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Tilda Friends Cat

Height: 47cm (18½in)

INSTRUCTIONS

Fabrics needed
• Fabric 1: 55cm x 50cm (21¾in x 19¾in) – Doll fabric stone (140004)
• Fabric 2: 55cm x 50cm (21¾in x 19¾in) – Primrose teal (100222)
• Fabric 3: 36cm x 30cm (14in x 11¾in) – Meadow honey (130083)
• Stranded embroidery cotton in light mauve pink (DMC 3727) 1m (40in)
• FIBREFILL APPROX. 170G

We also recommend using the following:

• Sewing machine
• Matching thread and a sewing needle for hand sewing
• Larger needle for embroidery yarn
• Flower stick or chopstick for turning and stuffing
• Thick paper for copying patterns
• Black hobby paint and a small metal-headed pin for eyes
• Soft pink lipstick, rouge or stamp pad, and a dry brush for rosy cheeks

Making the Cat

1 Refer to the bullet points below on making the project and read all the project instructions
through before you start.
• We suggest copying or gluing all the pattern pieces onto thick paper and then cutting out
the shapes.
• The outer line on a pattern is the sewing line (generally, no seam allowances are
included).
• Unless otherwise instructed, sew on the outer line of the pattern and then cut out the
shapes after sewing, cutting ⅛in–¼in (3mm–6mm) outside the sewn line.
• When sewing the seams, reduce your stitch length to 1.5mm–1.6mm.
• To get a good shape, cut snips in the seam allowance where seams curve tightly inwards.
• Stuff well, using a stick to fill small areas.
• Sew up openings with matching thread and small stitches.

2 Fold the piece of Fabric 1 right sides together, so it’s about 11in x 19¾in (27.5cm x 50cm),
and press. Using the patterns, draw one body, two legs, two arms and two ears. Mark the
openings and then sew around the pieces. Note that the opening in the head and at the bottom
of the body should be open, except for two small seams on each side at the bottom, which are
only there to keep the fabric together (see Fig A).

3 Cut out the pieces with an approximate ⅛in (4mm) seam allowance, but add extra seam
allowances by the openings (see Fig B). Cut notches where seams curve inwards.
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Fig A
Fig B

4 Fold the fabric on each side of the opening at the bottom of the body, placing the seams
over and under each other, as shown by the arrows in Fig C, and then sew together, as shown
in Fig D.

Fig C Fig D

5 Fold up the opening on the top of the head, placing the seams on top of each other, and then
sew up the opening, as shown in Fig E.
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Fig E

6 Turn all of the parts through to the right side, fold in the seam allowance by the openings
and the extra seam allowance (ES) on the ears, and then press. When turning thin arms and
legs it is helpful to separate the two fabric layers by using your thumb and forefinger and then
place the blunt end of a flower stick or similar tool against the end of the foot/hand (see Fig
F). Use the stick to push the fabric through the leg/arm and up through and out of the turning
opening (Fig G). Now pull the rest through the opening and use the stick to push through the
top part.

Fig F Fig G
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7 Stuff the body, arms and legs and sew up the openings. To sew on the limbs, use a large
needle and a doubled sewing thread (or embroidery yarn) to sew from one arm, right through
the body, through the second arm and then back again. Repeat this, two or three times, to
secure the arms tightly to the body (Fig H). This will enable them to move easily. Sew on the
legs the same way.

Fig H

8 Fill the ears with a tiny amount of stuffing to create a little volume, and then fold the ears
slightly and attach them with pins before sewing them in place (Fig I). Sew the nose with
satin stitch and pink embroidery yarn. Stamp eyes onto the face using a metal pin with a small
head, dipped in black hobby paint. When the eyes are dry, create rosy cheeks using lipstick or
rouge and a dry brush.

Fig I
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Making the Dress

9 In this kit we are making a simple version of the dress, however, if you want the cat to be
used as a toy with a removable dress, you will find a version sewn with an elastic band on
www.tildasworld.com. For the dress shown in this kit, use the full-size patterns and Fabric 2
to cut out two sleeves, two dress shapes and a 2in x 19¾in (5cm x 50cm) strip for the dress
frill (this measurement includes a ¼in/6mm seam allowance). Press up the seam allowance
along only the bottom part of the sleeves, including the extra seam allowance (marked ES in
the pattern). Leave the top flat (un-pressed) for the moment. Sew each side of the sleeves
against each of the top, slanted sides of the dress, as shown in Fig J.

Fig J

10 Fold and press down the seam allowance (and extra seam allowance) along the top of the
sleeves and include the extra seam allowance along the top of the dress too, as shown in Fig
K. Pin and then sew the dress sides together, from under the sleeves down to the bottom of
the dress, as shown. Turn through to the right side and press.

Fig K

11 With right sides together, sew the two short sides of the dress frill strip together to make a
loop. Press the seam open. Fold up the bottom edge of the strip by about ¼in, press and sew
along the edge. (This is easier to do if you remove part of the flat bed on your machine.) Sew
a gathering stitch along the top flat edge, using a long stitch length (by hand or machine)
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about ¼in away from the raw edge. Pull up the thread to create gathers, pulling until the
gathered edge is the same size as the bottom opening on the dress. Tie off and secure the
thread. Pin the frill to the bottom of the dress, right sides together as shown in Fig L and
spreading out the gathers evenly; this is a bit fiddly so take your time – you could tack (baste)
it into place first. Now sew into place by machine. Remove the gathering thread and press the
frill down into place.

Fig L

12 Sew a gathering stitch by hand along the top of the dress, put the dress on the cat and pull
up the thread until the neckline fits. Tie off and secure the thread. Now sew a gathering stitch
along the bottom of each sleeve, pull up the threads slightly to create puffed sleeves and then
secure the thread.

Making the Bag

13 From Fabric 3, cut a 1½in x 12½in (4cm x 32cm) strip across the width of the fabric, for
the handle (a seam allowance is included in this measurement). Fold in and press the long
sides wrong sides together, so they meet in the middle, as in Fig M. Now fold the strip
double, so that the handle is about ⅜in (1cm) wide, press and then sew along the open long
side (Fig N).

Fig M Fig N
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14 Fold the remaining piece of Fabric 3 in half, right sides together, and use the bag pattern to
trace the shape. Sew around the marked shape, leaving an opening in the seam where marked
in the pattern. Cut out with a seam allowance all round. Turn the bag through to the right side,
press and sew the opening closed. Push one half of the bag into the other half, press again and
then sew along the pressed edge to secure (Fig O).

Fig O

15 Pin one end of the handle on each side of the bag, on the inside, so that the handle is about
11¾in (30cm) long. Sew into place. To finish, arrange the bag on the cat, across the shoulder
(see photo).
Cat Patterns
Add a seam allowance to all pattern pieces. The edges of the patterns mark the
seams. Dotted lines indicate openings and folded edges. ES stands for Extra
Seam allowance and if it appears in the pattern, it is important to add a liberal
seam allowance. Sew everywhere that a solid line appears in the pattern.
B

Body x 2
A
Arm x 4

ES
Ear x 4
ES

Dress x 2
 ES

Sleeve x 2

ES

Bag x 2

Leg x 4