FREE PATTERN - The Crazy Cat Lady Christmas tree

**This post was edited to add the free pattern. Read on for the free pattern download!**

It was getting close to Thanksgiving when I started thinking about Christmas decorations. It's hard not to, every store is often piled high with paper, trees and decorations the moment Halloween is over. I didn't know whether to just do what I've always done or perhaps get some removable wall decals -- just try something new, that sort of thing.

The latter was chosen for me, perhaps by fate.

I should first elaborate that my friends know me as The Crazy Cat Lady. I claim that title proudly. After all, we have 5 cats at our house. All rescues. All of them black cats.

Then comes the next bit of context, there's this picture floating around the interwebs, perhaps you've seen it? The Christmas tree made up of black cats? It's a photoshop trick but it's sooooo awesome.

And I've had it sent to me I don't know how many times because I'm the crazy black cat lady.

The third time it got shared to my wall, I started to wonder if the universe was trying to tell me something. Maybe I did indeed NEED a crazy cat lady Christmas tree made up of black cats. Maybe this was the "trying something new" that I needed.

It started as a tingle at the back of my brain. Could I? Could I make it out of felt? Yes, I could. My brain couldn't let it go.

And so Thanksgiving weekend, I made 36 felt black cats and stuffed them all around a tree. I AM the crazy cat lady!!!

The result is not so much like the original photo – but of course that photo is a copy & paste effect. There was a limit to the number of cats I could make without going certifiably insane (36 was probably 8 cats over that point), and a limit to the number of cats that the small tree could hold in its sparse branches.

All those kitty faces staring out at me make me smile every time I walk by.

They didn't take very long to make - at least not each one individually. 36 cats takes a long time, no matter how simple the pattern or construction. There was just one seam on each cat, plus a whooooole lotta glue gun going on.

And for the topper - of course it's another cat! I chalked a little halo glow on the chalkboard behind so he wouldn't blend in with the background.

Just a few more photos to show the crazy cat lady tree all lit up...

And underneath, a black & white tree skirt. I had all the fabric I needed in my stash. How lucky is that!!

As soon as I can clear a few hours in my schedule, I'm going to digitize the pattern I used and share it out here on the blog. You know, in case there's another crazy cat person out there who needs to decorate a tree.

If you want to make a Crazy Cat Lady Christmas Tree of your own, I've got a FREE PATTERN for the felt softie. You can get it here:

The Crazy Cat Lady Christ Tree felt cat softie pattern

You can make your kitties in any color, but of course I think black cats make the best cats. And if 36 cats is not in your schedule (or your stamina) you could make just a single cat as a cute mantel sitter.

If you make cat softies with my pattern, please let me know! I'd love to see my felt cats taking over the world.