Stitched out quite a few test versions of this one because getting three tabby cats right took a while. Three kittens, all wearing Santa hats, sharing a single loop of Christmas lights between them. The centre cat is a ginger tabby sitting up straight with both front paws forward and a genuinely pleased expression. Flanking him on each side are two grey tabbies with darker stripes, both angled slightly inward so the whole trio feels like theyre posing together on purpose.
The light strand runs around all three necks like a shared garland, little alternating red and yellow bulbs dotting the cord. Each hat is that classic red with a white band and cream pom-pom. Honestly the fur texture carries the whole design, the stitching runs in directional fills that follow the actual lay of each cats coat, so you get that soft depth you usually only see in thread-painting portraits. Ive stitched a lot of animal portraits and the tabby stripe layering here is genuinely one of the better ones Ive put out.
At 17 colours this isnt a quick stitch but its worth every spool. Smallest size comes in at 3.96 by 5.5 inches, biggest runs 7.57 by 10.5 so youve got room to scale from a stocking panel to a full cushion front. Stitch count tops out around 118k on the largest, so use a medium to heavy cutaway stabiliser and hoop tight. A light topping on the first few rows helps the fine fur details read cleanly on fleece or flannel.
I got a message last christmas from a customer who stitched this on a flannel stocking for her three cats, she named each cat after one of the kittens and tagged the shop in her photos of all three stockings hung on the mantle. Thats the kind of thing that makes this job worth doing. Pair the design with a deep red or forest green background and the warm ginger really pops. Cream or oatmeal fabric works too if you want a softer vintage card look. Skip white fleece if you can, the grey cats can wash out against stark white at smaller sizes. Run a test stitch at your target size before committing to the final project fabric. Holler if the ginger tabby stripes are bleeding into the flanking tabbies at the smaller sizes and Ill sequence the colour stops to keep each cat clean.
What people are using this design for
A starting point. The design works for plenty more than just this list, this is what folks have stitched it onto most.
- Christmas stocking panel for cat-owner householdsRun the 5-in on the front panel of a fleece stocking and hang three matching ones for a cat-themed mantle display
- Holiday throw pillow front for a cat-themed living roomCentre the largest size on a cream cushion cover and use it as the main holiday throw pillow on a sofa with red and green accents
- Personalised pet-owner Christmas tote bagPop the 4-inch on a kraft canvas tote for a quick Christmas gift that a cat-owner will actually use through the season
- Festive wall hoop display in a nursery or kids roomFrame the 6-inch in a round wooden hoop and hang it as festive wall art in a kids room or pet-themed nursery
- Cat-lover gift blanket or fleece throwStitch the medium size onto a fleece blanket square and gift it as a lap throw to the cat lover in your family
- Christmas shirt or sweatshirt chest pieceUse the 4-inch on the left chest of a dark red sweatshirt for a holiday party outfit that gets people talking
- Holiday table runner accent squareAdd the smallest size as a repeating motif across a linen table runner with red ribbon border for a festive tablescape
- Advent calendar pocket panel with festive pets themeStitch one kitten per day-pocket on a fabric advent calendar so each pocket has its own little holiday character
Dimensions
11 sizes included. Stitch counts shown for the largest colorway.
| Size (in) | Stitches |
|---|---|
| 3.96 × 5.50 in | 54,112 |
| 4.33 × 6.00 in | 59,467 |
| 4.69 × 6.50 in | 65,079 |
| 5.05 × 7.00 in | 71,093 |
| 5.41 × 7.50 in | 77,468 |
| 5.77 × 8.00 in | 83,614 |
| 6.13 × 8.50 in | 90,434 |
| 6.49 × 8.99 in | 97,040 |
| 6.85 × 9.50 in | 103,659 |
| 7.21 × 9.99 in | 110,534 |
| 7.57 × 10.50 in | 117,973 |
Files & Formats
Eight machine formats included in one zip. Whichever your machine reads, its in the pack.
Plus a color chart for thread matching. See full format guide.
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About the artist
Reyazul Masud Riham, hand-drawing every design on this site
Every design on Re Embroidery is hand-digitized by one person. Each file gets sketched, color-matched, and stitch-tested on real fabric before it earns a place in the shop. No team. No auto-conversion from images. Just slow, deliberate work, sometimes three or four days per design.
That's the joy I work for.
The hard part is finding my designs re-uploaded and resold elsewhere. So when you buy from Re Embroidery, you're paying one real person for the file you're about to download. That matters.
