This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
I’m so excited to help you make this sweet little Fairy Cat … or maybe Butterfly Kitty? Honestly I don’t know what to call it, but I do know that I love it and I think this adorable friend is fun, and so cute and easy to customize in all the best ways! This project is great for kids ages 8 and up (with a little adult help). Along the way, you’ll learn beginner sewing stitches and create your own flying Pal friend. Ready to get stitchin’? Let’s go!
Want More Felt Sewing Fun?
Find more beginner-friendly felt sewing projects and step-by-step videos on my YouTube channel, Sly Sew Simple. I post new patterns, easy tips, and fun crafts for kids and grown-ups alike!
» Subscribe & Explore More
What You’ll Need:
- Felt (in your chosen colors for body, belly, wing, and ears)
- Free Fairy Cat pattern (link below)
- Sharpie 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)
Click Image to Download and Print
Click Image to Download and Print
Step 1: Cut Out Your Fairy Cat
Download and print your free Fairy Cat pattern. Use your marker to trace the shapes onto your felt. Remember to flip any shapes that need to be cut twice; this ensures a perfect match when you sew. After tracing, carefully cut out your felt shapes, trimming any visible marker lines where possible. Don’t throw away your scraps; they can be great for stuffing your Fairy Cat!
Step 2: Stitch On the Nose (with Embroidery Floss)
Now it’s time to give your Fairy Cat a cute little nose! Place the felt head stripe and nose pad circle where you want them on the cat’s face, making sure the circle nose pad overlaps the stripe where you’ll be sewing on the nose. Use embroidery floss and a few stitches to make a small triangle or oval right in the center of the nose pad.
✨ How to Stitch the Cat’s Nose
- Cut a small piece of embroidery floss (about 18 inches is plenty).
- Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end.
- Push the needle up from the back of the felt where you want one side of the nose to start.
- Make a small stitch by going down across to the other side of where the nose should be.
- Come up again in a new spot and keep stitching back and forth to fill in the shape.
- A triangle or oval shape works best!
- Keep your stitches close together so there are no felt gaps.
- When you’re happy with how it looks, flip your felt over and tie a knot on the back to hold it in place.
💡 Tip: Go slow and use short stitches—you can always add more to fill it in!
Step 3: Sew On the Eyes (with Knot Stitches)
Use knot stitches to sew each eye.
✨ How to Knot Stitch
- Thread your needle and tie a knot at the end.
- Push the needle up from the back of the felt where you want the eye to go.
- Pull it all the way through.
- Go back down very close to the same spot to make a small stitch.
- Repeat 2–3 times in the same place to make the eye “pop” and look bigger.
- Tie a knot on the back to hold it in place.
- Repeat for the second eye!
Step 4: Add a Smile (with Backstitch) *Optional Step*
This step is a little trickier than some of the others, but if you want you can add a mouth to your cat with a backstitch! Sometimes I find it helpful to lightly draw where I want the mouth to be with a pencil so I can trace over it with my thread, but you can also just free hand it without drawing tracing lines.
Starting under the nose, use a backstitch to add a mouth to your cat.
✨ How To Backstitch
- Start by pushing your needle up through the felt from the back.
- Move forward a small bit and push the needle down again.
- Now bring the needle up a little ahead of the last stitch.
- Go backward into the end of the previous stitch.
- Repeat: up ahead, down back into the last stitch—this makes a smooth line!
🪡 Step 5: Sew the Fairy Cat’s Head Together (Blanket Stitch & Running Stitch)
Now it’s time to put the two head pieces together. Line them up and knot your two head pieces together with a knot stitch at the bottom of the cats head. Then use a blanket stitch starting at the bottom of the Fairy Cat’s face, and go to the side about where it’s eyeball is. Pause there to add the Fairy Cat’s ear (instructions for that in Step 6).
✨ How to Blanket Stitch
- Thread your needle and tie a knot.
- Start at the edge of the felt, push the needle up through one layer, pull it through.
- Go down through both layers a little bit forward.
- Before pulling the stitch tight, slide the needle through the loop of thread.
- Pull gently so it makes a little “hook” along the edge.
- Keep going around the edge of the cat’s head.
- Once you’ve stitched along the side to where you want to add the ear, stop.
Step 6: Add the Cat’s Ear (Running Stitch)
Line up the two pieces of the cat’s ear, with the smaller (in my case pink) piece in front and the bigger (in my case tan) piece in back. Add the two ear pieces between the two head pieces on the cat. Use a running stitch to attach it.
✨ How To Running Stitch
- Push the needle up from the back of the fabric.
- Move forward and push it down again.
- Keep going: up, down, up, down, leaving little spaces between stitches.
- It’ll look like a dashed line. Easy and fast!
🪡 Step 7: Finish Sewing the Cat’s Head (Blanket Stitch & Running Stitch)
- Go back to your blanket stitch to sew across the top of the cat’s head, making sure that you’re sewing the head stripe in, in addition to the front and back of the cats head.
- Once you’re across the head stripe, add the second ear with a running stitch.
- After the ear is added, continue with a blanket stitch —but leave a small gap for stuffing.
- stuff the head gently, then finish sewing it closed. Tie a knot to finish!
🖐 Step 8: Attach the Tail, Wings, Belly, Arms and Legs (Knot Stitches)
Take the body pieces of your cat, and decide if you want the round belly to be at the bottom of the cat, or under the cats neck. You can sew it in place with a running stitch, or you can layer the cat’s arms over the belly piece, and sew the belly piece in as you add the arms with a simple knot stitch.
- Use knot stitches to attach the arms and legs to the front of the body.
- Use knot stitches again to attach the tail to the back body piece. (Make sure you put it low enough you have space to sew on your wings!)
- Use a running stitch to attach the wings to the back body piece.
🧵 Step 9: Sew the Body Together (Blanket Stitch + Stuffing)
- Now it’s time to sew the body front and back together!
- Place the front and back of the body together.
- Use your blanket stitch to go all the way around—leave a space to add stuffing.
- Gently fill the body with stuffing until it’s nice and squishy.
- Finish sewing it closed and knot it off tightly, but don’t cut your string just yet!
🪡 Step 10: Connect the Head and Body (Ladder Stitch)
Last step—attach your Fairy Cat’s head to its body using a ladder stitch.
✨ How to Ladder Stitch
This is a sneaky stitch that hides the thread between the pieces.
- Line up the bottom of the head with the top of the body.
- Push the needle up from where you did your final stitch on the cats body, run it inside the fairy cat so it comes out at the top of the fairy cat’s body, on the front side.
- Make a small stitch straight across the top of the body, then come out just a little forward.
- Pull your string out and up and make a small in and out stitch in the back of the cat’s head, then repeat the stitch on the body, then they head again 3-4 times.
- You’ll make a zig-zag that looks like rungs on a ladder.
- Pull gently as you go—it’ll close the gap like magic!
- Tie a final knot to hold everything in place.
🎉 Step 11: Enjoy Your Felt Fairy Cat!
You did it! You’ve sewn a soft, silly, one-of-a-kind fairy cat all by yourself. Great job learning stitches and creating something awesome. Now fly around and show off your new handmade friend!
💚 Why You’ll Love This Project:
- Simple, beginner-friendly felt plush project
- Great for kids learning to sew or a fun weekend craft
- Teaches important hand-sewing skills in a playful and creative way
- Makes a perfect DIY gift or handmade toy
💬 Like, Comment, and Subscribe for more felt plushie tutorials, free sewing patterns, and creative crafts you can make at home!





















