Out of stock for now

The Owl and the Pussycat Embroidery Kit

(6 customer reviews)

£285.00

More kits are coming soon.  All our kits are created by hand, with love, by our small family team and require many hours to make, due to the number of components. We therefore tend to make in batches according to requirement, which is why they are often ‘out of stock’. Please let us know you are keen to purchase a kit by filling in the box below. You will then be emailed as soon as stock is ready and we aim that the batch of kits produced will fulfil current demand.  However, if you require a kit urgently, e.g. for a birthday or similar, please do feel free to email us via the contact form, and we will do our best  to help.

But please note that being on the Notification List does not automatically guarantee you a kit.  It will still be first come, first served – so don’t delay in making your order.

Inspired by Edward Lear’s much-loved poem, this version of the Owl and the Pussycat has more than one hundred components, from a mica honey-pot to a hand-made guitar, complete with strings.

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Description

I have always loved Edward Lear’s poem of the Owl and the Pussycat going to sea in their beautiful pea-green boat; it conjures up fabulous scenes and characters, and has the soothing rhythm of a bedtime story.

In this design, the Owl sings to his small guitar while the Pussycat closes her eyes as they drift through the Bong-trees by the light of the moon.  Their money is safely wrapped up in their £5 note, and their jar of honey is stored in the bow of the boat in the form of a pea pod, with petit pois buoys.

The border, of Bong-trees and fruits, was inspired jointly by a vintage London Underground poster depicting paddle boats drifting under the silhouetted boughs of willows at dusk, and by the amazing tree ferns and other plants of New Zealand, which I saw on a teaching trip there.

I love the idea of embroidery being used to embellish usable items, rather than just being placed in a frame, and taking my lead from Elizabethan embroidered book covers, decided to create my Owl and the Pussycat as the design for the front cover of a book.  The piece therefore includes a border of ‘bookcloth’, a traditional material for covering books, which gives both crispness and a vintage feel.

On a ground of duchess satin, the background is created using layered silk organzas and stretched metallic mesh ribbons, embellished with delicate stitches and featuring a twinkling mica moon.  This design includes over 100 materials, many made and sourced specially for this project.  The cat and owl are worked using delicate needlelace and silk shading, with specially-made spangles for the owl’s eyes.  The sails and boats are made as detached slips using silk shading and digitally printed organza with wired edges.  Also included are a tiny mica-covered honey pot, a miniature five pound note and a tiny hand-made (by me and my father) guitar, complete with strings.

Once the embroidery is completed, you may wish to purchase a hand-bound book created by the skilled bookbinders of York Bookbinding in the UK. These are bound in matching bookcloth, with gold leaf edges, decorative end papers, and “The Owl and the Pussycat, by Edward Lear” in foiled lettering on the spine.  The poem is shown on a card to be mounted inside the front cover. The book includes an acid-free board on to which your embroidery can be mounted as the front cover. Alternatively, you may order a picture frame to fit the design, or display the design in your own way.

Additional information

Weight 650 g
Dimensions 31.5 × 22.5 × 3.5 cm
Owl & Pussycat Kit

Kit FOR DELIVERY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, dispatch by END OF NOVEMBER at the latest, Pre-order kit FOR DELIVERY BY END OF FEBRUARY 2020 at the latest

Kit Contents - The Owl & the Pussycat

  • 100% silk duchess satin base fabric with design pre-printed
  • Bookcloth panel with design pre-printed
  • 100% silk organza with design pre-printed
  • Pre-printed felt padding
  • Non-tarnish metallic tambour, made in the UK
  • Silver-plated and gilt pearl purl, made in the UK
  • Fine 100% silk-covered gimps, made for Jenny in the UK
  • Silk-wrapped purls, made for Jenny in the UK
  • Smooth coloured metallic purls
  • Japanese superfine metallic couching threads
  • Au Ver à Soie 100% silk threads and silk chenille
  • Fine silk flosses
  • Stranded cottons
  • Invisible thread
  • Polyester sewing threads
  • Space-dyed cotton perle, hand-dyed in the UK
  • Metallic mesh ribbon
  • Rayon gimp, made for Jenny in the UK
  • Glass seed beads
  • 2mm Silver-plated spangles
  • Multi-textured and coloured sequins
  • Silver sequins
  • Hand-made doughnut spangles, made by Jenny’s father
  • Mica
  • Pelmet Vilene
  • Sticky-backed plastic
  • Paper patterns
  • Pre-printed £5 note, lettering label and sails
  • Paper-covered wires
  • Pre-made miniature boat rope, made by Jenny’s mother
  • Pre-made miniature guitar, made by Jenny
  • Pre-printed kid leather
  • Cotton wool padding
  • Pot of conservation quality adhesive
  • Mini beeswax
  • All needles required
  • Detailed fully-illustrated instruction manual

Extra Kit Information

Each kit is designed with your stitching joy in mind and is lovingly created for you over many hours by our tiny family team in  the UK.

Every material you could need to complete the design, however small, is included in carefully labelled packets. Some kits include over 100 components!

We use only the very best quality materials, and many are made for us by specialist craftspeople sourced by Jenny throughout her career, and hailing from around the globe. Jenny’s skilled family members are often commandeered to make various bespoke components which could never be found otherwise.

Once you purchase a design, we want to you to enjoy and finish the project and therefore are always on hand to answer queries, however small or daft you feel they may be.

The highly comprehensive instruction manuals are written and hand-illustrated by Jenny, rather than using generic stitch diagrams. These are full of the tips and tricks required to express stitches and designs at their very best.

All design shapes are pre-printed on to the various materials included in your kit, to ensure that you have accurate design shapes to work from and can progress straight on to the embroidery without having to transfer the design yourself.

We also aim to provide various items for display or construction of the finished embroidery, allowing you the satisfaction of framing the piece yourself or turning it into a more unusual item such as a bag or book.

I hope that this special design will provide you with a VIP ticket to ‘Jennyland’, an all-consuming experience which will transport you a world of stitching pleasure and imagination. Enjoy!

KIT FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT DOES MY KIT INCLUDE?
Your kit includes all the fabric, threads and needles required to complete the design, together with a highly comprehensive illustrated instruction manual, written and drawn by Jenny. All threads are carefully packaged and labelled to denote where they are to be used in the design. We suggest you have a look through all the components to familiarise yourself with the complete kit before starting work. Where relevant, kits also include the materials required to construct the completed embroidery.

WILL I NEED ANYTHING ELSE TO ENABLE ME TO COMPLETE MY KIT?
Yes, but only basic embroidery equipment. A list of the items required can be found in the front of your instruction manual. All items can be purchased from our website. If you have any queries about equipment, please feel free to contact us for advice.

HOW MUCH EXPERIENCE DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE KIT?
Most of our kits are designed for embroiderers with some experience, but the instruction manuals are extremely comprehensive and will teach you all you need to know.
If you have any difficulties, or need advice on the difficulty level of a certain kit, you are welcome to contact us.

I FIND TRANSFERRING DESIGNS ON TO FABRIC DIFFICULT
Don’t worry, the designs are all pre-printed for you!

CAN I POST IMAGES OF MY KIT/WORK ON MY BLOG/SOCIAL MEDIA/WEBSITE?
We will be delighted if you wish to show images of this project on your blog/social media/website, as this often inspires others to have a go! However, as a courtesy, please do let me know if you plan to do this, and be aware that blogging of techniques, step-by-step or close-up images, either of the project in progress, the instructions, and the kit contents, is an infringement of copyright. Please always credit the design source and always include Jenny’s website and contact details so that those reading your blog can get in touch. Please highlight any infringements of this copyright which you observe from others.

I AM STRUGGLING WITH A SECTION OF THE DESIGN
One of the most important aspects of buying a kit from us is that you have direct contact to Jenny by email and she will be happy to assist you and provide advice. We cannot always answer within the hour but we will get back to you as soon as possible. If you are really struggling and need more help, we can arrange a lesson for you or to complete the section for you.

I AM MISSING A COMPONENT IN MY KIT OR HAVE RUN OUT OF A THREAD
We do our absolute best to ensure these situations don’t occur, but your kit is made by humans rather than machines and we do occasionally have a senior moment! Please feel free to let us know and we will be happy to supply more.

I AM NOT HAPPY WITH MY WORK AND WOULD LIKE TO RE-WORK
We totally understand this – most embroiderers incline to perfectionism! While we sadly can’t provide more materials for free, please just let us know what you require and we will be very happy to supply more.

MY DOG/HUSBAND/HOOVER/SOFA/CAT/GOLDFISH ATE MY THREAD!
It happens! Not a problem. Just let us know what you need
and whilst we can’t send these for free, we are more than
happy to supply more.

MY THREAD IS DIFFERENT TO THAT IN THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DESIGN
Thread colours may vary somewhat due to dyeing processes and can appear different in reality due to photographic distortion. Due to limitations posed by suppliers, we also reserve the right to substitute project materials with suitable alternatives to those illustrated if absolutely necessary.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT NEW DESIGNS?
Please go to Jenny’s website where you can join the mailing list to find out about all new releases. We promise only to send you relevant embroidery-related news and not to pass your details to third parties.

CAN I SUBMIT MY WORK TO A CRAFT SHOW OR COMPETITION?
We are delighted if you have enjoyed working the project and would like to submit your piece to a craft/country show competition etc. Please do let Jenny know if you are doing this as she would love to hear how you get on. Please always credit the design source and always include Jenny’s website and contact details so that people viewing the piece can get in touch.

CAN I TEACH THE DESIGN TO OTHERS?
If you have enjoyed working the project yourself and would like to share this with friends or wish to work the design with your students, you are welcome to contact Jenny for more kits. The kit and accompanying instructions must otherwise not be copied, reproduced or taught in any form without prior permission. This will otherwise infringe copyright. Multiple kit orders are welcome and can be supplied on a wholesale basis by arrangement. Please contact Jenny for more details.

I WOULD LIKE HELP WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OR DISPLAY OF MY FINISHED WORK
Excellent news. We hope you have enjoyed the journey and are delighted with the finished result! If you would like help with mounting or finishing the design, please feel free to get in touch. If you would like to order a frame, box or similar for displaying the finished piece, please visit the webshop.

Extra Requirements

To complete this kit, you will require the following equipment which can be purchased in the webshop by following the links below:

PLEASE NOTE that those items marked * are ESSENTIAL, whereas the other items are beneficial but NOT essential:

6 reviews for The Owl and the Pussycat Embroidery Kit

  1. Karen Appel (verified owner) –

    Just finished! What an adventure to go on with the owl and the pussy cat! Beautiful and I’d highly recommend this project. It sits beside Lakeland Odyssey. Both mounted onto Jenny’s books. True treasures and future family heirlooms!

    • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

      Delighted to hear how much you have enjoyed working these designs Karen! I hope your family will enjoy these treasures for generations to come xx

  2. Nicola Cordingley –

    WOW !
    I ordered this kit a while ago as my birthday present so had to wait a good couple of months before seeing it. What a gift to open, beautifully presented with loads of little packets all perfectly identified as to what they are. The instructions are superb, I’ve had a little read through and they are easily understandable with lots of pictures to assist. This is going to be a wonderful project to immerse myself in and I know will be thoroughly enjoyable to do.

    • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

      Hello Nicola
      I am so very happy to hear how pleased you are with your kit and thank you so much for taking the time to send such lovely feedback. I very much hope you will enjoy immersing yourself in the Owl and the Pussycat! xxx

  3. Taetia McEwen –

    I have just received my Owl & the Pussy-cat kit and l am simply blown away at the detail and finesse of every tiny piece of this kit. So obviously put together with love and care and utmost attention to detail.
    Truly a work of art, I look forward to working on the charming and delightful whimsy.
    Yours
    Taetia McEwen

    • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

      Hello Taetia, Thank you so much for taking the time to write such lovely feedback. I am delighted that you appreciate all the time that has gone into constructing this special kit and hope it will bring you many hours of joy in the making! Jenny xx

  4. Deborah Conklin –

    Received my Owl and Pussycat kit in record time -all the way from the UK to California in about a week.
    I’m so glad I decided to treat myself to this kit. The materials are topnotch and everything is in wonderfully labelled in little bags so you can follow along with the instructions part by part. The instructions are thorough and are so good I believe an overly confident beginner/intermediate stitcher would be able to work their way through with patience and care. A special shoutout to Jenny’s Mum who packaged the kit herself. She did a brilliant job and I’m sure it took quite a while as there are loads of threads and little parts and pieces! –and a thank you to Jenny who made her masterpiece available to all of us. (And it truly is a masterpiece!)

    • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

      Hello Deborah
      Thank you so very much for taking the time to write such lovely feedback. It makes all the hard work so worthwhile to hear this. I very much hope you enjoy working the design and your Owl and Pussycat will be sailing off in their boat before too long! xx

  5. Caroline Dresden –

    I endorse everything Penny said above. This is, as usual, a fantastic quality kit with beautiful contents and clear instructions. Jennyland is wonderful, calming place to visit. I love how all the different components for the individual areas are separately bagged. You really cant go wrong. Even where the technique was new to me, the finished article looks lovely as Jenny’s explanation is so clear. I hugely enjoyed the whole experience. The cat’s head was fiddly – and I actually re-did it, as it wasn’t quite good enough first time. There was enough thread to do so and version 2 worked beautifully, so it was worth the effort. Thank you, Jenny!

    • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

      Hello Caroline
      Thank you so much for taking the time to write such lovely feedback! I am so very pleased to know that you have enjoyed creating the design! xx

  6. Penny Widdison –

    I started this beautiful kit at an Embroiderers’ Guild course, taught by Jenny in Durham 2019. The contents of the kit were meticulously labelled so I could find exactly which bags were used for which part of the design. The instruction book was as meticulously presented as the kit. The order of work is very well thought out, to make good progress with each of the different elements of the design. An excellent mix of text instructions with drawings and full colour photographs. Although the scale of some of the stitching techniques were quite difficult e.g. the needle-lace petit-pois & the pussy cat head, they enabled a real sense of achievement when I completed them. The quality of the threads and fabric were stunning, such a joy to work with high quality materials, and some that I had not used before. There was more than enough of each thread type to complete the design. I absolutely loved stitching this design and my whole family are stunned by the finished work. Thank so much Jenny for producing yet another exquisite design & kit to stitch.

    • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

      Thank you for such lovely feedback and taking the time to write!

      • Jenny-Adin-Christie –

        Thank you soooo much Penny! xx

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