This is my first attempt at a charity quilt to benefit our local animal shelter. I looked for a cat themed pattern - since I love cats - but couldn't find any I liked enough to try. So I drew up a stylized cat face image and hand appliqued it (freezer paper on top method) to snowball blocks made of 1930's 10 inch squares. The red hearts are also appliqued in the same way, also 1930's fabric.
The center block is a slight variation of the cat pattern - the face is a circle and the ears are prairie points with their seams caught under the face applique. The tips of the ears are free, unlike the other appliques, which are completely attached.
The cats have button eyes (green or blue) and I couched embroidery thread to make whiskers. Those can be adjusted to make the cat happy - or as on the image - a bit pensive.
The quilting is in-the-ditch, I didn't have time to make it elaborate. The quilt is about 3 feet square, and entirely made of cotton, so it's washable.
This project was the first time I attempted hand applique, but I like it enough to use it more further. In fact, I have two more quilt tops with applique in production right now!
This message was edited Apr 6, 2010 9:18 PM
