Monday, December 11, 2017

Yet another cat quilt finish




Huh. I could have sworn I blogged about this quilt when it was just a flimsy, but I guess I never did. Well, here it is all finished, ta da! The (free!) pattern is "Pins and Paws" from the Missouri Star Quilt Co., a simple block of kitty silhouettes. I'm calling it Pins and Paws and Plenty of Purple.


The border fabric set the color scheme of blues, greens, yellows and purples. 


I quilted it with a feather and swirl motif, using 40 wt yellow thread. Many of the feathers are quite wonky, and of course the wonkiest ones ended up on the dark, contrasting fabrics. Oh well, it was good practice.


The later feathers were smoother as I found a rhythm that worked for my hands. I've been really frustrated by feathers until I gave myself permission to let the lobes be separated and not touching each other. Those "bump back" feathers just don't flow for me!


The backing is yet another piece of the yellow plaid, which hides the yellow thread but lets the texture show. This will be a donation quilt for Project Linus.

 

Angel says feathers are for the birds. She sitting between my two Christmas pillows, and on top of a small Christmas lap quilt that you can't see.



And speaking of Christmas, I pieced this tree skirt flimsy from largish-sized holiday-themed scraps. The (free!) pattern is "Fruitcake Under My Tree" from the Moda Bakeshop. The kind of tree that needs a skirt won't work on our boat, so this will be gift. For someone. But probably not this year. All the smaller scraps from this and other Christmas sewing started whispering my name, so I dropped everything else and have been piecing up a different (free!) pattern using those. More on that later.

18 comments:

  1. If you are not careful those kitties will jump right off your quilt to join your's! Feathers don't have to touch, just enjoy making them-and they will all blend in so don't stress out;) Great looking tree skirt too.

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  2. That cat fabric is perfect with your kitties on the quilt.

    Love the Christmas fabrics too.

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  3. Besides Angel the cat and feathers and birds I smell a squirrel here again. I love your cat quilt and may just have found another block to incorporate in a currently percolating project for a cat lady dear friend who retired in September. That tree skirt is so merry!

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  4. Angel is a gorgeous kitty and she's right, feathers are for the birds, although your feathers are looking quite nice. I like the tree skirt too. If we ever do get a tree this season, I'll pull out my tree skirt too. Hmm. I wonder where I put it . . .

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  5. Free patterns are the best, and Angel sure is pretty. It's so funny how feathers work - different types flow better for some folks, and others just won't play nice. I cannot, for the life of me, make good separated feathers. I really wish I could, as I love their look.

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  6. What great finished projects. I love the colorful quilts you make. Looks like your "Quality Control Inspector (Angel)approves. :) Pretty tree skirt & you will be ahead of schedule with it for next year.

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  7. Love the kitty quilt and had a laugh how wobblies happen on contrast where they show... that always happens to me... the Christmas tree skirt is very pretty too and now you have teased us about what is to come!!!
    Hugz

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  8. You need to meet my friend, Sunny! Many of her quilts feature cats!

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  9. Cute cute! Those look like Mardi Gras colors.

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  10. Lovely cat quilt, it will make some child very happy.

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  11. I love your 'Pins and Paws and plenty of Purple' quilt. I've looked at that pattern and if I wasn't in the middle of several projects now I'd start two for my grand daughters tomorrow.
    So cute.

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  12. Hi Louise ! You're doing a spectacular job on these projects! Your quilting on the kitty cats looks fabulous, and the tree skirt is also so pretty. We used to own a cat who looked exactly like Angel, so we know how much cats love quilts. 😊😊😊. Blessings to you, from Marina and Daryl Lynn

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  13. I agree....great work once again. Those cats are fun and colorful.

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  14. Love the kitty quilt. I need a few more of those for the spots where my cats like to sit. And goodness knows I have enough fabric to bang one out.

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  15. Cute cat quilt. I might have to make one. Or I might make it as a bottom/top border on the wonky logs I'm making with cat centers.

    That's the shape of my Christmas tree skirt I made ages ago. Wish I had had a pattern back then!

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  16. Very fun kitty quilt. Love that border fabric. Happy stitching this week. Hope you are enjoying the holiday season.

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  17. What a wonderful use of free patterns. Pins and Paws is adorable, and your kitty is a great model.

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  18. I love the abstract design of this quilt and how the backgrounds become cats and vice versa. Angel is a smart kitty. I am sure your feathers are lovely!

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