Leopard Cat Costume

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When Clara told me she wanted to be a cat for Halloween I did the internal eye roll.
Really?
A cat?
Does it get more cliche or ((boring?)) or blah blah blah?
I guess every girl wants to be a cat at some point in her life?….

But then I realized how ridiculous I was being, because Clara LOVES cats. They’re her absolute favorite animal and she sleeps with 3 stuffed kitties every night.

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So of course she should be a cat!
And how stinking cute would a Clara Cat look?
AND….what if we made it a leopard cat?
Okay.
I was totally on board.

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Just having an excuse to buy leopard knit spandex made me happy.
And guess what?? There are some great choices at Girl Charlee.  Can you imagine a whole “family” of little girls in different leopard prints?!
Clara and I picked our favorite—pink, peach, + black.
Ahhh! So cute!

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Okay there are a bazillion ways to make a kitty cat costume, I’m sure.
So I tried to keep it simple and let the fabric be the star of the show.
I used three of my video tutorials for this ensemble:

How to make a T-shirt
How to make a Pair of Leggings
How to make a Knit Headband

SHIRT + LEGGINGS
I took a pair of leggings that Clara already had to create a pattern for a new pair of leggings.
Then I sewed a t-shirt using the same method (from the video above and THIS tutorial)
Because I mean….a whole out outfit out that same fabric?  Too much.  In a good kitty cat way.

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TAIL
(refer to the images below):
• Cut a long strip of fabric and fold it in half lengthwise.
• Sew down one side and then curve your stitch around the bottom, so the bottom of the tail is round.  Do NOT sew the top closed.
• Use your finger to turn the whole thing right side out.
• Tuck the open ends under and sew a small piece of velcro to the top.
• Sew the other piece of velcro to the middle back waistband of the leggings, so you can remove the tail, if needed. I knew the tail would bother her at school, while sitting down, so this was really helpful and easy to do.

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EARS
• Begin making a headband as outlined in the video above, but don’t sew the ends closed.
• For the ears, refer to my shape below.  I drew a small pattern piece and cut out two pieces from gray felt, “on the fold”, so they were symmetrical on each side.
• With wrong sides of the fabric together, sew the felt onto a piece of the leopard fabric and trim the edges when you’re done.  Now you have two ear pieces with felt on one side, leopard on the other.

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• Take the first ear and bring the two “corners” into so they create an ear shape.
• Use a needle and thread to hand sew the ends together and then sew the first ear onto the headband.  Sew enough stitches to secure it in place.
• Space the other ear a few inches down (it’s best to try it on their head to see how the spacing looks) and hand sew the second ear in place as well.
• Fold the edges of one of the headband ends under, and tuck the other end inside. Sew the headband closed with a topstitch.

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And you’re done!
One pretty kitty.

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Who also needs a nap.
…on dirty gravel.
Thanks mom.
Happy sewing friends!

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  1. 1) Tina

    This is beyond cute!!

  2. 2) HEather

    Dana, this is amazing!!! I need to hear your ideas about a cool penguin costume please 😉 Thank you for the link too!

    Heather
    girlcharlee.com

    • 3) Dana

      Thanks Heather!
      I absolutely LOVE your fabric. It is so butter soft and cute 🙂

  3. 4) cOSAS DE CARI

    Uauuu I love this cat custome, it´s beautiful!!! and your little daughter is very pretty!! Regards

  4. 5) Melissa

    Brilliant way to make the ears! Pinning for the next time one of my kiddos wants to be a kitty cat- AGAIN!

  5. 6) Mary

    OHMYGOODNESS!! I am finishing up making a costume for my almost 4yo who is obsessed with kitties. And sleeps with multiple stuffed kitties too. She wanted to be a pink and purple cat (her favorite colors). Since we are going to an Alice in Wonderland themed party in a couple of days I figured the Cheshire cat it is! And I needed that “how to” for the ears. They are the last thing I have left. Thanks so much!! perfect timing 😀

    • 7) Dana

      Oh good! That makes me so happy to hear!
      And a pink and purple kitty?? That sounds like Clara’s dream costume. I’ll have to try that another year when she asks again :). haha.

  6. 8) sarah Heat

    She is so cute!

    I love/hate halloween! I absolutely love making my kid’s costume dreams come true. I hate that they are getting more opinionated as they get older. Every year has some surprises and challenges. This year we have a ballerina, a boom box, a gumball machine, and a toasted marshmallow costume (part of a team of s’mores). Oy. We’re getting there!

    • 9) Dana

      A boom box! And a marshmallow! Love those.
      Yes. I have the same love/hate relationship, FOR SURE.
      Good luck with yours! I’m sure they’ll be awesome!

  7. 11) Mindy

    This costume is adorable!!! And why did she grow up so Fast?!?

  8. 12) Meg

    What a great costume! Thank you for the tutorial. I want to make those for my girls that are 8 and 6 years old. How much fabric did you use for your daughter?

    • 13) Dana

      Hmmm. I wish I could remember. Prob about 1 1/2 yards.
      I would buy more than you need….cause there’s always a use for leopard fabric down the road right? 🙂 🙂

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