DIY Felt Jack-O-Lantern Cat Toys

So I have this whole process for how I get work done for the blog, here. It seems silly to most that somebody who covers things in glitter for a living has a strict schedule. Just like any other job, though, you’ve got to get certain things done. And without a schedule I’d be all over the place.

And so I have this system of lists and calendars that I update every day. Yep. Every. Single. Day. First, I have the list of concepts for projects. Ideas I really like go to a list where I write out materials needed and their costs. Then the ideas I’ve approved to move forward create a new list where I keep up with its progress, including sourcing supplies.

Idea solidified and supplies purchased or gathered I then create a test run. Then I tweak the process as needed and then redo the project while taking photos for the site. After that I take photos of the finished project and go through all of them and select my favorites. Or reshoot entirely. That’s not unheard of. Next, I edit and resize DIY and finished pics, create Pinterest collage images and import them into a draft. Then it’s a matter of writing the post and publishing it to the site, which has its own series of steps. 

I try really, very hard to stay true to my processes. It just makes things work out better in the end. But sometimes I just simply want to make something. And since the greatest thing about being self-employed is freedom, sometimes I give in. And that’s exactly how these DIY jack-o-lantern cat toys came to be… I had 2 cats on my desk, one sweet and one spicy and I thought it would be so much fun to have some two-faced cat toys for them to play with. On each of these DIY felt cat toys there is one happy face, like my kitty Marla and one that’s a little angry looking, my Maybe.

And while this project wasn’t in the books to create, it only took me a few hours to make. And, honestly, my cats super really pleased that I did take the time to make them. Want to make your own pumpkin cat toys filled with catnip?

Got your files? Ready to make your cat exactly this ☝️ happy?

Here are the supplies you need to gather to make these Jack Cat Toys:

• Cricut Felt Sampler, Carousel for Colors Orange, Black and Green (Amazon | Cricut)
• Cricut Felt Sampler, Sky for Brown (Amazon | Cricut)
• Catnip (My cats LOVE this Meowijuana and Yeowww!)
• SVG Files (Free for Subscribers, download just above)
• Embroidery Floss in Orange, Green and Brown + an Embroidery Needle
• Masking Tape (optional but helpful)

Because I make so many felt crafts I have tons and tons of Cricut Felt Samplers. In the supplies list I included the Sky sampler which has the brown color I used for the pumpkin stems. BUT if you don’t already have Cricut felt on hand, you don’t have to buy another set for just 6 itty bitty stems. Seriously. I wouldn’t.  Instead, grab a few brown felt sheets for 30 or 40 cents and cut something similar out by hand. The cats won’t notice. I promise. BUT for the bigger pieces, ESPECIALLY, the details in the face, you want the Cricut Felt because it cuts like a dream. It’s worth it. Pinky promise.

How to Piece together your Pumpkin Cat Toys.

Place your largest orange piece on top of the matching green piece. Make sure it’s well centered (you can place the left and right pieces to be sure they all fit) and then backstitch the orange to the green. I have some trouble with grip and holding things together is becoming more difficult. To prevent a lot of frustration I’ve begun to use masking tape to hold my pieces in place to get started. I don’t keep it there forever, just long enough to ensure the piece is being tacked down in the right way. This is totally optional and may not be a necessary step for you.

Now this might seem a silly step, but it never hurts… Before you get too far, flip your jack over to ensure you’re sewing the two pieces together. :)

Each pattern has 2 faces, one nice and one mean that are both the exact same size. Attach the orange and brown pieces to the green for both individual faces. Note that you’ll need to attach your pieces together so that your stems point in opposite directions.

Seat the black felt piece inside of the sewn jack-o-lantern cat toy face. Each shape is a little bit different and not symmetrical so that you can easily figure out which piece goes to which face.

Sew around the facial features, attaching the black piece to the rest of the face. Stitch any details you want on your finished pumpkins now. You know, like lines between segments, or, I don’t know, face tattoos, whatever.

Piecing your two faces into one pumpkin cat toy.

Place your pumpkin faces of the same size ugly side to ugly side. Also, note how the faces are flipped the stems match up? Perfect-o!

Begin stitching the two pieces together using the blanket stitch and matching green floss.

Stop stitching around your face while you still have a gap of a few inches. Push together to open the face and then fill the inside with catnip.

Continue stitching around the sides to close up completely.

Continue until you’ve made as many catnip jack-o-lantern cat toys you and your kitties need! And say hello to Maybe, my mean girl :)

Give your cats their new toys to enjoy!

I know what you might be thinking if you’ve only ever give your cats store-bought toys. They love them, so why bother making handmade?

Cats love their homemade pumpkin toys so much! Look at that? My sweet gal, Marla, is having a toe-curling good time.

And if you’re crafty, you’ll love making toys for your cats, too. As far as THIS crafty cat lady is concerned, that’s a win-win!