Home Decorating Ideas An Ohio Artist's Embroidered Pet Portraits Are So Realistic, They Look Like Photos Lifelike embroidery from artist Michelle Staub has a leg up on standard pet portraits. By Cynthia Earhart Cynthia Earhart Cynthia Earhart is an Ohio-based freelance writer who has been sharing her travel adventures and foodie finds with Midwest Living readers since 2010. In the intervals between road-tripping and travel planning, she enjoys watching classic movies from the 30s and 40s (while swooning over the clothes), perfecting her cocktail crafting skills and hanging out with her wildlife pals in her woodsy backyard. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Published on October 8, 2021 Photo: Courtesy of Michelle Staub The piercing green eyes of a tabby cat peer out from a frame. The image almost seems like a photograph until you look closer and see the thread. This über-realistic embroidery is the work of Michelle Staub, who one day progressed from photographing and painting her cat, Purrl, to stitching the kitty's visage on fabric. "I fell in love with the medium," Staub says. She launched Stitching Sabbatical in 2014. PHOTO: Courtesy of Michelle Staub PHOTO: Courtesy of Michelle Staub PHOTO: Courtesy of Michelle Staub Her intricate creations soon drew an avid social media following; high demand and a lengthy wait list for her "thread painting" portraits followed. But it's her uncanny ability to showcase each pet's character that makes her work stand out. Her full-color pet portraits utilize dozens of colors and take up to 70 hours to make, with a price tag to match (from $950). She also stitches black-and-white outline portraits (from $85). "I can embroider ten black cats, and each portrait will be wildly different from the next one," she says. And while dogs and cats are her top commissions, Staub is open to all species—she has an embroidered cow to prove it. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit