DIY GIlbert the Cat

If you have kids between the ages of 2 and 5, and you let them watch TV, you've probably heard of a little bald-headed boy named Caillou. This preschool-geared cartoon airs on PBS, and it's currently one of my son's favorites.


We are able to watch Caillou On-Demand, and there's a particular episode that Jack has requested about 87 times in the past few weeks. In this particular adventure, Caillou's cat, Gilbert, gets lost. It's particularly sad because Caillou has just been less-than-kind to Gilbert when Gilbert doesn't want to play with him anymore.

The family looks for him around the neighborhood and at the animal shelter to no avail. Things are looking pretty dim when 24 hours have passed and there's no sign of Gilbert. Just then, Gilbert appears at their front door, and everyone rejoices.

I'm not sure why Jack likes this episode so much, but I'm sure it has something to do with the fascination preschoolers have with getting lost, playing hide-and-seek, and their growing independence. Sometimes I think Jack might also like it because he secretly hopes our dog will get lost. He and Lucy have a love-hate relationship, and sometimes, like Caillou, Jack gets frustrated when Lucy won't participate in his agenda.

Anyway, I thought it would be really fun to get Jack a stuffed Gilbert the Cat. I was sure I could find it online. Turns out, Sprout/PBS made and sold them at one time, but no more. So I turned to eBay, the world's source for everything. And I was right...seems some entrepreneurs over in Ankara, Turkey, stocked up on the stuffed cats. Of course they are charging close to $30 for the 10-inch stuffed animal, and then there's the inherent risk of buying something from Turkey and hoping it actually makes it to my mailbox. (No offense to my Turkish readers.)

So, I decided to try to make a Gilbert the Cat for my son. Friends, it was so inexpensive and easy that it's almost embarrassing. Total cost: $1.40. That doesn't include the thread, polyester stuffing, and Sharpie marker I had on hand, but those probably wouldn't be more than a few bucks if you don't have them in your sewing stash.

Here's how I made Gilbert. (I forgot to take pictures along the way, but I think you'll get the idea.)

• First I printed out a picture of Gilbert on line.

 

• Then I traced him onto a sheet of gray felt and cut it him out slightly larger than the outline. 
• Then I made an exact copy of that cat outline on another piece of gray felt.
• I stitched them up, wrong sides together, leaving a small opening at the bottom.
• And then the fun part... birthing the cat through the small hole. I had so many bad jokes running through my head as I did this, but I'll spare you.
• Next, I cut apart the printed out paper cat so I could trace the eye patch, nose, and collar onto felt of the appropriate color. 
• 

• I glued those on with super glue. (Elmer's didn't stick at all...just absorbed into the fabric.)
• Then I freehanded the rest of the details with a black Sharpie.

Wa-lah: Gilbert the Cat

He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Felt isn't super cuddly material, and his collar is a bit misplaced, but Jack loves him. And that's what counts. 

PS: Lest you think we're a bunch of crafty geniuses over here, let me confess that at 9:30 last night me, my husband, and Jack all had super glue stuck to our fingers. Thank heavens for acetone.

PSS: Jack's one complaint: It doesn't have a tag. He's one of those kids who likes to rub the tag when he's sleepy.