Peter Pumpkin Tote Tutorial - Jack Cat Version

Summer is just warming up, which means it's already time for fall and Halloween fabric collections to hit your favorite quilt shops, and a great time to start thinking about what to make with those fun new prints coming out.

The Peter Pumpkin Tote is one of my go-to projects for spooky fabrics. It's super quick to put together and makes the cutest treat-or-treat tote. At this point, my own four kids and all of my nieces and nephews each have their own Peter Pumpkin Tote, but when I saw that the new Ghostly & Haunted collection from Art Gallery Fabrics, I knew I needed to make another one...or three. They're kind of addictive.

For this round of tote-making, I was inspired by the adorable Midnight Meows print to switch up the traditional jack-o-lantern face and make it into a black cat that I've dubbed Jack Cat. You know, because jack-o-lantern + black cat = Jack Cat, which happens to rhyme with "black cat". Clever, huh? Well anyways, I think it turned out pretty great and it even got a unanimous stamp of approval from my kids, which is honestly pretty rare to have all four in agreement. But I mean, how cute is this not-very-spooky kitty?!

Want to make your own Jack Cat version of the Peter Pumpkin Tote? Well, of course you do! I mean, who wouldn't? So here's what you need:

Supplies

• Peter Pumpkin Tote pattern (available here)

• Jack Cat Version Templates for the face and ears (available FREE here)

• Tote Exterior: 1/3 yard quilting cotton

• Tote Lining: 1/3 yard quilting cotton

• Accent Fabric: 6" x 8" fabric scrap

• Foam Stabilizer (i.e. ByAnnie's Soft and Stable): 1/3 yard

• Pellon 805 Wonder Under Interfacing: 6" x 8" piece

• 1" wide cotton or poly webbing: 1/3 yard

Instructions

Preparation and Cutting

Start by following the pattern preparation instructions to quilt the the exterior fabric and the foam stabilizer together and adhere the Wonder Under to the accent fabric. Follow the pattern cutting instructions and diagrams to cut the T1 and T2 templates from both the exterior and lining. Then cut (2) outer ear templates (T8) from the scraps of both the prepared exterior fabric and lining fabric.

Use the Jack Cat Version templates for the face and ears to cut the following pieces from the prepared accent fabric: (2) eye templates (T3), (1) nose template (T4), (1) mouth template (T5), (2) whisker templates (T6), and (2) inner ear templates (T7). Set aside.

Ear Assembly

Arrange the (2) T7 inner ear accent pieces on the right side of the T8 outer ears cut from the quilted exterior fabric by centering of the bottom edges of the T7 pieces on the bottom edges of the T8 pieces. Follow Step 3 of the Shell Assembly instructions to bond and sew the T7 accent pieces in place.

Place each T8 exterior piece right sides together with a T8 lining piece and sew together along the two outside edges of the ear leaving the bottom edge open. Clip away the excess seam allowance at the the corners of the top of the ears at a 45 degree angle taking care not to snip through the seams. Turn the ears right side out and press. Then top stitch along the outside edges of the ear using an 1/8" seam allowance, still leaving the bottom edge open.

Shell and Lining Assembly

Follow the pattern instructions for the shell assembly but substitute the following for Step 2 to place the Jack Cat face templates (T3, T4, T5, and T6):

Step 2: Take the accent pieces, (2) T3, (1) T4, (1) T5, and (2) T6, and arrange on the right side of the exterior fabric as desired, centered on the seam. Suggested placement: Place the bottom of the T5 mouth 2 1/2" from the bottom edge of the shell. Place the bottom tip of the T4 nose 1/4" from the top of the T5 mouth. Then place the T6 whiskers mirrored 1/4" away from either side of the nose so that the top flat edges of the whiskers and nose are approximately even. Finally, place the T5 eyes 3/8" above the whiskers so that the outside edges are approximately even with the outside edges of the whiskers. This will result in a design that appears centered when the tote is complete.

When you reach Step 8 in the shell assembly, in addition to basting the webbing handle in place, the ears also need to be basted in place. To do so, arrange the ears so that they are on the top edge of the shell centered on the seams on either side of the center seam of the face. Place the ears upside down with the inner ear side facing the right side of the shell so that the top edge of the shell and the bottom edge of the ears are aligned. Baste the ears in place using 1/8" seam allowance.

Final Assembly

Follow the pattern instructions to complete the Jack Cat version of the Peter Pumpkin Tote. Once the top edge of the tote is top stitched, the ears will stand up tall for a fun addition to the traditional jack-o-lantern tote. Now the trick-or-treater in your life is all ready for Halloween!