, create a knot at the end of your thread, poke it through near where the cat’s nose would be, pull your needle to the thread’s end, and cut it, leaving about a half-inch of thread poking out of the cat’s face. If you want more than two whiskers (I did four on each side), repeat this step again.

Then line up your two cat body patterns and repeat the same steps for the other side, making sure that you’ve got the rough/knot side of stitches on the inside for both pieces.

Step 3: Adding Legs

Now, let’s attach the legs. Place two back leg pieces on either side of the cat’s body piece. Thread your needle again and use another simple knot stitch to secure them in place. Repeat with the front legs.

 

Step 4: Start Sewing the Body

Begin sewing at the back leg area of the cat. Knot your starting stitch behind one of the legs, and use a blanket stitch around the bottom of the cat’s body, pause when you reach where you want to add the tail.

How to Blanket Stitch: To make a blanket stitch, start by threading a needle with some sturdy thread and tying a knot at the end. Choose the edge of your fabric where you want to start stitching. Poke the needle up from the back of the fabric, so the knot is hidden. Pull it all the way through. Next, bring the needle back down into the fabric a little bit away from where you came up, then pull it through again. Before you pull the thread all the way tight, loop the thread around the edge of the fabric and bring the needle back through the hole where you first poked it up. Keep repeating this process, making sure to keep the stitches evenly spaced and pulling the thread tight each time, until you reach the end of your stitching line.

Step 5: Add the Tail

When you reach the bottom of the cat, it’s tail time! Place the tail between the two body pieces and use a running stitch to sew it in place.

How to do a Running Stitch: To make a running stitch, start by getting your needle and thread ready with a knot at the end. Begin by pushing the needle up through the fabric from the back to the front, pulling it all the way through. Then, move the needle a little forward and poke it back down through the fabric making sure to leave a small space. Pull it through until the thread is tight. Next, poke the needle back up through the fabric right where you came down so it makes a little stitch. Keep going back and forth, moving forward a little each time and sticking the needle down and then back up, making sure the stitches are nice and straight. Continue until you reach the end of where you want to stitch!

 

Step 6: Continue Sewing A Blanket Stitch

Once you have the tail attached continue with a blanket stitch up the back of the cat until you reach its ears.  At it’s ears do another running stitch along the cat’s head, so you’re not sewing the ears together and they can bend out out after you finish sewing your plush. Keep doing a blanket stitch around the cats face, going slow and being careful around it’s whiskers, pushing them in or untangling them with your need as you go, and getting just the edges of your felt.

Keep going with the blanket stitch until you reach the cats arms.

Step 7: Fill and Finish

Time to add your stuffing! Use small pieces of polyester filler or scrap felt for stuffing. You can even use torn-up plastic grocery bags if you have them! For those tricky spots like the head, use the back of a pencil to help push the filling in. Once your cat is nicely stuffed, use the blanket stitch to close up the opening and knot everything off securely back where you started sewing your cat.

And there you have it—a charming felt cat crafted by your very own hands! This project not only introduces kids to the basics of sewing but also promotes creativity and the joy of crafting.