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One week to Hand Embroider Each Pillow!

Inspiration Behind the Collection

Once upon a time C(armel)  A(nd) T(errell) — the ‘cat’ of catstudio – fell in love and discovered that they shared anthropological backgrounds and a thirst for travel. They also had a joy & deep appreciation for art, design and craftsmanship. Thus, they decided to put their interests together and design a timeless ode to geography & craftsmanship — the catstudio Geography Pillow. 

To begin to realize a collection, they had to climb 5 big steps:

1) Research — using maps, the internet, and conversations with many locals, they logged in 1,000’s of hours.

2) Design — drawing and drawing, 1,000’s more hours. Hopefully you’ll notice their obsessive attention to details! They believed every aspect was important. They sent drafts to savvy locals — the toughest critics, to help invoke an “insider” feeling of each place. Then re-draw & re-draw!

3) Color — more research hours spent to get the balance of colors pitch perfect….not an easy task! In some cases up to 30 colors adorn each pillow!

4) Artisanship — to get   samples made, Terrell & Carmel went off in search of those craftsmen they so admired. Through serendipity, a trip to Hong Kong and Bali, they came upon a textile queen who introduced them to one of the world’s treasures: Indian hand embroiderers. (They presently employ over 1,000 artisans.)

5) Production — they and the textile queen knew this was going to be a challenging project: the extensive training time, the use of up to 30 thread colors per design, the realization that it took a week to embroider one pillow, and then, getting each word & icon correct! 

Finally, in the year 2000, after all these hours (did we say 1,000’s? Ha!) of joyful work — trumpets sound — the unique inimitable catstudio hand embroidered pillow collection became a reality!!! Each pillow is unique in that every artisan’s work has its own “signature” and is one of a kind - like a snowflake. 

catstudio is constantly adding more designs and re-designing our current ones. Many are in their 3rd edition, which doesn’t even count the endless revisions and tweaks that take place in the life of a design! The many joyous hours have paid off in producing these exquisite pillows as they’ve turned up in movies, magazines, graced beautiful homes (even the White House), are owned by Senators, Governors, Celebrities, and Terrell’s cousin in the hollows of Kentucky.

Each one, signed by the artisan (care label), will surely stand the test of time and become a future heirloom.

That’s the story, and it’s only the beginning…

Shop the Collection

Love for the geography collection

"The happy couple got engaged on Nantucket. We ordered 4 of your glasses for an engagement gift. Obviously they loved them, and they will always be a happy reminder! Thank you!"

Renee

"I have loved your products for over 10 years! I give them as gifts all the time and buy them for myself, too. The towels make the BEST and EASIEST hostess gifts—especially if we’re traveling and staying with friends. They’re also fabulous and easy to mail as housewarming gifts for people who’ve moved to a new city or state. Love your products! Thanks for keeping the good stuff coming!"

Terry

"Last month, my husband and I had planned to fly to Paris to celebrate our 50h wedding anniversary. Because our trip had to be canceled due to COVID-19, I purchased catstudio dish towels depicting a few of our favorite places. It cheers us up to see them in the kitchen."

Sandra

"Oh my goodness... these pillows took my breath away! A lovely tribute to our new "hometown" and all the wonderful new adventures we will enjoy together. catstudio, you truly are remarkable and it is my pleasure to include your heart-felt gifts on our first Christmas in our new home."

S