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How to Sew a Patchwork Cat Mat

cal patch, contributor

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Your kitty will love this patchwork mat, and you'll love the protection it gives your furniture.

Cal Patch

Begin by cutting twelve 5-inch squares.

Cal Patch

Lay out the pieces you are going to assemble.

Cal Patch

Your kitty will love this patchwork mat, and you'll love the protection it gives your furniture.

Photo: Cal Patch

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No matter how much we love our pets, we don't usually love the hair and wear they leave on our furniture. Well-placed mats can go a long way in keeping your favorite chair or couch free of fur and damage. I made a sturdy little quilted mat out of some denim scraps, but you could use any rugged cloth, like canvas or twill. Here's how to go about it:

You'll need about a 1/2 yard total of fabric, but it can be in assorted pieces. You'll also need a ruler, chalk or pen, scissors, pins, thread, and your sewing machine.

1. Cut the pieces. Decide on the size and number of squares you want to use. I used 4-inch squares, three squares wide and four squares long, so the finished mat is 12 inches by 16 inches. I used a 1/2-inch seam allowance, so I cut my 12 squares 5 inches by 5 inches. The bottom lining piece needs a 1/2-inch seam allowance on all sides, so I cut it 13 inches by 17 inches.

Begin by cutting twelve 5-inch squares.

This piece will be the bottom or lining. Cut it 13 inches by 17 inches.

2. Arrange the squares in a layout that you like.

The pieces are laid out as I'm going to assemble them.

Taking one row at a time and with right sides facing each other, seam them together.

Seam each row individually...

Press your seam allowances open or to one side. Then seam the rows together and press.

...then seam the rows together into one piece.

3. Pin the pieced top of the mat to the lining with right sides together. Stitch around, pivoting corners and leaving a 4-inch opening on one side to turn it right side out.

Sew around the outer edge, leaving an opening.

The opening is for turning it right side out.

Clip the four corners to help them turn out better, and turn it right side out.

Clip the corners to minimize bulk when you turn them out.

Use a pencil or other pointed tool to push the corners out.

Here's the mat turned right side out.

Press the edges and pin the opening closed. Edgestitch around all sides of the mat about 1/8 inch from the edge.

From the right side, edgestitch all around, closing up the hole.

Here's a close-up of a corner after edgestitching.

4. Now you can do some free-form quilting to complete the mat. I did some freehand concentric oval shapes, but play around and see what you come up with. You could draw your stitching lines on with chalk or a disappearing marker if you prefer, or you could "stitch in the ditch" of your piecing seams.

Do some freestyle stitching to give an added dimension to the piece.

And voila! A mat for a cat.

Place these mats on seats, arms, or backs of upholstered furniture, especially in those sunny spots. Your pet will think you're being very thoughtful, while you're comforted by the fact that your chairs will last a long time!

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Cat Mat
MmeSherwood

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Comments (2)

crazycatsmom writes: i have been making catnip cat mats to sell at craft shows for the past 5 years when i originally started making them from cool cat fabric i only made them 16" square with quilt batting leaving an opening in the top to put in the catnip it sticks to the quilt batting perfectly then i had to enlarge it a little because some customers said they had fat cats so now i sell them in 2 sizes. you can also throw them in the washer and dryer (tho' you will have catnip in the lint catcher) then just refill with a little catnip and again a happy cat will love you forever again. thanks for sharing this with every cat lovers.
Posted: 2:50 pm on May 21st

MmeSherwood writes: This project was crazy easy and it's so, so useful. I put a few pinches of catnip and a little bit of stuffing (to sort of hold the nip) into mine. Gonna make a bunch more for my apartment and a few for friends/fam.
Posted: 12:27 pm on April 13th

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