A long time ago, I'd discovered this really cute cat block while surfing. http://w1.avis.ne.jp/~miyako/cat.JPG
(To see more of Miyako's work, go to her home page.)
When Emmie and Gordon, who are great cat-lovers, announced their engagement, I just knew I'd found the perfect use for this block. The cats are even wearing bow ties, so are dressed and pressed and ready to attend a formal event!
I drafted my own templates according to the look of the photo. I think my kitties turned out to be a bit more pudgy than in the original quilt.
I opted for more naturalistic colors, except, obviously, for the center cat that bears the inscription. These swirly, vibrant fabrics are dyed by Ellen Anne Eddy. They are used for the bow ties for all the other cats as well.
This cat represents Emmie and Gordon's ginger cat Leo.
And this one is my late and beloved silver tabby Otto. I've known Emmie since "before she was born", so she and Uncle Otto were quite well acquainted.
The rest of the crowd are no one in particular, just an homage to the wonderful world of The Cat. I had great fun choosing buttons from my burgeoning button collection for the knots on the bow ties.
All the fabrics came out of my stash. It was great fun designing the cats, looking at both colors and prints that express "fur" rather than "flower garden". Emmie and Gordon just celebrated their first anniversary, and are as happy as happy can be.
I two and a cat lover. I have never been without at least one cat in my life. My husband knew when we got married to love me love my catI really like your quilt very imaginative and very cute
ReplyDeleteThanks, Elaine!
DeleteThanks, Joyce! I have lots of "wanna do" ideas of all sorts! :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is about the cutest cat pattern that I have ever seen for a quilt! Is this pattern available for purchase, or would you be willing to share The sizes of the block pieces?
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing in, Kathy. Yeah, it's a super great block, I agree!
DeleteIf there is a pattern, it is not mine to share. I saw the quilt on the Japanese page I linked to in my post. I wrote to that person to see if there was a pattern, but she never answered. So I copied the idea from her photo. I think that kind of copying is OK for me making one quilt, but I'm pretty sure it's not legal for me to distribute the pattern.
I'd say to use graph paper, pick your block size, and start dividing up the block into the cat shapes. It took some trial and error, but wasn't terribly hard to draft. Mine did come out with sort of different proportions because I wasn't paying close attention to the original photo.
For the Ohio Star block, I made a paper square that size (it will be an uneven size because it's on the diagonal). Slant your ruler from one corner of the square to the opposite edge so that it lands on a number easily divisible by three. Then mark at the thirds and draw lines at those dots parallel to the edges. Then turn the square and do the same from the next corner so you divide the square in the other direction, ending up with a 9-patch. Hard to describe verbally….. Here's a blog with a photo - scroll down to the one with the ruler.
https://seehowwesew.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/drafting-part-1-changing-the-size-of-pieced-quilt-blocks/
If you do make a cat quilt from this pattern, and would like me to put a photo of it on my blog, let me know!
HOW BIG is your whole cat block...
ReplyDeleteI am just wanting to figure this out... just the size of the whole finished cat block...
Sorry for the delay, but I just discovered your lovely comment. Apparently, I'm no longer getting the email notices of comments coming in...
DeleteI think the blocks were about 12". It's definitely a cute pattern, and I hope it's coming along well.
I Love the cat quilt. It is SUPER! I would love the pattern.
ReplyDeleteHi, Tina.
DeleteIf there is a pattern, it is not mine to share. I saw the quilt on the Japanese page I linked to in my post. I wrote to that person to see if there was a pattern, but she never answered. I think using someone else's idea is OK for me making one quilt, but I'm sure it's not legal for me to distribute the pattern.
I'd say to use graph paper, pick your block size, and start dividing up the block into the cat shapes. That’s what I did. It took some trial and error, but wasn't terribly hard to draft. The star block on point was the only tricky part. Probably the easiest way is to adjust the size of the cat body to fit that dimension. Mine did come out with sort of different proportions because I wasn't paying close attention to the original photo.
And…there are some other patchwork cat patterns out there. Have fun! It certainly is an adorable idea!
You can find this block pattern in Quilters newsletter magazine #218. I have the pattern so I am positive. You can find them on ebay.
DeleteWow, Priscilla, thanks for that info! I've ordered the magazine.
Delete