The Exemplary 2023:
Honorable Mention, Non-Professional Non-Original Without Instruction

Over the years, I have had the pleasure to share my life with several gray and white cats. This painted canvas was especially fun to stitch. The kitten is stitched with Appleton Wool in random long and short stitch. The ears and nose are Very Velvet, the eyes Kreinik braid. I wanted the eyes to be a focal point.

The purse top was challenging. I tried many different threads using different stitches. I tried rouching threads and I tried purchased trims. They all were too distracting and drew away too much attention from the kitten. I found using silk ribbon the best choice. I lightly twisted the ribbon or pierced the ribbon with my needle. I wanted the purse to have dimension without it becoming the focal point.

The buckle is Kreinik braid. The bottom of the purse was stitched with an overdyed purple, the same color purple Kreinik braid, and an open stitch to add depth.