Book excerpt: A cat in a tutu is worth a thousand words! Using the most common embroidery stitches, Cat Mania Embroidery places your feline friends in wacky situations of the kind they'd probably get themselves into, given half the chance. Wide-eyed "Who—me?" cats; dancing, frolicking cats; cats in the air and in the water(!); and cats full of attitude who'll try just about anything once. Whatever the setting or situation, they have never been more adorable! With this book you can make nearly 70 quirky cat motifs, and almost 30 different projects, including: Decorative items featuring adventurous cats in bottles, teapots and other tight spaces A wind chime of under-the-sea cats—even a mermaid cat (oops—a mercat?) A rather surprised airborne cat on a little pouch Cats making themselves useful for once, as bookmarks Cats in the bathtub, flying to the moon, dancing the hula, and up to all kinds of lighthearted antics Illustrated step-by-step instructions teach the basics and offer a refresher in the stitches you'll use. Lessons on making appliques and patches, covered panels, fringes, and finished hoops are also included. This book is suitable for both novice and experienced embroiderers, and their cat-loving friends will be thrilled to receive an embroidered gift sporting a curious cat that looks just like theirs!