Free Pattern Friday! Maneki Neko Coin Pouch

prj094
Last year during my legendary creatures collection, I seriously considered doing a Maneki Neko. It doesn’t quite fit as a legendary creature though, since it’s more like a symbol. Either way though, I brought it back! Since ‘Beckoning Cats’ or ‘Lucky Cats,’ as they’re often called, are said to bring in good fortune and money, I thought it was fitting to make them into little coin pouches! Maybe there are some out there with New Year’s resolutions to save money?

The body of this pouch is made from minky so it has a plush-like quality, but any thick fabric would work well for it 🙂 Much like with the squid pouch I designed earlier, you could also leave off the zipper and stuff it with batting to make it into a tiny plush! The pattern itself is rated 4/10 stars in difficulty because of the zipper and all the little details needed to pull together the Lucky Cat look – including all the applique spots, collar, ears, paw, and tiny bell to finish it off. If you were making a simpler cat it would be a little more manageable 😀
I hope you guys will give it a try!

Download

12 thoughts on “Free Pattern Friday! Maneki Neko Coin Pouch”

  1. Selene Hill (York)

    You are so very generous!! Thank you so much for this adorable lucky little cat!! I LOVE your patterns!! Life keeps getting in the way but I want to make them all!!! <3

  2. Thank you so much for sharing this pattern! It is adorable! I can’t wait to make one for myself and my boyfriend’s nieces!

  3. Carrie Neahring

    Hey, its me again! So, I was going to try the Jackalope for one of my daughters but she decided she wanted the bat too. She wanted it just like her brother’s but with some purple in it. So here is what we wound up with. 🙂 Her head didn’t come out quite as round as I was hoping but there’s always next time! My kids wanted a picture of both Peanut butter and Rosie too. 🙂 Thank you for this super adorable pattern! I can’t wait to try out some more of them!

    Carrie Neahring.

  4. Hi I can not figure out how to put my picture on the form for your contest. I can’t put a link because I’m not on social media

    Sent from my iPad

    >

  5. Hi Choly,
    I’ve cut out the minky and cotton lining and after stacking them on each other the way they’ll be sewn, I’ve noticed about floppy it feels and it doesn’t look like it has the same firmness as yours. Is it possibly something I’ve done wrong? If not, is there something else i can use to give it some more body? Or does sewing it all together somehow make it feel more sturdy?
    Any tip or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you!! ^^
    ~Sam

    1. Hi Sam!
      There is something! You could use fusible interfacing to give the pouch more body — my favorite is SF101 from Pellon. An extra layer of quilt batting (or even fleece fabric) to use as an interlining does wonders too, but that might be a little bulky for such a detailed project.
      Regardless, I didn’t use any extra interfacing or interlining. The seams and zipper give the pouch a little more structure, but I wouldn’t call it sturdy 🙂 So if you’re going for sturdy you could add those other things.

  6. I know this is an old pattern but I was wondering if you are considering making an embroidery file for the Maneki Neko face? These have long been not only a money cat for my family but he also brings good luck with him! I wanted to make these for my family for Christmas since the volcanoes this year took a toll on several of them and we all could use a little good luck! Love your books and patterns and your generous nature . Thank you.

Leave a Reply to Carrie Neahring Cancel reply

%d bloggers like this: