Something For The Cat Doctor's Store

I've got a LOT of polar fleece, all in different colors and prints, and needed a way to start using up some of these things.  Found a picture online tonight where someone did up 'candy' which isn't exactly new (I'd done the same thing about 9 years back but with cotton peppermint print fabric) but it is a quickie project.  One line of machine sewing, wrap thread tight at both ends, slice up the sides. Done.

 

You do have to make sure the 'stretch' is going the short way, not the long, so the cut end pieces don't pull out of shape, but otherwise it's a quickie kind of toy and very colorful.  I do like how the polka dot prints look, most of the prints I have are animal spotted, mottled or striped.  And no, this is NOT going to make me buy more fabric!  No!

             

Another New Toy

Still working on trying to get a good 'fish' design (sigh), but one new sketch I tried out for an insect did look pretty good.  Dragonflies.  If I use a basic carrot shape, closing it at the 'head' and adding two beads for eyes (not too big, but not too small either) and do the body in bright greens and blues, I think I can have something that looks pretty decent. 

 

The wings would be two layers of gray felt, done as two long, accurately shaped wings hand applied to the underside.  Wrapping thread tightly around the thorax would give the body definition if it needs it. 

 

It is NOT easy coming up with new designs that have enough spark to be 'different'.  I had wanted to do bees before but the only yellow/black striped fabric in the right line widths was discontinued when I went back to get some so that never got past square one.  Blue bottle flies looked too disgusting.  Though I have seen 'roaches' being made on Etsy.  I just didn't want to do flies. 

 

Unless possibly it was a Mayfly, those long prongs on the tail could be done with 1/8th inch wide ribbon knotted and sewn into the body.  But not just yet, the Dragonflies come first. 

New Idea - Chipmunk In A Bag

Well FINALLY I come up with a new cat toy.  I've been using that thick plush gray fake fur ($29 a yard from Hancocks) as tails for flying squirrels. Well I also had picked up a quarter yard of reddish thick plush fake fur at the same time with the intent of making maybe chipmunks or something.  $7 for a quarter yard, that really bites but I wanted to have it just in case it would come in handy.  Now I know it will.

 

I was trolling through Google 'images' for cat toys to see if I could get any inspiration and ran across a blurry picture of some toy mice, rectangles and what looked like round balls in the center with fleece jutting out of them.  Basically the same idea as this--

 

Only without the feathers.  Substitute fleece tabs sticking out the top end. (It's just an idea picture, not what mine look like).

 

Well anyway, it wasn't much of a shift to imagine Chipmunk In A Bag.  I got myself a yard of medium blue polar fleece, cut it into 5 inch circles, and snipped carefully through the reddish plush fur to make strips 1" by 3 1/2" strips.  Tacked one end of the fur down about 1/2" from the edge of the circle, did a gather stitch around it (1/2" in), stuffed it with fiberfil and catnip, and pulled the gather stitch tight. It makes a ball with a tail sticking out of it, with enough edging sticking up to look like a gathered in paper bag - sort of.  They're actually pretty cute.

Printing Your Own Fabric

I know there's a couple of options out there for having a person's own art designs done up as fabric, Spoonflower.com is one such place.  I've sort of considered it in the past but never had a design I wanted to run with.  Prices start at $17.50 a yard so it's probably good that they have no minimum order.   Their info is here -- http://www.spoonflower.com/spoonflower_fabrics?gclid=CNLIuIreq8QCFVFp7AodTmMAPQ 

 

Today I ran across a wonderful printed mouse - the skeleton look is absolutely great!  And use of the Rick Rack tail is nicely done.  I applaud the artist, it's a wonderful design.  You can see her other work over here -- http://www.skullspiration.com/skelly-cocoons-and-catnip-toys-by-rene-laigo/



The design is either silk screened, block printed OR done up by a company like Spoonflower.  It's simple, easy to make, and definitely is striking.  Good work Rene!

Etsy

Etsy as a selling site seems pretty straightforward, I was checking the site over again in anticipation of signing on and getting a store over there this year.

 

Actually you're allowed up to 3 stores, if you have different categories of merchandise to sell. 

 

Already I'd decided to go with three - one for my stuffed toys (which will probably be called Weird Creatures), one for any paper items (my tarot, prints, coloring books,  paper dolls, those fake family histories I was working on, the cat comics, etc.), and one store for just the cat toys. 

 

No clue yet as to what to call the paper item store, but the cat one............argh!  You can do a search on store names by title, there's over 2,000 stores with the name 'cat' or 'kitty' in them. I tried feline, feral, catnip and any other similar word and/or combo and they all have a significantly large number of stores with variations on all of them. 

 

After talking with a few friends I came up with PurrZazz, FloofyCatTails, KittyJakesBestStuff as the final three.  But then I noticed that most names were pretty short, a quick search why showed that you have up to 20 characters for the name, BUT only 11 characters show up under your pictures when people do their searches.  That took out my KittyJake choice. 

 

I think what I'm going with is FloofyCat.  Maybe.  Not entirely sure yet.  PurrZazz has a nice ring too.

 

Many sites offer patterns too, mostly downloadable ones.  So patterns may be something I might get into as well. OR complete kits for the do it yourself people who don't want to go out and pick up the materials at the fabric store.  I can pre-cut everything so they just have to sit and sew/assemble it, well maybe they would need to buy the stuffing but we'll see.  I have to check through what's already offered on Etsy that way and see how others are doing that aspect.  Just a thought.