When a Portrait is Small, But the Love is Big
I always love when I'm asked to create a portrait that includes pets; and this one was especially sweet. Back in April 2023, I completed this little cross-stitch portrait of two beloved cats, Hans & Pablito. It was commissioned by a friend of mine as a gift for her parents, and while it’s small in size, it was full of details and love.
The Details
The finished piece fits snugly into a 4-inch embroidery hoop and was stitched on a beautiful heathered grey 14-count Aida fabric — one of my favourites I wish I had more of! The texture and subtle variation in the fabric gave the whole thing a warm and soft look that suited the cats so well. It also helped the cat on the left stand out, compared to if it had been stitched simply on white Aida.
Despite being petite, this project took a little longer than you'd think! There’s a lot of floss blending (also known as tweeding) involved — especially in the fur to help capture the individual markings and character of each cat. That kind of work is always a bit fiddly, but also incredibly satisfying once it all comes together. If you're curious about tweeding floss, I’ve written a little how-to here.
Kitty Toys!
One of my favourite parts of the design is the addition of the cats’ toys — a tiny blue mouse and a rainbow ribbon, both stitched in miniature between and above the cats.
The ribbon was quite the adventure! To achieve the colour transitions, I used a whipped backstitch in broken segments to reflect the changing hues of a real toy. It was a bit fiddly (my favourite word when stitching tiny things, apparently!), but I was delighted with how it turned out. The effect really works, don’t you think?
A Personal Touch
To finish the piece, I used my own free-to-download backstitch font, Nancy, to stitch the cats’ names and the year. It’s a font I often reach for when designing both portraits and patterns — clean, legible, and just a little bit playful.
A Closer Look at the Details
Even in such a tiny piece, there’s a lot of character packed into every stitch. Here are some close-ups so you can really see the texture, colour, and care that went into bringing Hans & Pablito to life.
Your Pets, Stitched with Love
This little portrait will always hold a special place in my heart — not only because it was for a dear friend, but because it challenged my stitching fingers in all the best ways.
If you’ve ever wanted a Stitch People-style portrait of your pets (or your whole family — cats, kids, chaos and all), get in touch with me here. I’d love to bring your story to life in thread.
