Cover Image: Cat Lady Embroidery

Cat Lady Embroidery

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Member Reviews

OMG this was so cute! I wish I actually knew how to embroider lol. If you already have the skills and a love for cats, this is a must-have for your library.

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While cats may not be my favourite animal, you can’t deny their current popularity. This book can really help capture your furry friends in a fun artistic way.
As someone who loves embroidery this was a great how to book.

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As a cat lady and embroidery enthusiast myself I did very much enjoy this book, but it would not sell at our stores. The local market for embroidery, let alone cat embroidery is too small. I loved the fact that there are a couple' of styles of embroidery, and I think that this is one of the better embroidery book in that way.

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Cat Lady Embroidery: 380 Ways to Stitch a Cat by Applemints was originally published in Japanese in 2016, this is its first publication in English. Fat, striped, cheshire, or grumpy, this books offers more than 300 embroidery stitch patterns for cat lovers. Each set of patterns offers a range of ideas in different styles, shapes, genres from simple to more complex. Original designs and clear instructions make this book a must have for any embroidery enthusiasts library.

Cat Lady Embroidery: 380 Ways to Stitch a Cat offers readers exactly what the title suggests. There are cat faces, cat butts, cats sleeping, cats in action, cats sharing their thoughts, cats in floral motifs, holiday cats, and more. The full size templates and stitch guides are precise, although there is room for customization. I think embroidery fans that also happen to love cats, or want to add cats to their skill set, will want to add this to their collection. The use of a grumpy cat look alike made me curious about copyright or trademark rights, and some text did not work as well after being translated. I am not sure that I would recommend this for beginners, but those with a basic grasp of embroidery terms and skills will be happy with the book.

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I love this book! There are so many different designs, from small little motifs, to larger images and even alphabets and borders. There are a number of designers featured and all of them have a different style of cat so there is definitely something for everyone. The instructions are also very easy to follow and would be easy to customise with different colours or thread types. This is the perfect book for cat lovers and the crafty person who is surrounded by cat lovers!

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Fun, pretty embroidery book for cat enthusiasts around the world. Easy to follow and well illustrated.

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I’ve always wanted to learn the art of embroidery. I loved the illustrations in this book. I also liked the templates of the awesome cats.
I learned some fundamental stitches, I’ve bought several other books but this one really made them seem easier.
I remember my grandmother embroidering on my jeans and denim jackets back in the 70’s and they were works of art. I’m so glad that it’s coming back in vogue. Yes, you can buy sewing machines to do it but thanks to artist like Sarah Benning and others hand embroidery is back!

Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this e-galley in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinions expressed above are my own.

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The first thing to say is that you don’t have to be a crazy cat lady to enjoy this! So long as you like moggies and enjoying being creative with needled and thread then you’ll find this book very inspiring.
The book takes you through the embroidery techniques you need to master each design, with tips on colour. The illustrations are clear and helpful and photos of finished items give you an accurate impression of what you can achieve.
There are loads and loads of lovely designs, serious and silly, simple and sophisticated. There really is something for everyone, and their mother! There are festive cats, alphabet cats, different breeds, and some really gorgeous designs for borders.
The book is cleverly and clearly laid out and is very easy to use. It’s a positive wealth of design and information. One for any embroiderer’s library.

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This is a fun and easy to use book full of patterns as well as hints and tips for newcomers to embroidery. You might be able to find a lot of patterns online these days, but certainly not this many cats in one place!

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I'm a cat lady and crafter. I have yet to see a book that had a variety of kittens and cats of different breeds to embroider. There are both realistic and whimsical designs that can be stitched by novices to more advanced embroiderers. The book also includes borders and alphabets that you can add to your work. There are instructions for the different embroidery stitches and techniques. This is the perfect book for anyone with a love of cats and stitchery and is perfect for a public library collection.

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When I started reading this book, I was a little doubtful that it would work for my age group. However, when I got towards the back and saw the detailed patterns and instructions, I felt like it was something kids could work with. They would need an adult to help, but I think the older ones who were interested would be able to use this book. Unfortunately, I don't see the budge stretching far enough to justify this book for kids. However, in an adult library this would be great. The introductory information is clear and gives enough detail that a beginner would feel like they could use the patterns in the book, but it wasn't so simple that you felt like the author assumed you were an idiot. The embroidered cats were all just adorable. I'm thinking of buying this one for myself.

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The variety of projects to embroider is phenomenal and I enjoyed the overall style. I am a little intimidated because I am a beginner at embroidery (normally I cross-stitch) but this is an encouraging book.

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This is a charming book of embroidery designs, ideal for beginner and more advanced stitcher alike. As there is such a wide range of patterns to choose from, there's sure to be something for everyone, ranging from simple outlined designs to fully-stitched fur effect, and lots inbetween. The first part has coloured photographs of all the designs, making it easy to choose. The you go on to find the line drawing which can be traced, then stitching instructions for each one. Then there are detailed tutorials for different types of stitch - it's really very comprehensive. Cat alphabets, realistic-looking cats, stylised cats, cats in cute outfits - you name it, it's here. Lovely to see 'proper' embroidery making a comeback, as it is so much more expressive and creative than cross-stitch.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.

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I cannot wait to start a project with these adorable cat patterns!! "Cat Lady Embroidery" is full of helpful instructions, beautiful inspiration, and well laid out patterns for both the male and female embroiderers in your life.

I highly recommend this book and will probably be buying myself a copy!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Cat Lady Embroidery by Applemints is a definitive choice for anyone interested in cats and embroidery. The tagline "380 Ways to Stitch a Cat" really says it all. This book has cats in all imaginable poses and surroundings for you to stitch and to have as inspiration for our own embroideries. There are some really great examples and I can imagine numerous uses for them. If you don't know where to stitch your cats, there's even a gallery showing some example pieces.

The book has all the info you need to carry out the projects from supplies to technique to patterns. I would warmly recommend this to any "cat lady" with a penchant to embroidery.

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I love all the patterns in this book but was not fond of the layout. Obviously the physical copy would make it easier too flip through than the digital galley, but I still think I would prefer to have the patterns next to the pictures instead of having to turn to the back of the book. I have never done embroidery like this so I did love the basic instructions and materials lists as well but felt like it might have been better at the beginning instead of after all the pictures of the patterns.

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This is a fun book, full of embroidery cats, of course! And it does make me want to get into embroidery, especially after showing the cats on actual objects like t-shirts and tote bags. It is also useful that it has a lot of embroidery techniques, however it still seems like book for intermediate or advanced, and not that suitable for beginners no matter how much they like cats.

I wish the explanations were in more detail, at least for one or two embroidery so you can get a start. But anyway, the cats were awesome!

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Kudos to the book designer for showing the embroidered cats and kittens first, rather than pages and pages of text, which is typical for most craft and needlework books. Cats of all breeds, sizes, and shapes are depicted in a wide variety of poses, situations, and styles. Instructions for a variety of embroidery stitches and techniques are concise but clear. There is no shortage of inspiration for cat-loving stitchers in this book!

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Cat Ladies grab your needles it's time to craft! The pawsum Cat Lady Embroidery book has 380 Ways to Stitch a Cat from fun furry faces to silly kitteh shenanigans. Each embroidery project is shown completed and gives you a pattern with stitch and thread guides so you can make them yourself. Don't worry if your new to embroidery. There is a guide in the book that will give you a list of materials, explain the basics and give you step-by-step- stitch lessons too. We haven't tried any yet, but none of the stitches appear to be very difficult.

So get crafty and get your paws on this book.

We were given a digital copy of this book to post our honest review as seen above.

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Everything you want in a how-to guide: adorable patterns and easy to follow instructions. I only had to get about 1/4 of the way in before realizing I would just need to buy myself a copy as soon as it came out - and finishing the book just cemented that certainty.

I received access to this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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