How to make a Cat Cuddle Buddy in 11 easy steps

On the holidays, I made Shelly a cuddle buddy.  The intention was to have a red and black one that would match the new décor in the living room.  That was the plan when I ordered a black and red cat tree too.  Sometimes life doesn't work out the way we plan.  The black and red décor in the living room isn't quite there yet, but the cuddle buddy is.  Check it out.

There are lots of tutorials around the blogosphere and on those lovely "How to" websites.  I found some of them really confusing!  Some of the steps weren't really clear on what had to be done while others seemed to make it way too complicated.  I prefer to sort of go with the flow when it comes to crafting so I looked at quite a few cushions, soft cat toys and tutorials online to get a general idea of how to make one then I adapted those ideas to suit me.  I had a few false starts, but it all worked out okay in the end. 
Here is the method I used.  I would recommend you read all the steps before deciding if you want to try this at home.  No one was harmed in this production of this cuddle buddy or blog post. 

 

Cat Cuddle Buddy

Materials I used: red cotton pillow case, small sheet of black felt, 1m of black ribbon, scissors, needle and black cotton, chalk/pen, sharpie,  wadding or cushion stuffing.

Step 1: Use a sharpie or chalk pen to draw a cat outline on the pillowcase.  You could print a template using clipart or other outline drawing found on the internet.  I did it free hand. 

Step 2: Cut out the cat shape by following the outline with the scissors.
 

Step 3: Match up the two pieces of fabric you now have and start sewing.  A simple running stitch works, or you can use a blanket stitch if you want it to be a bit of a feature as well.  I didn't.

Step 4: Start on one side of the cat and sew around the shape, leaving a space big enough for three fingers to fit inside. 

Step 5: Turn the fabric inside out and start stuffing with wadding.

Step 6: Throw some dried catnip in between the wadding too.  That will make it an extra cool, much loved cuddle toy.  I used the Kong Naturals Premium Catnip which I bought at my local pet shop. 

Step 7: When you are happy with the thickness, sew the rest of the way around the cat shape so the hole is completely closed.

Step 8: Draw a cat face onto the fabric (although you could do this earlier in the process if you are confident enough to know you won't end up sewing over the face.  LOL. 

Step 9: Cut a length of ribbon (about 30-40 cm) and fold it in half.  Sew the folded end of the ribbon to one side of the cat near the bottom to make a tail.  Tie the ends of the ribbon together using a simple knot.  Twist the ribbon around your finger and tie a knot a few cm along the ribbon.  Repeat this two more times so you have 4 knots spread along the length of the tail. 

Step 10: Cut two small triangle shapes out of felt and sew them at the top of the head to make ears. 

Step 11: Cut another length of ribbon and tie it around the neck of the cat shape to make a collar.

As you can see, I think it turned out pretty well and Shelly enjoys snuggling with it at nap time. 

If you decide to make something like this, I would love to see pictures (in the comments).  If you are inspired to do something even better, I would love to see that too! 

Happy Purring!