Autumn rolled in, prompting me to tidy up my closet and gear up for winter. Amidst the seasonal wardrobe shuffle, I found a denim overall shorts piece that hadn't seen the light of day in over five years. Inspired by upcycling ideas from others, I decided to give this forgotten garment a new lease on life as part of my latest design, Meet Laura the Cat. If you've got any neglected clothing items lying around, why not give this upcycling toy idea a shot?
Video tutorial available on my Instagram @moumou_friends
Get your fabric ready!
Materials needed for this little project:
Your old clothes
Thread & Needle
Stuffing ( I used polyester filling and poly pellets)
Embroidery floss for the face (You can use any kind of thread.)
Ribbon (optional)
To start, download the pattern of Laura the Cat.
Step 1: Cutting the parts
Follow the instructions on the pattern sheet to obtain the patterns.
Fold the fabric into half so that you get two mirror parts when you cut at a time.
Trace the pattern onto your fabric. I am using a chalk pen, but you can use any pen.
Secure the fabric with sewing pins.
Cut the fabric to obtain all the parts mentioned on the pattern sheet.
Step 2: Sewing the small parts together
*Important: This pattern is designed with only a 0.5cm seam allowance. Please exercise caution when sewing.
1. Attach the right sides together, and sew the ears, legs, and head parts together. For the head, sew only the CF/CB line. For the ears and legs, leave the top sides open.
2. Fold the arm into half, right rides together. Sew it along the edge, and leave the top sides open.
3. Repeat the process for the front body and the back body. Sew only the CF and CB lines.
4. Trim the seam with pinking shears as above. Turn them inside out and smooth the seams with fingers.
Step 3: Stuffing the head, arms and legs
Position the ears on the head (front). Sew them together.
Sew the head parts with the right sides together.
Trim the seam (below the ears only).
Turn it inside out. Stuff it tightly.
5. Stuff the arms lightly.
6. Press the opening with the seam at the center.
7. Fold it into half as above.
8. Sew and close the opening. Repeat the same process for another arm.
*Similar process for the legs.
9. Stuff the legs lightly.
10. Press the opening with the seam at the center.
11. Push the left and right fabric into the center as above.
12. Sew and close the opening.
Now, we have the head, arms, and legs prepared!
Step 4: Connecting the body parts
1. Sew the arms and legs onto the front body. You can find the position marks on the pattern of the front body.
2. As indicated by the red lines, sew the bottom and the back body together.
3. Put the arms and legs in the center, and place the back body on. With the right sides together, sew them together as indicated by the above red arrow.
4. You may find it difficult to sew in one line. Try to separate it into three lines: left side first, then the bottom line, and lastly the right side. Ensure that all the corners align with each other so that the body is not tilted.
5. Stuff the body with poly pellets and filling.
* This cat toy is designed to have a wide bottom to sit on its own. However, she can sit only with heavy stuffing inside. So I prefer to stuff the body with half poly pellets (around 20g here) and half polyester filling.
* If you are making this for children, sew a poly pellet bag for added safety.
6. Sew the head and the body together by using the invisible hand stitch technique.
7. Now, you have the cat toy!
To continue embroidering the face, please check my video tutorials on Instagram.
