Crazy Caterpillar

Created from lime green felt, the
caterpillar's coat is decorated
with bright, irregular spots.

• Paper; pencil
• Tape measure
• 2-1/2 yards of 72-inch-wide lime green felt
• Scissors
• Large yellow buttons
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• 1/2 yard of 72-inch-wide black felt
• Thick white crafts glue
• 1/2 yard each of 72-inch-wide pink and yellow felt
• Pinking shears
• Tracing paper
• Headband
• Metallic chenille stems
• Two large pink pom-poms
• Purchased black pants and sweatshirts, white tennis shoes, and green baseball hats and gloves

1. Download the patterns. Click below to download pattern. (Requires Adobe Acrobat software.)

2. Make paper patterns. Use paper to make an oval arm opening pattern, 12 inches high and 6 inches wide. Make a circular 6-inch-diameter neck-opening pattern.

3. Mark/cut neck holes. Fold green felt in half lengthwise as shown on the diagram. Use the patterns to start marking the neck holes 4 inches from the front end at the fold. Leaving 18 inches between neck holes, mark the remaining three neck holes. Cut out the four neck holes.

4. Mark/cut arm holes. For each arm opening, trace around the pattern 4 inches from the neck opening. Cut out the eight arm holes.

5. Form felt. Cut scallops across bottom, from centers of armholes as shown in the diagram. Cut front into a vest shape and angle the back to create the look of a tail.

6. Sew on buttons. Overlap front vest pieces and secure by sewing on large buttons. Stitch back seam.

7. Cut, attach black strips. Cut eight 4x24-inch strips from black felt. Glue strips below armholes, trimming to match the bottom scallop.

8. Cut, attach markings. Cut six 8 1/2-inch circles from pink felt using pinking shears. Use the caterpillar-marking pattern to cut six shapes from yellow felt using scissors. Glue the cutouts as shown, above right.

9. Make leader's hat. For antennae, wrap chenille stems around a headband. Glue pom-poms to ends of two stems and wrap around sides of headband. Place over the hat of the leader.