**CATMAS CRAFTING RERUN** Crafting With Cats ~ Catmas Special Part 1~ Make Your Furry Own Purrsonalised Catmas Stocking **AND** How To Make A Bahumbug Burlap Cat Tree Decoration ~ Level Easy Peasy

Supurr Greetings Pawesome Pals

Thanks for joining us for a rerun of our Catmas Special Crafting with Cats segment. Mew know we have so much fun making all these fabulous things for feline enrichment and also just for fun, and we do hope mew enjoy seeing it and/or making it too!

We really like the idea of a handmade Catmas [Christmas to the normal folk out there!], and we've been making lots of things over the last few months as our old decorations are getting a bit tired after 20+ years, and in all honesty, we don't like what's available in the stores; plastic, plastic and more plastic, so this year we decided to go another route, and so here we are with a more natural approach.

All of our previous CWC posts are on the Crafting with Cats Page, and mew don't have to be an expert in anything to make any of them.  Plus we offer workarounds and no-sew projects for those who don't like to sew.

*    *    *

**A quick note before we begin**

All Crafting with Cats ideas and creations are of our own design, and we share them for purrsonal/home use only.

  So purrlease do not copy for commercial/resale purrposes.

Copyright ©BionicBasil®

*    *    *

This time we're making a pawesome easy peasy 

Ready fur Santa Paws to stuff full of goodies just fur mew!

What Mew Will Need:

Mini pom poms

Faux fur 

Burlap/hessian or a fabric of your choice

Ribbon

Red and white twine or a colour of your choice

needles/thread/scissors/glue gun, or regular fabric glue

optional sewing machine

>^.^<

Optional Cat ~ Smooch was today's Craft Room Snoopervisor

Let's Get Started

1.  Choose your fabrics and trims - get your supplies together

2. Make a simple boot/stocking shape template, ours is A4 sized

3.  Cut out 2 pieces

4.  Take your pom poms and make initial of your choice - glue in place onto one piece - use a piece of card so mew don't accidentally glue it to your table top

5.  Once dry - stitch both pieces together - right sides out - a basic zigzag stitch will be fine or hand-stitching will also be ok

6.  Take your faux fur trim and cut to size - ours was approx 5" or 13 cm deep and just over 2 times the width of the top of the stocking

7.  Make sure the nap [direction of the pile] on the fabric is correct - in this case, facing downwards - test this before you sew in place

8. Sew faux fur approx 1.5" or  4 cm from the top of the stocking

9.  Fold faux fur into the top of the stocking, so it looks like this and hand-stitch in place; a simple running stitch will suffice

10.  & 11. Next, take your twine and a large needle, and sew in a stitch of your choice around the stocking edge, ours is just a basic stitch

12. Finally, take a loop of ribbon and attach it to the inside of the stocking, and mew should now have something that looks like this

Isn't it furbulous, and we made a few more so no-pawdy feels left out! MOL

Next, we're making 

What Mew Will Need:

Burlap/Hessian or a fabric of your choice

stuffing/wadding

wool or embroidery thread

mini pom poms

black felt

large needle or darning needle

Let's Get Started!

1.  We love burlap! MOL

2.  Fold A4 paper in half and draw your template ours is approx 3.5" wide x 2.5" high or 9 cm x 6 cm

[if mew have a tub of Whiskas cat treats - mew could use the lid as your template].

3. & 4.  Cut out and place on fabric.

5. & 6.  Pin to the fabric while mew cut; as tailors chalk doesn't show up very well, so it's easier to pin the template and cut around it. Cut 2 pieces.

7.   Place both pieces together, take your wool and a large needle. Sew around the edges in a stitch of your choosing.

8.  Leave a gap and stuff to your desired level with wadding.

9.  Finish sewing and leave a loop of wool to hang your Burlap Cat.

10.  Glue on pom pom for the nose and stitch whiskers in place.

11. Cut out small triangles of black felt for the pupils and glue them to the white pom poms. Glue eyes onto cat, and mew should now have something that looks like this; a really cute but rather grumpy little face looking back at mew! MOL

Here's ours in the tree at BBHQ, and we've affectionately called it Amber! MOL MOL MOL

A very Bahumbug Catmas indeed! 

*    *    *

And that furiends, furry sadly brings us to the end of our first crafting reruns post, we do hope mew liked it and if we decide to make your furry own Catmas Stockings or Bahumbug Burlap Cat we'd love to see, so feel free to post your pawesome crafty pics on our Facebook page at:

Bionic Basil & The 'B' Team @Facebook

Amber will be here tomorrow with a brand new book review, and we do hope we can join us then, and on Caturday we'll be sharing the Catmas Pudding Pouffe with Catnip accessories - OH MY COD!!!!

Until then

Keep calm and craft on...

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team

Follow Us @BionicBasil®  at TikTok, Instacat, Twitter and Facebook

Disclaimer:

We at BionicBasil HQ are not responsible or liable fur any injuries to person/s and/or cat/s, crafting addictions, glue on cats, paper cuts, misplaced pins and needles, cats stealing your supplies, broken scissors, cat fur stuck on your projects, or your project not turning out as planned.  By using this information you hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless BionicBasil and staff from and against any and all claims for personal injuries or damages of any kind arising from use of any Crafting With Cats posts we may share.

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

Crafting With Cats **RERUN** ~ Part XVI ~ Catmas Special Part III ~ Make A Catmas Pudding Pouffe with Catnip Holly Leaves & Pom Pom Berries ~ Difficulty Level Fair to Middling

Supurr Greetings Pawesome Pals

Thanks for joining us for Part XVI of our Crafting with Cats segment. If mew missed Part One of our Catmas Crafting Extravaganza; How to Make a Purrsonalised Catmas Stocking ~ click here and Part II is here, making The Burlap Cat tree decoration.  

We really like the idea of a handmade Catmas [Christmas to the normal folk out there!], and we've been making lots of things over the last few months as our old decorations are getting a bit tired after 20+ years, and in all honesty we don't like what’s available in the stores; plastic, plastic and more plastic, so this year we decided to go another route and so here we are with a more natural approach.

All of our previous CWC posts are on the Crafting with Cats Page, and mew don't have to be an expert in anything to make any of them.  Plus we offer workarounds and no-sew projects for those who don't like to sew.

*    *    *

**A quick note before we begin**

All Crafting with Cats ideas and creations are of our own design and we share them fur purrsonal/home use only.

  So purrlease do not copy fur commercial/resale purrposes.

Copyright ©BionicBasil®

*    *    *

This time we're making a pawesome

What Mew Will Need:

Pudding: Brown Faux Fur 

White Faux Fur

Wadding/Stuffing

Lining/backing fabric

Leaves: Green fabric 

Wadding/Stuffing

Catnip - we use our homegrown organic catnip

Berries: Red Wool + pom pom maker, or use 2 x cardboard circles - the old school way

plus

Scissors/Needle/Thread/Chalk/Tape Measure/Sewing Machine

>^.^<

Optional Cat ~ Parsley was today's Craft Room Snoopervisor

Let's Get Started On The Pudding

1.  Gather supplies.

2.  Lay out the fabric and place the pattern. 

3. Cut out.

4.  Mew should now have 6 x segments.

For those of mew who are regulars to our blog will know that we made a pumpkin pouffe on our Creepy Crafting with Cats Halloween Special; so rather than go through all the steps again, just click here to see the entire step-by-step construction.

5.  Once sewn together, check the size; Parsley says it's good to go!

6.  Stuff to your desired plumpness and mew should now have something that looks like this.

Let's make the Catnip Holly Leaves 

 1. & 2. Use A4 paper, fold it in half and draw a holly leaf template and cut it out.

3. & 4.  Iron fabric, and cut out 4 x leaves.

5.  Take wadding and pin 2 x leaves on top.

6. & 7.  Sew around the edge and leave a gap to turn right-sides out, and then stuff with catnip - as much as mew think is necessary! MOL

8.  Sew up the gap by hand, and mew should now have a couple of holly leaves that look like this.

>^.^<

It's Pom Pom Time

1. & 2.  Take your pom pom maker and begin wrapping the wool around tightly. Or alternatively cut two cardboard donuts out and use that way to make your pom poms. 

3. Aftur a few minutes it should look like this.

4. Close and secure pom pom maker with clips.

5.  Take small sharp scissors and cut the wool - do be careful when cutting.

6.  Take a longer strand of wool and secure the pom pom together.

7.  Mew should now have something that looks like this. Most pom pommeee! MOL

>^.^<

Now For The Topping... MMMMMMMM...

1. Cut a circle, or oval in our case - The P.A. only ordered a small amount of the white faux fur - OOPS! 

2.  Cut and pin backing/lining to faux fur - we used an old sheet that had got shrunk in the tumble dryer - note to self: never dry bamboo bedding in the tumble dryer! MOL

3.  Sew right-sides together, leaving a gap.

4.  Turn right-sides out and sew up the small gap by hand. Mew should now have something that looks like this. Which could also be used as a snuggle mat on its own.

Put it all together and mew should now have this...

EPIC OR WHAT?

Good enough to eat... almost! MOL

We love it! Plus its calorie free! MOL 

Amber is still trying to snort one of the holly leaves... nuff said! But we can see an intervention on the horizon!

The Catmas Pudding Pouffe is purrfect for

Snoozing, Snorting and Playing

Now mew know mew want one!

*    *    *

And that brings us to the end of our sixteenth Crafting with Cats post. We do hope mew liked it and feel inspired to make some fun things too.  

 Amber will be back tomorrow with another fabulous book review, so do stop by if mew get chance as mew know how much we love your company. 

Bestest crafty purrs

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team 

Follow Us @BionicBasil®  at Instacat, Twitter and Facebook

Disclaimer:

We at BionicBasil HQ are not responsible or liable fur any injuries to person/s and/or cat/s, crafting addictions, glue on cats, paper cuts, misplaced pins and needles, cats stealing your supplies, broken scissors, cat fur stuck on your projects, or your project not turning out as planned.  By using this information you hereby agree to indemnify and hold harmless BionicBasil and staff from and against any and all claims for personal injuries or damages of any kind arising from use of any Crafting With Cats posts we may share.

Graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com and www.pizap.com