Sewing Basket with Cat Rochard Limoges Box

A cat has claimed the sewing basket, as cats always do, settling right in among the spools and notions. Rochard made this scene as a hand-painted porcelain Limoges box in Limoges, France.

Purring in the Pincushions

Anyone who sews with a cat in the house knows the routine: set down a basket of thread and within minutes there is a cat inside it. This piece captures that small household truth with humor and affection. The painters pick out the basket weave and the cat by hand, giving each box its own small differences in tone.

Sewing Room Supervisor

It makes a warm thank-you for a quilter, a seamstress who hemmed a wedding dress, or a grandmother who sews with a cat at her feet. Craft guilds and sewing circles might choose it for a raffle or a retirement. Set it on a shelf above the sewing table, beside a thread rack, or on a windowsill where the real cat likes to watch the birds.

Thread and Whiskers Pairings

• A Rochard piece, hand-painted in Limoges, France
• Pairs with the sewing machine, thimble and yarn ball subjects
• Suits a cat, sewing or craft room grouping