Pattern #4 : Pépé the cat

I started creating this month's pattern with Valentine's Day in mind. I tried to create a heart-shaped stuffed animal. But something was wrong, the ideas were ordinary, nothing inspired me and I procrastinated more than ever. Once I freed myself from the idea that a heart was necessary and began to think about what I love, everything tumbled out.

Pépé the cat was born and it was love at first sight. My first pattern was a success and exactly what I wanted to do. All my colleagues at work gushed when they saw him, even when he didn't yet have a face.

This pattern is much more similar like the others in my regular catalog. It does not include a seam allowance, rather it must be traced on a rectangle of fabric and then sewn on the line. It is a technique that allows for great precision, useful when sewing something small or detailed.

The beauty of this kind of pattern is that it opens the door to exploration. You can sew Pépé with a knit or a woven, a more textured fabric or even in a recycled wool sweater. you can cover it with small embroidered flowers or paint its body.

What can you do with it?

This time the pattern is really like a mini plush. Sewn securely you can offer it to any child around you.

However, I thought of this model with friendship in mind, and my dream would be that you offer Pépé to a friend dear to you. Take the time to thank this person for being in your life. Friendship after a certain age, in our busy lives, is not always easy or consistent. We must cherish these people and tell them that we love them even if we only see them a few times a year.

If you have a friend who is going through a bad time, give them a friend to hug. Pépé the cat is really the companion for that. With a beautiful card in the style of this one below 😍.

credit : www.maiafaddoul.com/illustrations

Or find a perfect card at the beautiful Paperole shop. Just like this one.

Which fabric should you choose?

Officially, if you're looking for a fabric recommendation like I usually do for every pattern here are my thoughts.

For the body: Since Pépé has lots of angles and curves, it is more beautiful when sewn in a soft weave. Consider choosing the kind of fabric you would choose for a women's blouse, something that has a bit more drape than a men's shirt or cotton quilt. A second option for Pépé would be a knit that isn't too soft, like a minky or a double knit.

For the face: I prefer a ponte to paint the face. Ponte is a double knit, thicker than jersey and not very stretchy. Given its construction it does not unravel, is very smooth and clean. If you don't have this kind of material on hand, go for a fabric that doesn't fray much, like sweatshirt or wool felt (the acrylic felt found in craft stores is too fluffy to paint on and I'm not sure embroidery would look good on it).

The face

I really liked the idea of adding a pre-painted face like for pattern #1, it makes the project really quick to complete. That said, I know that embroidery can be more accessible. I'm preparing a little post for the 2 tutorials, in the meantime you can refer to those of pattern #1 on the subject.

A meeting?

I have in mind to have a meeting of the Tiny Sewing Club, spend a few hours together sewing and chatting. It would be in Montreal on a Sunday afternoon. It wouldn't really be a sewing class, but I would be available to answer questions or do demos. We could sew a little cat together while drinking tea, quietly in Mile-End. Who would be interested?! We can also think of doing a video chat for those who are too far away.

Happy sewing,