Publisher Description

Be the cat that got the cream with this feline collection of easy sewing patterns for the cutest cat designs, all made using simple hand-sewing techniques. Featuring the most popular and distinctive breeds – including long-haired, short-haired, hairless and even big cats – each pussycat pattern comes with step-by-step instructions and full-size templates, making them purrrfect for all abilities. The finished little kitties would make cute brooches, bag charms and home accessories, or can even be scaled up to make bigger plushes, all of which will make your cat-loving friends have kittens! AUTHOR: Alison J Reid is a teacher, textile designer, author and illustrator. Her work has been featured in a variety of magazines including Selvedge, Elle Decoration, Homes and Gardens and The World of Interiors. She is the author of Learn to Sew and Stitch Magic, published by Bloomsbury. She lives in Liverpool, UK. Little Cats: Abyssinian, Birman, British Longhair, British Shorthair, Bengal, Bombay, Burmilla, Burmese, Balinese, Chartreux, Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, Exotic Shorthair, Egyptian Mau, Havana, Korat,Khao, Manee, LaPerm, Lykoi, Maine Coon, Manx, Nebelung,Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Oriental Bicolour, Persian, Ragdoll, Ragamuffin, Russian Blue, Siberian, Somali, Selkirk Rex, Singapura, Sokoke, Sphynx, Siamese, Suffolk, Turkish Van, Turkish Vankedisi, Toyger, Tiffanie, Tonkinese Big Cats: Caracal, Eurasion Lynx, Jaguar, Leopard, Lion, Snow Leopard, Tiger

Author Biography

Alison J Reid is a teacher, textile designer, author and illustrator. She gained a degree in Fashion and Textiles from Liverpool Polytechnic during the 1980s. She went on to run her own company selling hand-dyed and hand-stitched braids and has sold to fashion houses such as Marc Jacobs (USA), Etro and Rubelli (Italy) and TakaShimaya (New York). Alison has had her work featured in a variety of magazines including Selvedge, Elle Decoration, Homes and Gardens and The World of Interiors.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION .............................. 4MATERIALS ........................................ 6TOOLS & TECHNIQUES ............... 8USING THE DESIGN GUIDES ... 10STITCH LIBRARY ........................... 12Small Cats.................................. 14Abyssinian ............................................. 16American Curl ....................................... 18Balinese ................................................. 20Bengal ................................................... 22Bombay ................................................. 24British Longhair ..................................... 26British Shorthair .................................... 28Burmese ................................................ 30Burmilla ................................................. 34Chartreux .............................................. 36Cornish Rex ............................................ 38Devon Rex ............................................. 40Egyptian Mau ........................................ 42Exotic Shorthair ..................................... 44Havana Brown ....................................... 46Japanese Bobtail .................................. 48Khao Manee .......................................... 52Korat ...................................................... 54LaPerm .................................................. 56Lykoi ...................................................... 58Maine Coon ........................................... 60Manx ...................................................... 62Munchkin ............................................... 64Nebelung ............................................... 66Norwegian Forest Cat ........................... 70Ocicat .................................................... 72Persian ................................................... 74Pixiebob ................................................ 76RagaMuffin ............................................ 78Ragdoll .................................................. 80Russian Blue .......................................... 82Selkirk Rex ............................................. 84Siamese ................................................. 88Siberian ................................................. 90Singapura .............................................. 92Sokoke ................................................... 94Sphynx ................................................... 96Tiffanie .................................................. 98Tonkinese ............................................ 100Toyger ................................................. 102Turkish Van .......................................... 104Big Cats .................................... 106Caracal ................................................ 108Cheetah ............................................... 110Eurasian Lynx ...................................... 112Leopard ............................................... 114Lion ...................................................... 116Panther ................................................ 118Puma ................................................... 120Snow Leopard ..................................... 122Tiger .................................................... 124ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............... 126THANKS ........................................... 126INDEX ............................................... 127

Introduction or Preface

When I told people that my next book would be Stitch 50 Cats, I got a few puzzled looks. "Cats? But they're all the same, aren't they?" My response was: "Well, no not really!"When you start to explore the many different breeds of cat, you realize just what a variety there is, and how different they are from each other. I spent days beavering away in my studio, researching all different kinds of cats, both the small cats and their bigger, wild relations. I checked out their colourings and markings, and spent so much timetrying to perfect their colourful, beautiful eyes. It became an obsession!It was only by researching the various details that make each breed so distinctive that I was able to capture each one's unique qualities and differences. Pattern, colour and shape are key, so capturing these details in felt was important. Luckily, there are many different colours of felt available, including those with fur-like mottled effects. Felt's non-fraying, double-sided, robust qualities make it easy to create all the little details that result in unique and instantly recognizable breeds. I also used small amounts of wool curls and wool roving for some of the cats to add texture for truly strokable results.I have loved putting this book together - just like our favourite pets, it has been a constant companion over the course of many months, raising my spirits when needed. This collection of felines means a lot to me, and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.

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