Della's Hand-Stitched Cat Apron
Della's Hand-Stitched Cat Apron
Solid untreated cedar — naturally weather-resistant, no varnish, no chemicals
Copper roof — keeps the rain out and ages into a beautiful patina
Mixed tunnel sizes — welcomes mason bees, mining bees and many other wild species
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Della's Hand-Stitched Cat Apron
Hand-Stitched in the Arkansas Ozarks
Della Holloway, 71 — thirty years a cat-rescuer, now stitching the last of her aprons before her hands give out.
“I took in 614 cats over thirty years. I couldn’t do the barn anymore — but I wasn’t about to quit them. So I put the ones with the biggest stories onto aprons, where a cat belongs.”
What you get
Why it’s unlike any other cat apron
The From-Life Cats
Every cat is a real animal Della rescued and named in her book — not a stock cartoon printed ten thousand times.
The Final Ten
From 614 cats she chose the ten with the biggest stories: Tuck, Rooster, Biscuit, Domino, Shadow and more.
The Gathered-Kitchen Panel
All ten crowd together across the bib — the way they used to crowd the feed bowls at dusk. A scene, not a repeat-pattern.
The Green-Thread Tell
Tuck is stitched in green — “the color of the woodpile he came out from under.” Proof there was a real cat behind it.
The Whole-Cloth Make
Cut from the bolt, sewn on her mother’s 1952 Singer, ties turned by hand, ten cats stitched one at a time. A day’s work each.
The Last 91
Only ninety-one were finished before the arthritis stopped her hands. There will be no reprint, and no more.
“You can tell a hand-built apron in three seconds: the ties are turned, not bar-tacked, and the figure work has small irregularities a machine print never has. What sets Della’s apart is that the cats are drawn from life — you are looking at real animals, recorded by the only person who knew them. In American folk textile, that is rare and quietly valuable.”
Made for
The quality, in five lines
Cook in it, wash it, live with it for a month. If it isn’t right, send it back for a full refund. Della would rather an apron find the right kitchen than sit in the wrong one.
A note on handmade: Each apron is cut and stitched by hand, so no two are exactly alike — small variations are the mark of the maker, not a flaw. The fit runs compact and practical by design (see measurements below). Machine wash cold, hang to dry; the linen only gets softer.
The details
| Material | Natural linen-weave (breathable natural-fiber blend) |
| Design | Single-sided front panel, ten hand-worked cats |
| Set includes | 1 bib apron + the cats’ name card |
| Dimensions | Approx. 26.8 × 21.7 in (68 × 55 cm) — compact adult cut |
| Color | Natural beige with full-color cat panel |
| Ties | Adjustable neck loop + wrap-around waist ties |
| Care | Machine wash cold, gentle; hang to dry; warm iron if needed |
| Made | Hand-stitched in Mountain View, Arkansas |
| Found kitchens | 6,000+ of Della’s cat aprons to date |
