Cat-egorical – Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts 2021 copyright
Sometimes, fabric really does speak to me. Northcott’s “Cat Tales” Collection were some of these fabrics. The large repeating Library Cat Shelves fabric needed its own space to shine, like a cat sprawling on a sunlit patch of carpet. So large blocks were created for this fabric. The complimentary fabrics needed to have some fun. I couldn’t see why library cats would be much different from barn cats. Barn cats come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Library cats could be just as varied. So, I created a cat block using fun and simple techniques like stitch and flip and half square triangles – two at a time. Each of the six cats uses a different fabric and takes on their own personality. Do you see the calico on the second row? How about the tiger on the third row? Watch out for the black cat on the top row! When the quilt is assembled with sashing and a narrow border, it measures 59″ x 77″.
Cat Block
Since the fabric won’t be available in stores until April 2022, I tested the block on some of my stash. This is when having a decent stash comes in handy! I grabbed two complimentary fat quarters to make sure the block worked. It isn’t as interesting as the Cat Tales fabric so I can’t wait until the fabric is available to make this quilt. Based upon how long the first block took, this quilt could be assembled easily in a weekend.
It is the perfect gift for your favorite cat lover. If you are looking to bundle this quilt with a book or two, I would recommend the Warrior Cats Series by Erin Hunter. It is similar to Watership Down and Red Wall. My youngest son started reading them in elementary school and continued to read them into high school! My sister has even fallen under their spell as audiobooks.
The Cat-egorical pattern is available now for retail and wholesale in our shop.
Happy Quilting!
Laureen