If you’re a fan of dogs, cats, rodents, birds, horses or barnyard animals kept as pets, you might want to work some cross stitch patterns to represent your favorites. The Ultimate Cross Stitch Pet Collection by Claire Crompton features tons of variations for different breeds and colors of animal companions, as well as ideas for using them on practical items and gifts.
The book opens with tips on using different colors to make the projects your own, as well as how to combine charts and lettering to make your own sampler style designs. Several alphabets are included as well as a few sayings you might like to include in your projects.
For the dogs, there is a page worth of designs for each of the 22 most popular breeds, as well as individual designs for 18 more breeds and a few cross breeds and puppies, too, so you can stitch up a pooch that looks just like yours. Some of the designs are just the dog standing, sitting or lying down, or just the animals’ face, but others show more action such as playing with a ball, sitting in a bag or catching a frisbee.
You’ll also find puppies getting into mischief and sayings like “dogs leave paw prints on your heart” as well as a bone alphabet and smaller motifs that can be used in borders.
The cat section is similar, although with fewer breeds represented (and no solid black cat; a complaint only a black cat owner would note). Cat “action” shots include chasing butterflies and lying on a blanket. You’ll find a cat alphabet where the letters incorporate cat shapes and feline-focused sentiments like “all I know I learned from my cat.” You’ll also find borders with mischievous cats and an alphabet that’s spotted like cat fur.
In addition to cats and dogs there are sections on small furry animal like mice, rats, ferrets, guinea pigs and rabbits; scales and feathers, including birds, fish and reptiles; and a chapter with horses and farm animals like pigs, sheep and chickens.
Basic techniques are explained as well as how to add the charts to homemade gifts such as making a drawstring bag and adding a cross stitch motif to the front, making your own greeting cards to mount cross stitch pictures on and making signs and wall hangings, to name a few.
If you have ever wanted to immortalize your pets in cross stitch, this book will be a big help to finding the right colors and poses to bring your pets to life in stitching. These designs would also make great gifts for other pet lovers in your life.
About the book: 112 pages, paperback, more than 400 patterns. Published 2024 by David & Charles, suggested retail price $24.99.
