Hoop n Loop How to Embroider Your Pet Dog's Portrait

As we all know, pets are the best-loved members of the family; they are always there with a wagging tail, and, unless there's a sofa-scratching or shoe-chewing incident, we rarely have cause to argue with them. Such is people's love of their animals that accessories and clothing have become a booming business—think designer dog leads, personalized collars, rain coats and even dog food cookbooks—but with Hoop n Loop, there's a difference: pets become the stars of their owners' wardrobes and homes. In 2017, after years spent as a professional pattern cutter in the fashion industry, animal lover Carol Tai decided to put her two passions together—illustration and dogs—to create personalized t-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, cushions and tote bags featuring people's pet portraits. This book, with a brief introduction explaining how to get started, pull-out and downloadable templates and step-by-step projects showing you exactly how to recreate the 20 most popular breeds in thread form, is perfect for the dog lover and fashion addict alike, showing just how easy it is to create your own homage.

Based in East London, Hoop n Loop was founded by Carol Tai in 2017. After completing a fashion design degree in Manchester and spending time living in Glasgow, Tai moved to London to study fabrics and garment-making, and became a creative pattern cutter for high street brands. After fifteen years in the industry, Tai was looking for a way to bring her own love of animals into her work, so she set up Hoop n Loop to create embroidered pet portraits—inspired by her own dog, Koko.