Use your pet's photo to make a pattern - Step 2

Use your color print to make a black and white copy that you will use as a pattern to cut ears, snout and other fairly solid-colored areas of your pet's face. Make sure the color and B&W prints are identical size, not smaller or larger than each other. This will make thread painting easier later on as you will use the color copy as a map for your free-motion embroidery later.

Rocky the pug's pattern consists of just 3 colors: fawn fur, black ears, snout and eyes, and orange kerchief.

When cutting the pattern, don't be too concerned with decisions about whether an area falls into fawn versus black, for example, because your later thread painting will blend these areas using multiple thread colors. This process is surprisingly forgiving because a photo is the basis for the design.