Cross Stitch Kit "Impudent muzzle"

“Impudent muzzle” shows a black-and-white cat in a red hat sprawled in a Christmas garland.

What the picture shows

The cat lies across the design with its paws stretched out; the coat is black with white patches and it wears a red hat with a white trim. A holly branch curves around it — dark green leaves, red berries and a thin ribbon whose ends hang down. The coffee-coloured canvas stays open and gives a warm muted ground on which the red does not shout. Eleven floss colours, with several berries worked in beads. The patches on the cat's coat echo the shape of the garland leaves — a deliberate device that holds the composition together.

What is in the kit

• Aida canvas, count 14, coffee
• Cotton floss, 11 colours, 13 m
• Tapestry needle
• Czech Preciosa seed beads No. 10 and a beading needle
• Embroidery hoop, 170 mm diameter, red
• Symbol chart
• Step-by-step instructions

Specifications

• Design size: 150×150 mm (5.91×5.91 in)
• Base: Aida canvas, count 14, coffee
• Floss colours: 11
• Floss length: 13 m
• Difficulty: simple
• Technique: counted cross stitch

A 150×150 mm miniature using 13 m of floss — a short piece you can finish in an evening or two before the holidays. Hang it in a kitchen or by the door; hoop, frame or moulding are chosen separately and are not in the kit. The ribbon is best left until last: it overlaps part of the foliage and sets the final rhythm of the design. The holly berries go on at the end: they need to lie over the green leaves.