DIY Embroidered Cat Mousepad

My husband has told me that in order to not be labeled as the crazy cat lady at work, I must limit cat items on my desk to no more than two. This is cat item number one and the second is this totally awesome cat-stronaut mug I bought on Society6. Though I really think that we crazy cat people don't care if people see us as such, so you may see more cat desk items on this blog anyway. :) Here's how you can make a cat mousepad (or a mousepad in any shape, really).

Supplies
- A piece of felt. Mine is stiff felt from the craft store. You want a piece about the size of a piece of paper
- A small piece of leather or other non-skid fabric
- Embroidery floss and needle
- Washout pen or other marker or pencil for tracing on felt
- Scissors
- Computer and printer



Instructions
Step 1: Print out this clipart at the size of a sheet of paper and cut it out.

Step 2: Trace around the cat shape onto your felt using a washout pen or some other marker that will show enough for you to cut around.

Step 3: Cut out the shape.

Step 4: Embroider! I was inspired by some chain stitching I saw on the bottom of a girl's dress for my stitching, but there are so many stitches you could use here.

Step 5: While embroidering, stitch on your non-skid material. I used a piece of leather that's about 1/2 inch by 5 inches and sewed it to the top of the cat face. You want to make sure that the area where you'll be using the mouse stays flat, so keep your non-skid material close to the edge or at the top. This is what the back of mine looks like:

And that's all! Simple, easy and cute!