Blue Floral Cat Embroidery Kit, 8 in Hoop

About the design

The cat sits in profile, head raised, tail curled around its feet. Its head is stitched in smooth shaded blues, and the rest of its body is a pattern of peonies, small blossoms and leaves in navy, cobalt, sky blue and white, with touches of gold at the flower centers. Two orange butterflies and a few small blue ones flutter around it on plain white fabric. It is a striking piece with a calm, limited palette that suits a bedroom, a hallway or a cat lover's desk.

Stitches you will use

The fabric is covered edge to edge, so this is a project about filling rather than outlining. Long and short stitch builds the shaded areas, satin stitch makes the smooth, glossy shapes, and French knots and short straight stitches add texture where the design calls for it. Because every area is filled, small wobbles disappear into the surrounding stitches, which makes the finished piece forgiving.

Work the background areas first and the details that sit on top last. Two or three strands of floss cover the fabric quickly; switch to a single strand for eyes, edges and highlights.

The flowers inside the cat are a patchwork of small filled shapes, so you can work one flower at a time and see steady progress. The shading on the head is the most delicate part; take it slowly with a single strand.

What is in the kit

• Cotton fabric printed with the design, about 11 x 11 in (28 x 28 cm)
• Embroidery floss in every color, wound on a thread card
• An 8 in (20 cm) embroidery hoop

You will also need small sharp scissors and an embroidery needle.

How long it takes

About 15 to 25 hours. The background is left open, but the cat itself is fully stitched with many small flowers, so it is a project for several weeks of relaxed evenings.

Finishing and display

The printed lines are made to rinse out: once you finish, rinse the piece in clean water and let it dry flat, and any line that still peeks between stitches is gone. Then put it back in the hoop, trim the fabric to about an inch (2.5 cm) beyond the frame and gather it at the back, or frame it behind glass.

Delivery and returns

Delivery is $6.95, and free on orders from $49. The delivery estimate for your address shows on this page and at checkout. You can return the kit within 30 days of delivery; return shipping is yours unless it arrives faulty or wrong. See delivery and returns for the details, or compare the other embroidery kits.