Life is a Stitch
Embroidery Kit
Ski Cats
Good for intermediate embroiderers, or beginners who are craft-inclined.
Ski Kitties ❄️
This embroidery kit includes:
Drawstring pouch, instructional pamphlet, fabric with design, 6-inch bamboo hoop, 6 different floss colors, needle, scissors (optional add-on)
Welcome to your ski cats embroidery kit! Here you’ll find basic instructions for getting set up, finishing the hoop, and color and stitching guidelines — plus links to video tutorials and alternate ideas for completing your project.
Getting started:
Separate the two hoops. Center the canvas design on top of the smaller hoop, then secure it taught with the larger hoop on top. Tighten the fastener at the top, pulling the canvas tight at the same time to create a smooth, even surface to work with.
Each piece of floss is composed of 6 individual strands. You can separate these out to create thinner and thicker lines when embroidering. For this pattern, try using 3-6 strands for satin stitch, and 1-4 for split stitch (directions for both inside).
Cut about an arm’s length of embroidery floss at a time and separate out your desired number of strands. Tie a double knot at the end of the floss to keep it in place in the back as you begin.
Types of Stitches in this Pattern:
Split Stitch
The split stitch is simple and versatile, used for making lines. One end of the stitch splits the thread of the stitch before it. More threads will result in thicker lines, and vice versa: try using 1-4 strands for this pattern.
Use this for the cloud outline, the cat outlines, the mountains – anything requiring a line!
1. Take the needle up through the back of the fabric at the starting point of the line.
2. Take the needle down to the right, making a single stitch.
3. Bring the needle up through the first stitch, splitting the fibers.
4. Take the needle down again, completing the stitch.
5. Continue on until the line is completed.
Satin Stitch
The satin stitch is a fill stitch covering small areas with smooth, close stitches that lay flat on the fabric. Use this to fill in spaces, like the clouds, lift chair, trees, hat, and goggles. More pieces of thread works well for this stitch: try 3-6 strands for this pattern.
1. Take the needle up through the back of the fabric at the starting point of the shape.
2. Take the needle straight across and opposite from where you brought it up, puncturing the fabric to make a straight line.
3. Pull the needle back up from the back where you just brought the needle up from, next to the previous stitch.
4. Continue on until the shape has been filled.
The bobbins of thread in your kit are numbered accordingly:
1 Black
2 Taupe
3 Dark Blue
4 Light Gray-Blue
5 Green
6 Orange
Finishing the hoop:
There are a number of ways to finish the back of the hoop once you’re done. One method is to thread a needle with more than enough thread to go all the way around the circle – whatever you have leftover.
Then, using large running stitches, working about ¼ inch from the fabric edge, and sew the excess cloth around the circle.
When you reach the beginning, pull both ends of thread to gather the fabric tightly and secure with a double knot.
Here’s a video for how to do this. Or if you have felt at home, consider giving this method a try!
And if you have hot glue at home, another method is to cut the excess fabric, leaving about a ¼ inch around the edge of the hoop (as can be seen earlier on this page). Then, hot glue the cut edges down along the inside hoop at the back.
Challenge yourself:
Here are some alternate ideas to make the project a bit more advanced:
Use french knots for the clouds and the pom on the hat! Here’s a video on how to make those (also pictured above).
Try filling in the cats with a satin stitch, and outline features with a black split stitch.
Use french knots and the light blue-gray color to create a snowfall effect in the negative space.
Instead of using a split stitch for the mountain shading, try single lines. Make sure the lines are straight and the fabric is taught!
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