Tako Hat!

After I went through all the trouble of painting/sewing/crafting up a marine-themed nursery for SHB, it turns out that the ungrateful (but still incredibly cute and lovable) bugger couldn't care less about ocean animals. His current loves are African savannah animals and barnyard animals; the former are just so dramatically huge and recognizable when we see them at the zoo, and the latter all make fun noises. SHB loves finding out what noises animals* make, and while I can do a credible whale imitation, there's really nothing I can do for crabs, fish, seastars, and sharks. We did decide that shrimp say "hahaha," as a play on the Cantonese word for shrimp, 蝦.

Anyway, hope must spring eternal, because when AJ of Confused Kitty Creations, who has long been one of my cosplay crushes, asked for testers for her new toddler sewing pattern, I immediately volunteered to sew, of all things, a 1) hat, for my kid who hates anything on his head, with 2) an octopus on it, because apparently I haven't yet learned my lesson. It was a fairly quick and easy project, even with the instructions in beta, and it was such a nice change to work with a pattern where all the notches and pattern pieces lined up perfectly! I've worked with too many patterns (including those of my own sloppy drafting) where I have to manhandle and ease pieces to get them to work, but this one didn't require any such fudging. The fit was also perfect for the recommended size for SHB's age, i.e. just a little bit of ease, and he's got a rather large head for his age.

I tried to play with the color on the image so that you see my less than stellar stitching on the face pieces. 

Summary:
Pattern: Tako Sun Hat
Fabric: Scrap cotton fabric in my stash, quilting weight, plus a little bit of high quality felt for the facial features
Notions: A tiny piece of Velcro for the strap, interfacing for the brim
Hours: Maybe three? I made it a while ago, so I don't really remember.
Total cost: Free, since it was all from stash.
Final thoughts: Well, I adore it, even if SHB doesn't. Because as I really should have predicted, he wouldn't have any of it. He thought it was funny to put on for about five seconds, and then he pulled it off and refused to let me put it back on.

This is pretty much the only normal photo I got. 

He pulled it off before I could do the straps.

I have about fifty more photos that are variations of the blurred-toddler-trying-to-pull-off-the-hat theme.

He did think it made a great barnyard animal toy transporter, though. 

Look at that self-satisfied smile in the last one!

Thankfully, cats make much more patient models (now there's a phrase I never thought I'd type), even if they don't really know how to wear hats.

Fenxi is not impressed.

Gummy is resigned. Or is he resentful?

Dawww. 

*SHB also wants to know what noises inanimate objects make, e.g. the ceiling, puzzle pieces, whiteboard markers, hats, etc.

[Disclaimer: I received this pattern for free in exchange for testing it for the designer, but all opinions are mine. I was not required to write about it on my blog; I just think it's really cute, and who doesn't want to see a picture of a cat in a hat?]

Cat-alongers!

*sheepish wave*

Ahem, sorry for just disappearing after announcing the Put A Cat On It Sew Along! Halfway through October, I suddenly discovered that I was in charge of costuming my high school's theater production; it had previously been canceled, which was why I thought I had time to run a sew along. Of course, it would be re-booted, but with a different play that required more costumes...but that's a story for another post. Also because my first project was a fail (thanks to mis-measured seam allowances), and then the play took over my life for the rest of the month, I didn't actually sew anything for myself or Walnut. *gasp* Go ahead, award me the Worst Sew Along Host Ever award.

At any rate, here I am, back to say that WOW, I am loving what you guys have made to show your love for cats! I did my best to round up all the IG, Flickr, and blog posts that I could find, but if you sewed and I didn't catch you, post a link in the comments and I'll add you to the prize drawing pool!

Category 1,  Cat Print Fabrics: This category was terrible because all of your guys' projects made me want to go out and buy more fabric.

Adrienne made a cat skirt for Halloween (the perfect time of year to wear cats!):

Megan made good use of the Gertie cat chiffon and made a delightfully swishy circle skirt:

If skirts aren't your thing, there's also this running top that Sarah Jane made for herself:

She also made a pair of leggings from the same fabric for her daughter...lucky girl!

And if like me, cold days make you want to snuggle at home instead of go out running, check out the flannel jammies and neck warmer (with tutorial!) that Laura whipped up:

Chrichrimano made a Seamwork Akita top from this cool neutral fabric with "cattish leopard animals" on it.

Shortened Akita top by seamwork. I sewed this a couple of weeks ago but couldn't bring myself to photograph it, as I don't really like it:-/ It's comfortable but I don't think that loose tops with no waist definition suit me... I wanted to enter it in the #putacatonitsewalong as the print has some sort of cattish leopard animals on it. #seamwork #akita #sewcialists #sewing

A photo posted by @chrichrimano on Oct 28, 2015 at 10:59am PDT

While I can see how the no-waist-definition look might not suit everyone, I still think it looks cute! Speaking of cute, check out Cari's little boy!

Too tired to resume suit making tonight, I made Ace a Cat Agent T-shirt instead. It doesn't match his doggy jammies at all, but he looks cute. #putacatonitsewalong #isewpastmybedtime

A photo posted by Cari (@carihomemaker) on Oct 30, 2015 at 7:57pm PDT

And then if you're not so into wearing your cats, Ginny made a very useful pouch with a perfectly centered black cat:

Category 2, Feline Design Elements: AKA, I am seriously in awe of the patience of quilters and embroiderers!

Lemonadefish made several awesome quilt blocks featuring quilts, so you should definitely check out her Instagram, but this is my favorite because it's cat-on-cat.

Now that @smoobug has received it, I can share this double-cat for #miniminiquiltswap and #putacatonitsewalong (technically I finished it at the very end of September, but it's got cat fabric *and* a cat shape, so I had to share!)

A photo posted by Erin Oakley (@lemonadefish) on Oct 2, 2015 at 7:53pm PDT

Ms. Lusty's appliqued mini-quilt is also gorgeous:

AJmeows made several items for this category: a cat quilt block,

Did a quick project to test my cat block. I think that's as good as it's going to get 'cause I'm tired of futzing with the pattern. #putacatonitsewalong #quiltyzippocket

A photo posted by AJ Wu (@ajmeows) on Oct 25, 2015 at 1:38pm PDT

a cat hat,

The Larva modeling one of the hats I just finished for donating. (Does this count for the cat sew along? It technically doesn't have a cat ON it.) #putacatonitsewalong #chemocap #chemohat

A photo posted by AJ Wu (@ajmeows) on Oct 10, 2015 at 7:52pm PDT

and a cat dress! I think I'm going to die now. Why didn't I have a little girl?

Larva modeling the cat pocket dress. That pocket needs a name 'cause I'm putting it on ALL THE THINGS now. #putacatonitsewalong #handmadekidclothes

A photo posted by AJ Wu (@ajmeows) on Nov 3, 2015 at 9:32am PST

After a brief dabble in embroidery, I sort of forgot all about it, but Erica's adorable embroidered cats for a baby quilt make me want to take it up again, you know, in my copious amounts of free time...

I haven't washed the sizing out yet but this little guy is going to be a quilt block for the baby. #putacatonitsewalong

A photo posted by Erica (@ericalbraun) on Oct 5, 2015 at 1:11pm PDT

Molly's embroidery of a cat head peeking out of her shirt pocket was directly inspired by her cat Potato:

#putacatonitsewalong #embroideredcatportrait #potatothecat

A photo posted by Molly Pruess (@mtoferet) on Oct 10, 2015 at 3:12pm PDT

Category 3, Actually For Cats: There were only a couple of sewing projects that fell in this category, but I seriously love them.

The Purling Princess made Halloween-themed bandannas for her cats so that they could be festive for Halloween. They're made to go over breakaway collars, which is awesome, and she made a tutorial, which is even more awesome:

It's a black cat wearing a black cat print fabric...how meta is that?

The Fabric of Time made the most adorable little tents for her cats. I'm seriously tempted to make matching ones for Walnut and SHB!

It's like a Portal game, but with cats!

Okay, that's all I could find...let me know if I missed you. I'll announce the winners on Friday after Thanksgiving!

Everybody Wants to Be a Cat

And if you grew up watching Disney movies, go ahead and sing the rest of with me: "...because a cat's the only cat who knows where it's at!"

If you're not into using (or buying) cat-print fabrics, you can always join in the cat sew along fun by adding cats to your normal fabric/garments. This is also an easier/faster way to join in if you're pressed for time but still want to join in the cat-along! I've previously added cat faces with fabric markers and with appliqué, as well as entire cat silhouettes. One might argue that four cat sweaters is enough for anyone, but I confess I'm still eyeing these pins that I've saved:

Colorblock with applique.
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Easy to recreate with a fabric marker even if you can't draw!
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I can't decide if this is creepy or amazing. Oh come on, who am I kidding, it's totally amazing.
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There are no words for how much I love this.
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While poking around Pinterest for inspiration, I also came across some old-timey cat fashion -- okay, okay, they're Halloween costumes or outfits for fancy dress parties -- that shows that crazy cat ladies desiring to broadcast their status goes back at least a century!

I can't find an original source for this picture, but it appears to be a Victorian roller derby girl with a black cat theme going on?

In the category of what NOT to do: put a taxidermied cat bust on your head.
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This 1920s Halloween dress has the most adorable spooky cat silhouette on it!
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I can't seem to find any information about this image, but I'm in love with the panniers and the little cat corsage. That staff looks like a big feather duster though...

What can I say, those toxo parasites make us do ridiculous things...anyway, I hope these have been inspirational if you're still trying to figure out what to do!

Cat Print Fabric Inspiration

I'm so excited that so many of you are in on the Put A Cat on It! sew along! It's gratifying to know that I'm not the only one obsessed with representing my love of cats in my sewing.

To that end, let's take a look at some of the fabulous cat-print fabrics that you can get from our wonderful sponsors. First, Feline Dezine, which specializes in cat fabrics:

I love these gorgeous Japanese watercolor cats. They've all got names!

Two of my favorite colors to wear are gray and red, so I may or may not have squealed when I saw this print. I've purchased a few yards of these cutesy cats to make a fun dress.

That said, I almost bought these adorable little fuzzballs instead:

I have a soft spot in my heart for derpy-looking animals, so these noseless, goofy-looking cats make me laugh so hard. I think they'd make for great pajamas.

If those aren't sophisticated enough for you, there are also these hipster cats in Paris:

And lest you fear that none of these fabrics truly represents the terrible helper aspect of a cat's personality, there's always these Michael Miller bad kitties:

As far as I can tell, Feline Dezine mostly has 100% cotton fabrics that would be most suitable for quilts and non-drapey apparel, like my favorite fit-and-flare 50s dress silhouette. If you'd like to be able to sew something drapier, though, or more hardy (canvas tote bags?), or more fuzzy (cat blanket?), you can always select a design to be printed on the fabric of your choice at Spoonflower. I love that they print their fabric in the US, and there's also the option of choosing fabrics that are entirely manufactured in the US. I've poked through their many, many cat designs and chosen some of my favorites to show you here.

As a chemistry teacher, I of course am a fan of Schrodinger's Cat:

And as a teacher who believes strongly in the importance of reading, these library cats are a combination of two of the finest things in life:

And as a person who likes stunt dressing, I am seriously tempted by these slightly creepy staring cats -- how awesome of a novelty print dress would this be!

This cat butt print is too funny! There's also a matching cat fronts print by the same designer...imagine a top where the front is the cat front print, and the back is the cat butts!

Okay, let's get serious here. What if you need some more classy, sober cat prints? I like how this print looks like normal polka dots from far away, but up close you see that some of the dots are actually cats!

And if that's still not sophisticated enough, there's always these lovely line drawings. I think they'd make for a nice silky shell that would go with all colors of cardigan.

Lastly, a print perfect for SHB: so that I can make him a cat shirt that's not pink and covered in bows:

What do you think? Would you wear any of these prints? Or am I just a little too over the top in my willingness to proclaim my crazy cat lady status? Of course, if none of these strike your fancy, you can always print your own fabric with stamps!

Introducing the Put A Cat on It Sew Along!

If the mole is the unofficial mascot of chemistry, cats might just have to be the unofficial mascot of sewing. There are so many enthusiastic cat lady sewists out there, and I for one love it when these feline helpers pop up on my IG feed. When I shared my cat sweatshirt a couple months ago, quite a few of you voiced a desire for a cat-themed sew along, and I just couldn't stop thinking about it. After consulting Walnut, we decided to host just such a thing during his birthday month!

Walnut turns eight on October 30 this year, so consider this his cat version of Promaballoona? (But less organized, because face it, I've got a cat and SHB underfoot, plus many student papers to grade; also less alcohol, because cats drink virgin wine.)

So how does this work? During the month of October, join me in sewing cat-related items in these three CAT-egories (sorry, I couldn't help it):

1. items made from cat-print fabrics, either garments or accessories, or even home dec!
2. items with cat elements, like applique or quilt blocks or elbow patches
3. items for cats, such as toys or beds (or even garments, if you are courageous).

I'll be posting my own cat-themed makes, and at the end of the month we'll do a round-up of all the fabulous feline projects. While sewing your own unique cat fashion is incentive enough on its own, sew alongs are always better with prizes, so we do have some little bonus gifts!

If you've ever tried to sew garments from cat-print fabrics, you probably despaired, as I did, when you realized that first, they were very hard to find, and second, that what fabrics you could find were kids' pajama flannels from big box stores with ridiculous prints like this:

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I love a ridiculous print as much as the next person, but sometimes you just want something more subtle, or at least more unique (oh, the horrors of running into somebody with a dress made from the same cat print fabric! I jest, of course, because that has never actually happened to me before. If that has happened to you, I would dearly love to hear about it). Well, despair no longer, furriends (sorry again), because Walnut and I are here to help you out. For each of the three categories listed above, I'll randomly select a winner to receive a free yard of fabric from Feline Dezine, an online store that specializes in cat fabrics. Like, there are PAGES and PAGES of them. If that's too overwhelming for you, I'll be spotlighting some of my favorites in another post.

And then of course, if you want to make your own cat fabric with whatever print or fiber content or weave you desire, there's always the print-your-own option with Spoonflower. I'll pick one grand prize winner to receive a Spoonflower Welcome Pack, so you can design or choose your own cat fabric in anything from performance knit (so you can take fake cats running with you, because heaven knows, a real cat won't) to silk crepe de chine (so you can take cats to a fancy dress party, I guess). I've wasted several hours browsing their many, many fabulous designs, so there's sure to be something to suit your fancy (feast. Wow, I really need to stop).

In case that's not enough incentive, for every participant in the sew along, I'll donate $8 (since Walnut's turning eight) to the San Francisco SPCA, which is where my family adopted Walnut's cantankerous but lovable uncles, Fenxi and Gummy. I love that the SPCA helped found the No-Kill Movement, plus they're super active with outreach and prevention.

I'm planning on making something in each category, but I'm still trying to decide what exactly. If you're in, leave a comment with your plans (or lack thereof)! You can also tag your makes on IG or Twitter with #putacatonitsewalong, and join the Flickr group to post your photos. I hope you'll join Walnut and I in celebrating sewing with cats!

Solving the Baby Boy + Cat Problem

I've mentioned before that one of the things that frustrates me most about RTW baby stuff is that manufacturers don't seem to think that boys can be into cats. There's no shortage of blue puppy-themed items and pink cat-themed items, but what's mom of a cat and baby boy to do? Obviously, the answer is to sew my own blue cat-themed item. Oh, I guess I could buck the socially accepted gender-color associations, but TBH, I don't feel strongly enough about it. I do feel strongly about cats, though, so decided that SHB needed something cat-themed to wear. Start 'em early with the indoctrination, right?

I used Kwik-Sew 3127 to whip up this fleece outfit for SHB. Of course, the minute I finish, the weather here takes a turn for the better and it's been way too warm for fleece anything! New Englanders and Canadians, please don't stone me for complaining that it's too warm and sunny. *ducks head* I'm kind of hoping it gets cold again, because look how adorable SHB is in his cozy new suit:

Once again, testing the mobility: can I lick my paw...er, hand?

Unfortunately, despite sewing up his recommended size, the outfit is HUGE on him! His feet don't even reach the ankles of the pants, and the body of the jacket is way too wide. The sleeves, hood, and waist of the pants are spot on, though, so I'm not sure what's going on with the sizing. Maybe Kwik-Sew is intended for long-legged, babies with muffin tops? I'm not sure, as this is my first time working with an actual baby sewing pattern.

Can you tell that his knee hits right where the crotch is? And that right footie portion is totally empty. I scrunched up the other pant leg to get his foot into the bottom, but then he just looks like a wrinkly Shar-Pei. 

I didn't bother finishing the inside seams, because come on, baby clothes get worn for such a short time anyway, and fleece doesn't need it.

I did try to trim everything neatly though. 

My stitching of the ears was a little messy. I think if I did this again, I'd line the hood to hide some of this. 

My favorite things about this pattern: elastic in the hood to help hold it on a wiggly baby's head, and the ingenious footie design. It looks so real!

I think it would be pretty easy to reproduce this/scale it up for adult pajamas. 

See, when there isn't a baby in the pants, they look so normal! Then once you put them on, it becomes obvious how comically large they are. 

The sleeves are so long and the jacket body is so wide. It looks like his leg is broken, the way the pants are angled, but that's just because the bottom half of the pant leg is basically empty. But hey! The hood is perfect for his 90th percentile head!

Summary:
Pattern: Kwik-Sew 3127
Fabric: 1 yard of light turquoise anti-pill fleece, a couple scraps of white fleece for the ears.
Notions: a separating zipper, 3/8" and 1" elastic
Techniques used: Instead of following the instructions for the elastic waist on the pants, I used Lladybird's oh-so-easy tutorial.
Hours: I think around 3? I hand-stitched the ears to the hood, so that took a while.
Will you make it again? I don't see why not! Once I make some alterations to the width of the jacket and length of the pants, that is. These could be made in different fabrics for less warmth, and since I traced the pattern, I can still make all the other sizes as need arises.
Total cost: I got the fleece on sale, so the total cost was $6.
Final thoughts: This was my first time ever working with a Kwik-Sew pattern, and it was overall a good experience. I'm sure if I really wanted to, I could've figured out how to draw up the pattern and sew it myself, but it was nice to let somebody else do the work for me. Especially now that mommy brain has set in (it is all too real!), and figuring out order of operations is too much thinking. The footed pants are especially great, since SHB is all about losing his socks. It's just too bad that the 3-6 month size is ridiculously big on him, and with the way the weather's been heating up, it's unlikely he'll get much wear out of this outfit except for when we go to San Francisco.

Speaking of San Francisco, let's talk about the other reason why I was inspired to make this outfit! It wasn't just about the blue cat business; the last time I went back to the city to my parents' house, I was looking back at my own baby pictures and came across these pictures:

Well looky there, I'm wearing a blue hooded fleece suit with elastic footies! My mom's dress is so fabulously vintage-looking, isn't it? And let's not even get started on the couch. 

So of course I had to try to recreate it with SHB!

I don't look nearly as chic as my mom. 

SHB is also two months younger than I was in that picture, so he's a lot more wiggly and unsteady in a standing position. 

It's really obvious here that his foot doesn't even make it into the footie part of the pants. 

He's also not quite sitting up yet, so we have a lot of outtakes where he's about to fall over...

And of course, it's only natural that Walnut, an actual cat, would photobomb a photo shoot of a cat suit.

Oh hello there, I'm just going to walk in front of you like you're not doing anything important. 

As for the winner of the One Teething Ring, congratulations to Ravenna! Email me with your mailing address so that I can get it out to you as soon as possible!