Puppet Play

Crazy Cat

Level 1

This freaky feline's whiskers are messy for a reason. He's berserk! Sure he looks like a cat, but he does not act like one. Poor Crazy Cat has a bad memory and gets all mixed up. No meows are heard from this fella. Some days he barks, other days he chirps, and occasionally he may moo.

Materials

Reused and Recycled
  • 1 leg warmer, sweater sleeve, or scarf (you will need to fold in half lengthwise and sew a seam down the side.)
  • 1 scrap of brown felt
Other Fabric
  • 1 sheet of navy blue felt
Embellishments
  • tape from an old cassette tape, or 3 shoelaces, or some yarn
  • 2 buttons that are different colors and sizes
  • 1 pipe cleaner
Construction Materials and Tools
  • ruler
  • fabric scissors
  • pins
  • sewing needle
  • brown thread
  • navy blue thread
  • craft glue

Click to download pdf of pattern.

Cut from Pattern

From navy blue felt
  • 4 ear shapes
  • 1 tail shape
From brown felt
  • 1 nose
  • 2 eye pupils (Use a coin for your pattern shape. Trace two but trim one pupil so it is smaller than the other.)

Instructions

1. Place the leg warmer, sweater sleeve, or scarf on your work surface. This will be the body. If there is a smaller end, use that for the head. For example, I used the 9-inch diameter opening for the head and the 10?-inch diameter opening for the arm sleeve.

2. Fold the top down about 4 inches. Pinch the fabric at the center bottom of the head and fold the opening of the leg warmer or sweater sleeve in to make a U-shape and pin it together. Sew a whip stitch down 1? inches. Sew three to four stitches to tack down the nose opening to the head at point A, making sure you only sew through the front layer of the leg warmer or sweater sleeve.

3. Use the cassette tape, shoelaces, or yarn to make the whiskers. Cut three 7- to 10-inch strands and double knot them together in the center. Sew a few stitches through the whisker knot to the nose area at point B, making sure you only sew through one layer of the leg warmer or sweater sleeve.

4. Place the nose shape on top of the nose opening and whiskers, adjust the whiskers, and pin it in place. If the nose looks too small for the face, you may need to pinch in the opening a little more and repin it before sewing on the nose shape. You can also cut a larger nose shape. Using the brown thread[H1], whip stitch around the edges of the nose to attach it along the opening, making sure to sew around the whiskers and only go through one layer of the leg warmer or sleeve.

5. Next comes the look of the puppet's eyes and the pupil focus. For example, I made this cat cross-eyed. Align the pupils on buttons where you like them and either glue them in place or sew a few stitches through the buttonholes. Then place the eyes on the head and sew a few stitches to secure them.

6. Now pin two ears shapes together, matching edges, and whip stitch along sides Y[H2][DS3], using the navy blue thread[H4][DS5]. Repeat with the other two ear shapes. Align the ears on the head at an angle and pin in place. Whip stitch along side X on the front and back side to attach the ears to the head.

7. To make the tail, fold the pipe cleaner[H6] in half and twist, leaving a small loop at one end. Apply craft glue lengthwise down the center of the rectangle of navy blue felt. Place the pipe cleaner so that the loop end sticks out beyond the edge of the felt. Apply a small amount of glue down one side of the felt, fold it in half, and press together. Allow it to dry before you continue.

8. Use fabric scissors to cut the tail horizontally or diagonally toward the pipe cleaner to give it a frayed look. Decide how far down you want the tail placed along the center back of the arm sleeve. Hand sew through the loop end of the pipe cleaner and into the leg warmer to attach the tail. Bend the tail to curve it.