Pumpkin & Cat Softies

Fabric Requirements:

Notes:

• All seam allowances are 1/4" unless noted. And always lock in stitches at the beginning and the end to prevent unraveling.
• Fat 1/8 = approximately 9" x 22"
• Fat 1/4 = approximately 18" x 21"

Assembling the Project:

1. Sew the Pumpkin stem and the Cat ears first by placing two like pieces right sides facing together. Sew from one corner to tip and down to other corner, leaving the straight bottom open to turn. Notch the edges of the stem and ears before turning inside out (Fig. 1).
2. Using the “quilt as you go method,” place four panels on top of each other in the following order: 1) Pumpkin panel right side facing up, 2) Pumpkin panel right side facing down, 3) Cat panel right side facing up, 4) One ear near the tip of these panels on the right side with the raw edges lined up (whichever pattern is facing up, that will be the front of the cat) (Fig. 2), 5) A Cat panel right side facing down.
3. Stitch the right side from center top to bottom (Fig. 3). Notch the entire edge (not shown, see Fig. 1 for reference) before proceeding, as it won't be accessible later.
4. Open up the panels so the Cat panel that was on top and the Pumpkin panel that was on the bottom are now to the right of the stitched seam with right sides facing out (Fig. 4a).
5. Add a Cat panel, right side facing down, on top of the Cat panel. Add and a Pumpkin panel underneath, also with right sides facing together. Stitch the right side from center top to bottom and again notch the entire edge (Fig. 4b).
6. Open up the pieces again (Fig. 5). Before you sew the fourth set of panels together, be sure to place the other ear at the right side tip of the panels (Fig. 6). Place it right side down if you have a preference to what ear pattern shows on the front of the Cat to match the other ear.
7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you finish connecting all of the panels (Fig. 7).
8. Once you have finished attaching all the panels, take two of the panels along one side (a Pumpkin and a Cat) and the panel that is on the opposite side (a Cat). Place them together (Fig. 8) and sew the seam from center top to bottom.
9. You will have one flyaway piece (Pumpkin) that is connected only on one side (Fig. 9a). Roll up the panels and lay them inside (Fig. 9b). Flip over the flyaway edge to cover the rolled up panels, lining it up with the final seam to create a pouch (Fig. 9c). Once sewn, it will look like one panel sewn on both sides and stuffed. You will likely not be able to get all the way up to the top. Go up as far as you can without stitching the other panels into the seam.
10. Notch the edges and gently pull out the panels from the pouch to turn right side out.
11. Stuff each section little by little, rotating around in a circle until all segments are stuffed equally. Be sure not to over stuff or it will be difficult to reverse to the other side. (To reverse it from one side to the other, gently push down in and around the center to evenly distribute the stress on the seams to prevent tearing.)
12. If you have a tiny hole at the top of the Pumpkin side, sew the tips closer together with like-colored thread to close it up (Fig. 10). The Pumpkin side will be covered by the stem but be sure the tips are secure on both sides for reversing over time.
13. To close the bottom sections, hand sew binding onto one side of the softie (Fig. 11). Reverse the softie to hand sew the binding to the other side with a stitch of your choice.
14. Using a ladder stitch, sew the stem onto the Pumpkin at the top center without stitching through to the cat side (Fig. 12).
15. Add eyes, mouths, noses, etc., to your Cat and Pumpkin if you wish. Use a blanket or whip stitch to attach any fabric or felt pieces to the face. (Tip: glue baste the pieces in place to prevent shifting while sewing. Be sure to not use buttons or other choking hazards if this is for a small child.)

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  Fig. 1
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  Fig. 2
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  Fig. 3
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  Fig. 4a
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  Fig. 4b
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  Fig. 5
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  Fig. 6
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  Fig. 7
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  Fig. 8
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  Fig. 9a
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  Fig. 9b
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  Fig. 9c
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  Fig. 10
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  Fig. 11
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  Fig. 12
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  Fig. 13