Cat Valentine Embroidery

My Mom's birthday is close to Valentine's Day so this year I decided to make her an embroidery of our two cats Otus and Bubo.  My mom watched them for the first time over Christmas break and I think she took quite a liking to these orange boys.

As you can see below I started with a quick sketch.

I then re-drew my sketch onto the fabric and started filling in with stitches in alternating colors of orange to give the "tabby" effect.

I had this project in my head but it probably wouldn't have happened had my friend Amy not suggested we get together to work.  So last week she came over and we both cozied in and worked on our embroideries while we chatted for hours.  Amy is a masterful embroiderer and you can see her giant whale embroidery online here, but also in person at Fibergé.  (You can also see her quetzal and otter here).

Below you can see my inspiration. 

They may not hold tails in real life, but they get along fairly well.

"Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark,
but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery." -Wendell Berry