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Tara Deyo's Kitty Pillow Sew a cuddly black-velvet cat pillow. From "Uncommon Threads" episode DUCT-106

Tara Deyo has designed the best pet ever: a sweet cat-shaped pillow that never needs to be fed and never gets fleas. (And you can forget all about that litter box!)

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Editor's note: We have been unable to reach Tara Deyo and obtain the specific pattern for the Kitty Pillow. We apologize for this inconvenience to our viewers.

Materials:

Tara Deyo's Kitty Pillow

3/8 yd. black cotton velvet
polyfill
IRMA cushion (14" square)
2 buttons for eyes (1" concave oval green or yellow)
sewing machine
black sewing thread
pink sewing thread
1" black sew-on hook-and-loop tape
DMC embroidery floss in Black (310), Terra Cotta (356) and Pewter Gray Very Dark (3799)
1/8 yd. pink silk duchess satin
tailor's chalk
steel pins
small embroidery hoop to fit face

Cutting and Marking

Figure A

Start by cutting out pattern pieces.

1. Pin the ear pattern to two layers of the pink fabric with wrong sides facing.

2. Cut and mark darts with tailor's chalk on wrong side of fabric.

3. Unpin and place ear pattern and square body pattern piece on two layers of black velvet with wrong sides facing and mark darts on wrong side (figure A).

4. Pin all other pattern pieces on the right side using only a single layer of the black velvet. Cut one of each.

Embroidering Face

	Face: detail
	Eye: detail

Make all markings on wrong side of black fabric except kitty face embroidery, which should be marked on right side of velvet.

Note: Use single strands of floss when embroidering, unless otherwise indicated.

1. Start by embroidering small stem stitch for mouth in pink floss.

2. Place embroidery hoop on face with nose centered; then satin-stitch the nose in pink.

3. Cut six 4" lengths of pewter gray floss for whiskers; make one stitch on a whisker dot by threading pewter-gray floss in embroidery needle, stitching through fabric and pulling length of floss so that both ends are even. Make a knot (tie twice). Repeat for all whiskers.

4. Finish face by threading 1 yd. black floss and knotting end twice (floss will be double thickness). Pull it through buttonhole on concave side (sew button on wrong side) and wrap through holes about four times, going in direction of the narrowest part of the button (be careful not to make it too tight). Building up the center of the eye, wrap floss around a couple of times. Then, in the same direction, wrap around entire narrow part of button going twice over the left side of the center eye and next over the right side twice. Sew on face with concave side closest to face (button will be showing "wrong" side).

Note: If you don't immediately remove embroidery hoop, it will leave an unwanted embossed marking on velvet.

Machine-Sewing Body

Figure B

Note: Use a 1/2" seam allowance with right sides facing unless indicated otherwise; clip threads as you go.

1. Thread sewing machine with pink thread and sew small darts on pink fabric ear pieces (figure B).

2. Change thread to black and sew the rest of the body out of the black velvet pieces. Start by sewing black velvet ear darts and only small face darts.

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