Cat(nip) and Mouse
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Made with reused fabric, these cat toys can come in any pattern imaginable.
Posted by ReadyMade
Written by Alexa Fornoff, Photography by Marty Baldwin
Make a handmade toy that's irresistible to your feline friends.
'Tis the season to give your pet something worth purring about. Connie Crawley made this charming mouse toy every Christmas before her sweet cat Sally passed away a few years ago. Keeping the tradition alive, Connie still stitches the mice in her honor—and sells them at refabulous.etsy.com. Share the love with your pet using Crawley’s easy-to-follow directions.
To download the template, click here and save it to your desktop.
Skill Level
Easy
Active Time
Half a day
Cost
$
- Pencil
- One 6×7-inch piece fabric for mouse body
- One 1½×2½-inch loose-weave scrap fabric for interior catnip pouch
- Thread
- 1 T dried catnip (available at pet or garden stores)
- Embroidery floss
- 9-inch-piece cotton cord for tail
- 2 c fiberfill (available at most fabric stores)
Materials
- Scissors
- Needle or sewing machine
- Pins
Tools
Print out the mouse pattern (click here and save it to your desktop). Trace and cut out the pieces. Note: All seam allowances are ¼ of an inch.
Fold the cut rectangle in half and sew two sides together using a needle and thread. Add catnip through the open side, removing any larger sticks, and sew shut.
Using embroidery floss, sew a French knot for an eye (*see below step for a detailed explanation of the stitch) and a running stitch for an ear on one side piece. Line up with second side piece (to mimic placement) and repeat.
*Bring a threaded needed up through to the front of your fabric.Pull through. Wrap thread around needle 2-4 times (the more you wrap, the bigger the knot)—keeping thread taut— and insert the needle close to the spot where it came through. Pull needle through to the back, and there you have your French knot. (For photos, check out this tutorial from The Purl Bee.)
Sew side pieces together, right sides facing, from the nose to the middle of the curved side, stopping where the tail will be (see pattern).
Tie a knot in one end of the cord, approximately ½ inch from end. (Knot will be inside mouse body to prevent cord from slipping out.) Roll the unknotted end of the cord into a ball, leaving 1 inch of the knotted end free, and tape it into this shape to help with assembly. (Knot the other end when project is complete, if desired.)
Slip the taped cord ball between the opening in the two side pieces (the approximate center of its back). Extend the knotted end ¾ inch past the edge of the fabrics. Carefully pin in place and baste.
Align the pointed end of the bottom piece with the nose end of the body and pin in place. Beginning at the tail end, stitch the fabric together to the nose using a few reinforcement stitches along the way. Repeat on other side of mouse body, leaving an opening about 1½ inches wide.
Turn mouse body right side out through the opening from previous step. Insert half of the fiberfill. Drop in the catnip pouch and top with rest of fiberfill.
Sew opening shut using a whipstitch. Gift toy to your favorite kitty, and watch a real game of cat and mouse.
Variations: Use a shirt collar or cuffs for your fabric.
Insert a bell or crinkle paper in place of—or in addition to—the catnip pouch during Step 8.
Attach mouse to a dowel and make a wand toy instead. (*See instructions below).
*Follow Steps 1-4, and then using a Dremel tool and bit, drill a hole through a dowel rod (3/8-inch-diameter, 18 inches long) ½ inch from one end. Sand any rough spots.
At Step 5, insert a 26-inch piece of elastic cord (1.2 mm in diameter) that's knotted 1/2-inch from an end, between the two side flaps at the approximate center of the mouse's back. Carefully pin in place and baste.
Continue as instructed, and at Step 11, tie the free end of the elastic cord through the hole in the dowel, and now you have a wand toy!
