A Book for the Cat in Your Library

You can’t judge a book by its cover… it’s what’s inside that counts. And while this book may have nothing but fluff (and just a dash of catnip) between its covers, we’re sure you’ll love it just as much as our in-house feline review board did!

Gather materials:

• Felt in colors – one for the cover, and one for the pages of your book
• Thread and thread for sewing
• Embroidery floss and sturdy large needle
• Fiber fill
• Paper and pencil (we used notecards)
• Optional: catnip
• Optional: fabric paint

Trace and cut out your pieces

Every book needs a cover, and for your cover, trace out a long rectangle on your paper or notecard. Cut it out, and trace it onto the colourful felt you're using for the cover of your book. Cut a single extra-long strip of the felt you'll use for your pages.

Pro-tip: we tried a number of ways to measure this, but by far the easiest was to cut an extra long strip of white/page-color felt and cut it to size later. If you enjoy meticulous measuring, make sure the strip is a little longer than the length plus width of your book cover.

Add any optional ornamentation to the cover

This step is much easier to do before sewing begins, so now is a perfect time to use your embroidery floss or fabric paint to add decorations! “Embossed” or “gilded” cover ornaments can be as simple or as ornate as you like. You can also add a title along the spine (if you want to get very detailed, you can dip a pin in the paint and use that to write). If you're nervous about the embroidery coming undone, dab a little fabric glue on the back of your work to secure it. If you purr-fer not to decorate you book, then skip this step.

Place your pieces and begin sewing

Place your page strip along the edge of the cover, lined up with the edge. Begin sewing by stitching this end in place, continuing around the edge of the cover, finishing when 3 of the strips sides are sewn to the cover as shown.

Stitch the binding for stability

In this step, you'll turn this paperback into a hardcover special edition. Fold and pin the crease of the book's spine stitch back and forth through the fold. Work your way up one side and down the other. This will define the spine of your book.

Stuff with fluff (and with catnip!)

Now, a book is only as good as what's inside. So fill your book with fiber fill — but only enough to make it a plump, squishy rectangle shape. Don’t over-stuff! Plenty of kitties enjoy toys with catnip stuffed inside. If that's the kind of toy you're creating, then now's the time to add the ‘nip.

Finish and play with kitties!

Sew up the last remaining opening, finish off, and your little book is ready to be torn into by the nearest library kitty!

This post is sponsored by PAWS in Old City, Philadelphia. This week, we're teaming up with local cat shelters to celebrate the release of Quirk's first graphic novel Manfried the Man, a hilarious and poignant look at cat ownership — except in Manfried, the pets are men and cats rule the world. Learn more about #QuirkCatWeek here.

#QuirkCatWeek runs from April 30 to May 4, 2018.