I’ll admit I found the book title Crafting with Cat Hair very interesting and unique. Most people notice that some..or a lot of hair are shed from their cat. The thought of making crafts from cat hair may seem a little “out of the (cat) box” but if you love cats and love crafts, it is a great way to use cat hair that otherwise will wind up on the couch cushions!
Cat hair is basically sewn together to make felt, and from this, you can make a variety of fun crafts. Tsutaya provides some classic and also unique crafts ideas. If you enjoy using the cat hair felt, other craft ideas may come to mind. This book is welcoming to beginners new to the idea of making felt out of cat hair but will also appeal to crafters who love sewing and needlework projects.
One thing cat owners and cat lovers will certainly appreciate is that while this is a crafts book – it truly places your cat’s health and comfort at the top of the list. Readers are cautioned not to overbrush their cats for the sake of fun cat hair crafts. They are also encouraged to only brush cats using a gentle touch. I’ve never seen a craft book quite like this and was a bit concerned about how one would go about collecting enough cat hair to do crafts. Tsutaya’s tone is conservative, always keeping your cat’s well-being front and center. Cat crafters also don’t have to worry about it taking forever to collect enough cat hair to do these crafts. For the finger puppet craft, she lets us know that approximately 2 days’ worth of cat hair was ideal to make this craft.
If you are a crafter, it certainly can be frustrating to open up a crafts book and discover that the instructions don’t provide all of the information for someone new to this type of craft. With Crafting With Cat Hair, you are given clear, step-by-step directions including many photographs. Admittedly with lots of photos, in the layout, some are smaller than others. But it is great to see a crafts book offer clear instructions so you can feel comfortable getting started right away. This is especially helpful if you have never used the felting technique or made some of the crafts listed in the book.
Probably my favorite project in the book is how to make a small portrait of your cat using its cat hair. How fun to create a craft that will always remind you of your cat – especially if you are using their cat hair! Other projects include a finger puppet, book covers, tote bags, coin purses, and mittens and gloves.
If you are looking at the cat hair that so easily attaches itself to your sweater, couch, and just about anything else…this could be a fun activity to try. This book will appeal to cat lovers and crafters alike. Don’t worry about being new to crafts, Tsutaya will soon have you creating fun cat hair crafts!
Crafting With Cat Hair by Kaori Tsutaya Translated from the Japanese by Amy Hirschman Quirk Books ISBN # 978-1-59474-525-6 Source of review copy: publisher
