How to make a CAT a BAT

Keen to make a BAT this Halloween season?

I was too, so I decided to use the Whimsy Cat Rag Doll Sewing Pattern and adapt it into a darling BAT.

You can find FREE template for the BAT WING template HERE.

First off, I printed the Whimsy Cat pattern at 65%. I thought a bat should be smaller…. but it did complicate the process ever so slightly. I needed to embroidery the face on AFTER, rather than before sewing the doll.

The trick to embroidering directly onto a doll is how you thread your needle.

HOW TO EMBROIDER WITH NO KNOT

• Separate one piece of floss.

• Fold the strand in half

• Insert the 2 CUT ends into the eye of the needle. The folded end becomes the ‘knot’.

Here are the steps in photos to embroider the face AFTER…

• Lay a piece of embroidery floss across the face along the line where the eyes will be. With a chalk, mark the two edges of the eyes.

• Lightly draw the eyes onto the face.

• Thread a needle with one strand of floss using the method detailed above.

• Starting at the corner of the eye insert the needle through the face and pull through the folded end. A ‘knot’ created.

• Use a backstitch to embroidery the eye.

• When done, discreetly knot the floss and pull through the doll before snipping, which will eliminate any cut ends showing.

The WINGS!

You will need to download the pattern piece, if you haven’t done so yet, you can find it HERE.

• Fold a piece of felt so there are 2 layers. Secure pattern piece on top. Cut.

• Remove the pattern piece and return the pins to secure the 2 layers of felt together.

• Sew around the entire perimeter of the wings 1/8”.

• Use chalk to draw the wing details.

• Top stitch along the lines.

• Place the wings on the back of the catBAT. Hand-stitch in to place.

  Pssst…. You can make the wings removable using the method used in the Fairy Wings Sewing Pattern for Dolls!