From JOANN

Give your favorite kitten or cat some extra playtime with the diy cat toy. Makes a great gift for your furry friend to find under the tree on Christmas morning!

YOU’LL NEED

Felt sheets

Yarn

Wood dowel rod

Embroidery needle

Embroidery thread

Hot glue gun

Hot glue sticks

Fiberfill stuffing

DIRECTIONS

1.Start by drawing your desired shape onto a piece of felt. Cut the shape out. Use that as a template for the second piece. Trace the outline and cut out a second piece.

2.Lay the pieces of felt on top of each other.

3.To stitch the pieces together, thread your needle and knot the tail end. Start by sending your needle up from the back. This should be done about 1/4″ in from the edge, or at whatever length you want your stitches to be.

4.To get the stitch anchored, poke your needle up from the back again, so that the needle comes out the top at the same spot where you started, creating a loop around the edge. Send your needle under the loop stitch you just made. To do this, poke the needle under the stitch going sideways at the edge of the felt. This gets your thread anchored, but it is not a true first stitch.

5.To start your first true blanket stitch, poke your needle down from the top. This should be about 1/4″ over from where the thread first came up, and about 1/4″ up from the edge. To complete your first stitch, bring your needle up from the back, and through the loop of thread. Before pulling this stitch tight, be sure that your needle is in fact through the loop of thread. Continue each stitch like this around the felt until you have about an inch opening.

6.Now takes bits of stuffing and fill the shape to the desired fullness. Continue stitching until you reach the beginning.

7.To connect your last stitch to your first stitch, slide your needle sideways underneath your first stitch, and pull your thread tight.

8.Now poke your needle down at the top of the first stitch you made. Pull this stitch down tight, and then knot your thread off on the underside of the felt, and your stitch is complete.

9.Attach a piece of yarn to the shape by stitching it on, or hot gluing it. Then tie or glue the end of the yarn to the dowel rod. Tie the shapes to different length of yarn so the toy has varied lengths.

Find this craft and more holiday fun at joann.com