Sew Cuddly Book Blog Hop: Shannon Fabrics + Pat Burke- Cuddle Cat Hats

Hi, my name is Pat Burke and I'm happy to be here for post 5 of our Sew Cuddly Book Blog Hop. I’m a Shannon Fabrics Brand Ambassador and have been sewing and quilting for 25 years. I love making stuffed animals so I’m excited to show you the Luxe Cuddle® Cat Hats I made from the book, Sew Cuddly.

The Sew Cuddly book by my friend and fellow Ambassador Judy Gauthier, is a great one to add to your quilting library. The cat hat pattern was easy to follow with very detailed step-by-step instructions and clear pictures. The book is full of great projects for Cuddle® and Luxe Cuddle®! Ask for this book at your favorite quilt shop or buy it from Judy’s shop Bungalow Quilting.

I was excited to make the Cat Hat for my two granddaughters because they love Cuddle® and I knew it would be adorable on them. They love it when I get a box of Cuddle® fabric, and of course they think they need a blanket and stuffed animal out of every new shade and texture of Cuddle®. I made three hats.

To create this cat hat project you will need:

Supplies:

Sew Cuddly book by Judy Gauthier, published by C & T
Supplies listed in the pattern
Sewing Machine with a walking foot. I used my BERNINA 750
SCHMETZ Size 90 Jersey or Stretch Needle
Sew Fine! Polyester Thread by Superior Threads

Fabrics:

Supplies I found helpful, but not listed in the pattern:

Poly-Fil® Royal Silk™ Fiber Fill from Fairfield World
Kai Scissors #7250 Professional Shears
BERNINA 750
Clover Flower Head Pins and Wonder Clips®
Swedish Tracing Paper

Pattern Preparation and Cutting:

I used Swedish Tracing Paper to trace my pattern in multiple sizes. There are several ways you can prepare your pattern for sewing by cutting the printed copy, making a template or using Swedish Tracing Paper. I find that the Swedish Tracing Paper is pliable, see thru and durable. I can also sew it together prior to making a project to check for sizing. For this project I wasn’t sure if the size Medium or Large would fit my 5 year old granddaughter.

Checklist for sewing with Cuddle®:

Cuddle is a versatile fabric and can be sewn using any machine, as long as you have the right tools.

Change your needle to a SCHMETZ size 90 Jersey or stretch needle
Use your Walking Foot
Use a 4mm stitch length
Check out the “General Tips and Instructions for Minky Cuddle Fabric” on Pages 5 – 8 in the Sew Cuddly book, or on the Shannon Fabrics website - click here.
Check the nap when cutting and again when you are sewing to make sure it is going in the same direction.
It’s easy to eliminate “Cuddle Dust”, by gently picking up your cut pieces and shaking them outside or placing them in a dryer with a damp cloth on low or no heat for 10 minutes. My portable dust buster helps clean up the Cuddle Dust at my cutting table or a damp cloth.
I pinned my traced pattern piecing using Clover Flowerhead Pins and Wonder Clips. The Wonder Clips worked well for holding the ears in place before sewing them to the Hat Sides.

Fabric Selection:

Hat 1- Luxe Cuddle® Hide Rose Water for the hat body, Solid Cuddle® 3 Black from the Kozy Cuddle® Solids Collection for the ears, quilting cotton for lining
Hat 2- Luxe Cuddle® Rose Saltwater, quilting cotton for lining
Hat 3- Luxe Cuddle® Rose Saltwater, Luxe Cuddle® Rose Banana, quilting cotton for lining

Hat 1-

Hats 2 and 3-

I am blessed to have many quilt shops in the Chicago area that carry Shannon Fabrics. Shannon Fabrics can be found at these shops. Making the hat with black ears was my fashion forward five year old granddaughter’s idea. She knows what she likes and there is no changing her mind. The Solid Cuddle® 3 Black provided good contrast. I think the Cat Hat would look great with a variety of colors and patterns.

Here is hat 1!

The next project is a Cat Hat for the 3 year old granddaughter out of Luxe Cuddle® Rose Saltwater color.

The last hat is one in both colors of the Luxe Cuddle® Rose.

Making the Ears and Pom-Poms (Page 32)

I like the way the Poly-Fil® Royal Silk™ Fiber Fill by Fairfield World feels when stuffing the ears and making the pom-pom. I find it is easy to use and it produces a soft pliable end result.

Once the ears are stuffed, there is no need to baste them before sewing them to the hat sides - because the next step in the process is to sew them to the Hat Side. Before stuffing and turning the ears right side out, I trimmed the seam selvedge to approx. ¼ inch to avoid extra bulk. I was worried that the ears could be yanked off by a curious child, but they are sewn down 2 different times and they are there to stay. I did apply some pressure when sewing the ears to the Hat Side and Front Hat Side to “smoosh” them down to make it easier to sew. Smoosh is my technical term for holding the edge down once it is stuffed and being sewn on the Hat Side.

Making the Lining (Page 32)

I did not change my needle or remove my walking foot when I was sewing the cotton lining and it came together with no problems. I would suggest that you slow down when sewing and pinning the Hat Side Lining together. Since these are curved pieces and the cotton does not have the give that the Cuddle® knit does, it takes some easing of the two pieces together, making sure the notch placement is correct. I started by matching and pinning the notches first, then pinned to each outside edge, easing in the curve.

After you stitch your cotton cording on the Front Hat Side, you’ll stitch the hat lining to the hat. For those of you like me who worry that that cording is not secure enough, the cording gets secured a second time when you put the lining and hat front together. I realize I must worry about a lot of things, including cording and ears being yanked off my pretty hat. The cording may get chewed on by our little friends once the hat is completed, but not pulled out of the hat. The book suggests leaving a 2” opening at the neck edge for turning right side out. I increased that to 2.5 or 3 inches which made it easier to turn right side out.

Making the Pom-Poms

Have you been dreading making the Pom-Pom’s or looking forward to it? Well don’t fret just follow Judy’s instructions as they are easy peazy. I tried to take a short cut and sew the ½ inch circle with a basting stitch on my sewing machine and I found out it was much easier to use a sewing needle and make a running stitch as Judy suggests in the book. My Pom-Pom’s came out like little footballs instead of nice round balls. I pulled out my sewing machine basting stitches and followed Judy’s instructions and they came out just beautifully.

Calling all Animal and Cat Hat Enthusiasts:

I hope you have as much fun as I did making the Cat Hat from Sew Cuddly. I’d love to see your finished Animal Hats, including the Cat Hat. Post your pictures and comments to the “I Love Cuddle Fabric” Facebook page or if you use Instagram on the Shannon Fabrics page with the hashtags #ShannonFabricsAnimalHats or #SewCuddlySewAlong.

Joining Shannon Fabrics as a Brand Ambassador has given me the opportunity to teach, work with Shannon Employees and other Ambassadors and expand my sewing capabilities. I enjoy making stuffed animals, sewing with Embrace® double gauze Cotton and of course Cuddle®. For more information on the Shannon Fabrics Education Program and Brand Ambassadors, please click here or contact Teresa@shannonfabrics.com.

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This is post 5 of our series. Don’t forget to check out our previous posts for more fun projects: