|
If you want to make your cat feel special around the holidays and add some unique festivity to your mantle - here's a great and simple craft project you can make.
Many people hang stockings for their pets, but no store bought stocking can beat this handmade mouse version. The instructions below are for 2 different stockings - one is in the shape of a mouse and hangs on your mantle by the tail; the other is a stocking with mice decorating the front. You choose - which one would your cat like best?
Mouse Stocking
You will need - 2 sheets of burgondy felt, 1 sheet of green felt, 1 sheet of gray felt, 1 pair of google eyes, black embroidery floss and a needle.
To Make Your Mouse
Using burgondy felt, place sheets together and cut a large oval shape, getting narrower at one end (this will be the body of the stocking). Using embroidery floss, stitch around edge of body, leaving the wider end completely open.
Using green felt, Cut 2 medium size rounded triangles. Stitch onto sides of body at the narrow end, forming ears.
At narrowest end, stitch a small solid triangle - a nose, and add three whiskers on each side by pulling thread up through bottom and knotting - allowing excess to hang off sides. Glue google eyes above nose, below ears.
Using gray felt, cut a tail for your mouse and stitch inside wide end of body. Your stocking is ready to hang.
Stocking Covered in Mice
You will need, two sheets of burgondy felt, 1 sheet of dark gray felt, 1 sheet of bright golden yellow felt, pinking sheer scissors, gray embroidery floss, green embroidery floss, light pink embroidery floss, yellow embroidery floss, black embroidery floss, needle
To make your stocking, using gray felt, cut small mice shapes and ears for your mice. Mice should be about 3 inches - you can fit 4 or 5 on one stocking. Using yellow felt, cut small triangles - cheese decorations that will fill space on the stocking and add color. Using burgondy felt, cut front and back of stocking shape by placing both pieces together and cutting matching stocking shapes.
Take front piece of stocking and stitch mice bodies onto it in various directions using gray floss. Stitch ears on each mouse and a nose using pink floss. Add eyes using black floss. Make tails by pulling floss up through felt, knotting, and letting excess hang. When finished creating mice, stitch "cheese" into spaces on the stocking to add color - use yellow floss.
Then, stitch around exterior using green floss, leaving opening at top. Use excess burgondy felt to cut a small retangle and attach to corner of opening - this will be used to hang your finished stocking.
Once your done - hang your cat's new stocking on the mantle - and fill it with lots of toys, stuffed mice, and catnip for your pet to enjoy. Just make sure he/she doesn't sneak into the stocking before Christmas day!
| 
