Note* This isn’t a finely finished product. This was more of an experimental prototype. Normally I would add extra fabric pieces and sew it with my machine to create clean, closed seams; however, since my cat will not be wearing this on a daily basis (he is grateful for that), I figured I would just outline the basics. That would make it accessible and easy for anyone even if they do not have access to fabric and a sewing machine–or if they are as lazy as I am. A glue gun could also work.
Ultimately, I should have used green thread and black elastic but I made do with what I had on hand. Alas, I opted for the easiest, least expensive, thus, most democratic options!
Item used: Ikea SAGOSKATT plush toy
Other materials: scissors, needle, thread, elastic strip–3/8″(any width will work, as long as it is not too wide.)
My cat Chibby is a monster–not a mean or bad cat, just wild and crazy! I wanted to make him a Halloween costume that truly reflected his special brand of crazy wackiness. I looked at local stores and they had mostly dog costumes and I found them to be pretty lame and lacking personality–definitely not Chibby-worthy. While I was at my local Ikea picking up a few HYLLIS units so I could try out the awesome “Hyllis All the Way” hack by @ skreytumhus.is, I noticed all the great plush toys and realized they would make great pet costumes! Really, the toy section at Ikea is a virtual goldmine full of potential materials for your next Mad Hatter-themed pet party! I was first tempted to buy one of the giant plush rats and attach it to a saddle and make Chibby a beast of transportation, but that just didn’t pack enough crazy for my monster. I strolled through the toy section and voila! I spied the Sagoskatt hand puppet. It was actually a monster! Perfect!
This probably doesn’t qualify as a true hack, but since Halloween is coming up, those of you pressed for the perfect cat costume (or small dog costume) may find it handy.
I started with the SAGOSKATT plush toy $4.99.
It has an opening for a small hand, but I opened it up in the back with scissors.
I needed to make an opening big enough for Chibby’s head. I kept cutting and removing stuffing from the back part near the opening, but kept as much of the upper filling to keep the head puffy.
Front view: I cut away the bottom of the mouth and made an opening for Chibby’s face. I trimmed back the fabric but did not cut it off. I cut perpendicular notches into the fabric so I could fold it back and have enough seam allowance to close-up the opening. It is kind of like making a big donut, except I kept the fabric at the back opening intact so it made two tabs (like the back of a baseball cap.)
Not the best instructional photo, but you can see where I was stitching the front of the “donut hole” to the back. The part on the lower right will be a tab where I attached elastic. that part will go around the back of Chibby’s head.
Closed up the donut.
Attached one short piece of elastic from tab to tab, left to right. Starting to make elastic “x.”
Back view. Back. Attach elastic across bottom tabs. Attach elastic from each tab up to top of opening, making an X across.
~ Rebecca Hollis