Since the Catstooth pattern was so much fun to stitch (and a great learning challenge for straight lines and french knots) I thought I would post it here if anyone else wanted to give it a go.
How I recommend it work is trace the black and white line art onto your fabric, and use that for the main body of the design. All the other details – eyes and tail – are over the top. Use the color image for your reference and guide.
I recommend making this about 2″ (5cm) wide. That seemed to be a good size, any bigger and you can’t really do the body in one satin stitch, and too much smaller and the eyes may be weird.
As for stitches, use a satin stitch for the body of the cats, being sure to keep it as straight as possible (this is the challenge!). The eyes should be french knots, or if you hate them, consider using seed beads or even glue-on gems (this is what I’ll probably do next time unless I up my french knot game significantly). I stitched the tail with a chain stitch, but anything like that will do.
Random tangent – I didn’t even think to put a tail on the cats when I first made this design, I just did it randomly on the one I was stitching. I realized after the fact that I could make the tails into little hearts, and rue’d that I didn’t think of it sooner. Alas, next time!
I may even try this with variegated thread, to see if I can make a kind of tabby or tortie pattern. Maybe an orange tabby and brown tabby. Hmm…
I don’t see cats so much as I see sassy Batman. Either way, I love it. 😉
Oh great, now I want to illustrate a sassy Batman!