Intermediate
5mm seam allowances used throughout, unless otherwise stated.
Safety Notice: Handmade items made from this pattern may contain small parts or long cords that pose choking or strangulation risks. Not suitable for children under 3 years. Please see the full safety disclaimer at sewmag.co.uk/safety.
Decorate your mantlepiece with our sunshine-basking Sleeping Kitty Cat. Cats just love laying in warm spots around the home and this furry feline friend by Carolyn Letten is no different. He’ll be perfectly happy on a windowsill or a shelf looking super chilled with a leg or arm hanging over. The pellet filling will give him a super floppy body that can be easily posed as you wish. Don’t forget to turn to page 64 for more top tips on the art of toymaking before you get started!
Download and print the templates from sewmag.co.uk. Cut out two sides from gold velvet, remembering to turn the template over for the second side. Pin the pieces right sides together and sew from the top of the neck A across to B. Snip out two ear backs from gold velvet, then turn the template over to cut two ear fronts from champagne velvet.
Cut two inner ears from pale pink felt. Use pink thread to sew the inner ears onto the right side of each champagne velvet front, lining up the bottom edge of the felt with the bottom edge of the velvet. Pin each pair of ears right sides together, and stitch a 5mm seam up both sides of the triangles. Turn right sides out. Make a slight fold at the bottom centre of each and sew a 5mm seam across the bottom to hold the crease.
Trim two pieces of gold velvet for the tail, then turn the template over for the second side. Pin right sides together and stitch a 5mm seam down both sides, leaving the straight end open. Turn right side out and stuff, leaving the last 3cm unstuffed. Cut out the head from gold velvet, and turn the template over for the second side. On each wrong side, mark the three dots that make the dart and the slits for the ears. Fold the darts right sides together, so that the outer dots meet for each side, and sew across to the single dot.
Pin both head sides right sides together, making sure the darts align, and stitch a 5mm seam from point C around the curve clockwise to point D. With the head still right sides together, snip the slits for the ears. Insert the bottom of each ear by 1cm and sew across each slit to secure, make sure each ear is facing the right way. Use the template to cut out the muzzle from champagne velvet. Pin it right sides together with the head, so that point D on the muzzle matches point D on the head, and point E on the muzzle matches both points E on both sides of the head. Stitch a 5mm seam across.
Take the cat’s body made up in step 1, then lay it flat and open, right side up. Open up the two sides of the head, right side down. Place the middle neck join (C) onto the neck join (A) and pin across both sides to F. Sew a 5mm seam across. Pin the remaining two sides of the muzzle right sides together, so that both Es match and both F points of the neck match. Stitch a 5mm seam across.
Cut out the underside of the cat by placing it on the fold of a piece of champagne velvet. Lay it flat and right side up, then lay the rest of the body right side down onto it and pin together all the way around; remember to leave a gap at one side for turning. Sew a 5mm seam all the way around, taking care to catch in the seam at points G and F. At the gap on the upper body, between point B and G, insert the curved end of the tail pointing down, all the way in. Leave the straight end sticking out by 1cm and close the gap.