Kitty Pajamas + free pocket kitty pattern

One of my favorite things to sew at Christmas time is pajamas for my kids. This year I thought I would add a little surprise to the pocket!

 

Isn’t it cute and kind of silly? But my daughter totally loves it. She’s already named it “Sniffles” and loves toting it around the house in her pocket.

It was kind of an after thought…a just for fun idea. I had made some Alex and Anna Winter pajamas (favorite pajama pattern btw) out of this super cute kitty fabric from Dana’s new BLUSH line, which I knew my daughter would LOVE.

Pink + cats is a recipe for one happy little girl in our house. But add in some kind of stuffed animal and she’s in heaven. So, I added a kitty and pocket for it to fit in. I think that I must have been influenced by Katie Lewis’s adorable mini kitty puppets which are cuuute!

Well, it worked. She’s in love and my mama maker heart is happy. <3

Also…did I tell you, she lost her first tooth? I’m equal parts excited and in denial, because she still feels like my baby.

Before I get to my quick and easy pocket kitty tutorial, for those of you who want to add a little extra love to your Christmas pajamas too…I have to sing my praises for this fabric.

I have this thing with sewing pajamas with Art Gallery knits.

If you think about it, pajamas get worn more than any other clothes. That is, unless you have a full pajama wardrobe, which we don’t. And if anything holds up to that wear, it’s Art Gallery knits. It feels thin but it’s high quality. I have yet to have anything wear out before it gets grown out of… which makes me a happy camper, since I spent precious time sewing it!

It’s also super soft, washes great, and comes in beautiful prints like this kitty print from Dana! <3

Now let’s sew some kitties and pockets, shall we?

MATERIALS

• Scrap of matching or contrasting knit fabric
• Scrap of high quality felt*
• Embroidery floss
• Hand sewing needle
• A small handful of poly fil
• Pocket Kitty Pattern (click to download)
• Plus, all the sewing supplies you use to make your jams. **

*The wool blend felt sold by the bolt in Jo-Ann’s is good. Or if you can wait for shipping, I like to order wool, or wool/acrylic blend felts off of Etsy. My felt flower post has a lot of good links and sources for that. 

**If you’re adding this to ready to wear pajamas, you’ll need your machine, a ball point or jersey needle, scissors, and some matching all-purpose thread. 

1. Cut two pocket pieces out of your knit fabric. Try to match your pocket to the shirt pattern if you can. Optional: you can also cut one of the pieces out of knit interfacing if you have it.
2. Sew pocket pieces together with right sides facing, with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Leave a 1 1/2 inch opening at the bottom of the pocket.
3. Clip corners and turn pocket right side out. Iron pocket flat and tuck in bottom opening. Top stitch along top of the pocket about 3/4 inch from the top.
4. Pin pocket to shirt and sew in place. Be sure to back stitch several times at the opening of the pocket to strengthen it.
5. Cut out two pieces of felt with the larger kitty pattern piece.
6. Embroider details on the kitty as desired. Use the smaller kitty pattern piece as a guide to where your embroidery should be. This will prevent any of your designs from getting cut off when you sew the kitty together. If you don’t know how to embroider…truth is, I’m no pro either. I just wing it and basically draw what I want with my thread. Just go for it! 🙂 You can always pull out what you don’t like and try again.
7. Sew the two felt kitty pieces together with wrong sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Leave about a 1 inch opening at the bottom. Stuff with poly fill.
8. Sew the opening closed and trim the seam allowance to about an 1/8 inch.

P.S. This fabric was gifted to me by the amazing Dana from Made Everyday, but my love for Art Gallery knit runs deep and genuine. <3

P.P.S. I did a quick search and found these really cute pocket kitties as well! She also has a free pattern. I can’t tell for sure, but I think her cats look a little bigger, so it might not fit in my pocket pattern but it would be a cute little companion in pockets of overalls or jeans.