Making a Cat Scarf: An Introduction to Embroidery

When I was in elementary school, I spent recess in the gym, in cross-stitch club (I bet you didn't expect that! Or maybe you did, I haven't changed much). I have since forgotten the nice woman's name who led our small but mighty club, but she would bring squares of fabric marked with colored x's that we would stitch over to create all sorts of wonderful animals, flowers, and pretty things. Along with those multicolor polygon tiles and blue scooter boards, this is among my favorite school memories. It makes sense then, that I would hear the siren song of needlework at different points of my life. Well, I'm finally listening, and I dove back in the best way I could imagine: a cat scarf.

I've sewn a couple of these scarves, and the fact that I can finish one in a day makes them a perfect candidate for easing back into embroidery. They are neither a huge time commitment nor a huge canvas, so it doesn't seem as "high-stakes" to the perfectionist in me. While I have some limited experience in needlework (mostly in childhood), I needed to brush up. I picked up The Geometry of Hand-Sewing by Natalie Chanin and I cannot recommend it enough. It is organized so well, with the multitude of stitches building upon each other, and there are some beautiful examples of complex combinations of stitch types that I hope to try out some day.

It is so wondrous to me how hand-embroidery can add such personality and depth to an otherwise basic thing. Needlework is so rhythmic, repetitive, and calming (so long as you don't accidentally prick a finger) and the perfect way to wind-down an evening. I plan to keep practicing and work embroidery into more of my projects, so keep an eye out!

Also, I must thank my model, miss Pikachu. She was not happy with me initially, but warmed up once she realized how adorable she was.