While making a gift basket for a friend, I though about how cute it would be to add a gift for her cat since she has been spending a lot of time with him since quarantine. This adorable mouse is not only the perfect size, but inexpensive and customizable. Here is how to make felt mice.
Felt Mice
Materials:
- Felt Sheets- (I used 2 colors for my mouse, but you could do a solid color.)
- 5 inch piece of thin cotton rope or chord.
- Polyfill or cotton balls
- Embroidery thread
- Scissors
- Marking pen
- Free Printable Pattern
Step 1:
Take one piece of the felt for the body and one if the ears. Load your needle with embroidery thread and tie a knot in one end. Come up from the bottom of the body piece of felt and then do a running stitch through the ear like shown above.
Step 2:
Run the needle back through to the underside of the body piece. Tighten the thread and tie it off. If the ear still feels too loose, repeat the process of sewing it on again. Repeat this with the other ear.
Step 3:
Lay the second piece of the body felt over the first, lining up the edges. Carefully start sewing it into place with a small whip stitch. Be careful not to sew the ears between the layers on the edge.
Step 4:
Leave an opening of an inch or so at the center edge of the large end (the end with the needle on it in the pic above) for turning right side out and placing your tail and stuffing.
Step 5:
Turn your mouse right side out. Stuff the mouse with polyfil or cotton balls that have been pulled apart. Start sewing the hole closed until you reach the center of the opening.
Step 6:
Place on end of the rope about 1/2 to 1 inch into the opening where you just finished stitching. Sew the rope into place, then continue on the opposite side sewing closed the opening.
Step 7:
Now you should have something that resembles a chicken tender with ears and a tail. You can leave it just like that and your cat will be happy, or you can continue onto the next steps and give it a face.
Step 8:
I somehow missed taking pictures of sewing his face. The eyes are just 2 thick knots sewn into place. For the nose, I made a triangle, then filled it in with stitches. For the whiskers, tie a knot about 1/2 inch from the end of your thread. Make sure your knot is thick (tie it 2 or 3 times) so that it does not pull through the felt. Run the needle through one cheek and come out of the other.
Step 9:
Tie off the thread at the other cheek making the knot as thick as the first. Repeat this 2 or 3 times for the whiskers.
As you can see here, I changed out the whiskers for white thread to match his ears. There are so many possibilities for this little mouse. You can make it multi-color or solid, sew in a jingle bell or other noise maker, or add some catnip before closing it up. Your cat friends and family are sure to love them, and since they cost so little to make, you can make your cats a whole mouse army.
