The year in review post reminded me that I never did post 2025’s crafty costumes. Our little one has been pretty obsessed with Gabby’s Dollhouse for a year or so now, and so it was only fitting that she was her favourite Gabby Cat for Halloween! Then, out loud, I foolishly said “maybe mom and dad should be their favourite Gabby Cats too!”
Well, there was no going back on that. So after spending far too much money at the fabric store, I present: CatRat (dad), MerCat (the little) and DJ Catnip (mom - that’s me!)
This photo is mid-chaos before trick or treating. 
For reference:
I took absolutely zero process pictures, but here’s the breakdown:
CatRat’s hoodie started life as a blue hoodie. I added ears, a white belly, and the stripes on the hood. His tail had a loop at the end to attach to a belt.
DJ Catnip started with a red hoodie. Added the ears and sparkly cat head shaped pocket (measured to fit over the existing hoodie pocket so I still had a pocket!) Striped pants were sewn from scratch - started by making a pair of purple pajama pants and then adding on all of the stripes. In hindsight, making the striped fabric and then making the pants may have been wiser, but my brain couldn’t handle the math at that point, haha. I also made a striped tail with an elastic that fit around my waist, so I could take it off as I wanted.
MerCat was a huge undertaking! I knew I wanted something easy to walk in for my little, so decided on essentially making a track suit. The quilted fabric has no give whatsoever so it was easy to sew but hard to fit. I made the pants first, and freehanded some fins to attach to the back. The hoodie was an adventure to figure out - I took the existing pattern and made a secondary piece for the mermaid top which I sewed on. The head piece was done in the same manner, and ears attached to the sides. I then made the star and attached it in a few places so it wouldn’t wobble. If I did it again I’d make the whole hood a bit bigger, as it had a tendency to flop off her head.
It was a labour of love, but I am hoping she picks something a teensy bit easier this year.