I was browsing reddit recently and came across a topic about cats wearing ties in an office. I'd say the majority of the responses were either "yay! cats wearing ties!" or "where can I buy my cat a tie?"

Well, You're in luck if your cat prefers bow ties. Or just wants to look like the Doctor.

I made this bow tie for our cats, and also drew out a pattern so the rest of you could outfit your cats as well.

(Luna is in the first two photos, Didi is in the last three and is very concerned about this whole affair)

Step 1: What You'll Need:

scissors
iron + board
thread and needle or sewing machine
velcro (preferably the iron on type)
pattern, which is included on this step!
safety pin or loop turner
cats!

catbowtiepattern.pdf
Download

Step 2: Cut Out Your Pattern Pieces!

Just so you can make sure the pattern you printed was sized correctly:

one piece 1.75 x 12 inches
one piece 2 x 5 inches
two pieces 2.5 x 3.5 inches

The longest piece will need to be with one of the shorter edges on a fold.

If you have a cat with a collar, you can also skip making the collar and just make the bow. :D

Step 3: Sew Together the Bow!

Pin the two bow pieces right sides together and stitch around using a 1/4 seam allowance. Leave a hole about two inches wide on one of the long edges of the bow.

Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your work!

Trim the corners and the edges as shown in the second photo (leave the edge with the hole untrimmed!), and then carefully turn the bow right side out. Use a small crochet hook or the tip of a pen to help you get the corners nice and pointy.

Once it's turned right side out, fold in the edges of the hole so it looks nice and straight and iron it flat.

Then sew all around the edges using a 1/8 inch seam allowance. This will close the hole up. The finished product will look like the first photo. :D

Step 4: Sew the Two Other Pieces and Turn!

Fold the other pieces in half and pin. Sew them closed using a 1/8 seam allowance down the long edge only. :) Backstitch at the beginning and end!

Push a safety pin through one side of the fabric near one end of the tube and push the head of the safety into the tube. Scrunch the fabric on the safety pin, pulling the edges toward where the safety pin went in. Keep scrunching and pulling until the fabric begins to turn. This is honestly the worst part of the whole project! Everything is smooth sailing from here on out, I promise!

If you're having issues with turning, check out this tutorial.

Once you've turned the tubes right side out, iron them flat so the seam is on the back of the tubes, like the last photo shows.

Step 5: Complete the Bow!

Scrunch your bow up as shown - this is how it will look when finished!

Take the smaller of the two tubes, and place it around the middle as shown in the second photo. Adjust it so that you find the shape you like for the bow, and cut off the excess as seen in photo three.

Sew the tube ends together with the seam facing out with a 1/8 seam allowance. Then turn the tube right side out and slip over the bow!

Step 6: Sew Onto the Collar!

Handsew the bow onto the collar using small stitches. This might be a little tricky if you try to go through more than the outermost layer of fabric, so go slow and be careful. :D

Step 7: Watch Out for Saboteurs!

At this point Luna was wise to what I was creating and attempted to destroy it.

Make sure to retrieve the bow tie from enemy hands.

Step 8: Add Velcro to the Ends!

And viola! You have a cat bow tie.

I added more of the fuzzy half of the velcro than I added of the grabby part. I figure that way it is slightly adjustable.

Have fun making tiny bow ties! Highly recommended for cats, small dogs and tiny humans. Maybe even big lizards!