My Orange Tabby

Striped Cat Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

I have done it!  I have reached that elusive finish for this mini.  Once I had finished the block early last year, I went through many ideas of quilting this little one, but nothing really stuck.  At one point I even finished drawing swirls on the block, cut the backing and the batting, but it never made it to the machine.  The problem is the colour of my cat.

 

 

My Orange Maine Coon Cat | Whims And Fancies

 

 

You already know that I love my big old orange cat, my constant companion and shadow.  This mini is special because I modeled it after him. 

 

 

Striped Tabby Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

I used the orange swirly fabric that I love and the black fabric that I had left over from another quilt.  Orange cats are mostly associated with Halloween.  Add a black background and you have a quintessential Halloween project. 

Except, that was far from being my intention.  I added the black background because of my love for the night sky.  The picture I wanted to paint was one where my cat and I would sit by the window and cherish that outer world

 

 

Striped Tabby Cat Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

Month after month I looked at the block and put it away for lack of a good idea.  Swirls would just add to the Halloween picture that I did not want to create.  Finally one day it came to me – I wanted to try matchstick quilting.  It would echo the stripes on the kitty too.  Seemed like a perfect solution.

 

 

Matchstick Quilting On Cat Quilt | Whims And Fancies

 

 

Since this was my first time doing matchstick quilting, I wanted to err on the side of caution.  So I worked up to lines that are 1/4″ apart and stopped there.  I felt that was perfect.  I used a variegated thread which gave it an additional fun effect.

 

 

Quilt Facing / Binding | Whims And Fancies

 

 

I faced the quilt to give it more of an art canvas look.  Since almost all of my quilts are paper pieced art quilts, I will be using facing more often instead of binding going forward.

 

 

Striped Kitty Cat Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

 

 

In the end, all that waiting paid off.  I let the project guide me to the finish line and I am very happy for it.  I love the mini, almost as much as I love my kitty!

 

Autumnal Equinox is tomorrow.  Perfect time to place this mini on the wall of my atelier where my kitty and I spend the day together working.  Knowing me, it will end up staying there forever.

Happy Quilting,
-Soma

 

I am linking up with Patty on One Monthly Goal.  Great monthly linky party for finishing those WIPs.

 

I am also linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them, they are a lot of fun!

 

 

 

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Sketchbook – July 2017

Sketchbook 2017 - Beach Huts Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Beach Huts At Sunset

 

After a fairly rough summer, my husband and I were able to take a long holiday to recharge and finally celebrate our 25th anniversary, which was in July.  Considering it is September and I have not shared the sketchbook pages from July yet, it became an easy choice, besting all the finishes and WIP-s I amassed during that time.  I have been experimenting with different watercolours alongside markers and exploring new subject matter as well.

We have been having heatwaves, which might explain why my sketchbook is filled with cold weather paintings.  I started the July sketches with the colourful beach huts of Northumberland basking in the sunset colours by the cool water.

 

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Dance Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Dance

 

Dance is not a theme that comes easily to me, so I picked it specially to push myself a little.  I started sketching the figures and slowly it became a dream sequence.  I am not much into poetry, but there are a few poets that I like.   The words of W. B. Yeats seemed to befit this piece, so I added them with a silver pen.  I did take the liberty to change the context a little.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Birch Trees In Snow Schmincke Horadam Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Birch Trees In The Snow

 

I love walking in the snow.  Everything gets so quiet that you can almost hear yourself breathe.  The white birch tree grove standing tall invites me to explore a little further into the woods.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Dala Horse Winsor Newton Ink Painting | Whims And Fancies

 

Dala Horse

 

This was another experimental piece.  I was going to paint a folk-art piece, but the painting had a different intention.  My Dala horse decided to take on the grunge colours instead.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Bridge Daniel Smith Perylene Green Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

The Bridge

 

My Pride And Prejudice friends will recognise this bridge, I am sure of it. My personal addition was the Willow Tree.  Perylene Green is one of my favourite colours, and the colour was perfect for this scene. 

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Windmills Sennelier Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Windmills From Sweden

 

When we travelled across Sweden, we came across an area dotted with windmills, relics from days gone by.  It really pleases me that they are protected and hopefully will continue to stand tall for many a year to come.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Canoe Prismacolour Marker And Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

La Belle Discordia

 

If I had a canoe, I imagine it would have its own mind and take me places where I dare not go.  The idea for the painting came from the canoes I saw in Lake District, England.

 

Previous Sketchbook Pages

June 2017

 

Squares Plus Grid WIP | Whims And Fancies

 

On the sewing side, I am continuing to finish a few WIP-s.  This mini is almost finished, only the binding needs to be stitched on.  I enjoy hand stitching the binding, so hopefully, now that things have settled down here a little, I will be able to work on it while listening to a favourite story.

I am glad to have these distractions given the current situation everywhere.  Hopefully you are able to enjoy a bit of creative time too.

Stay safe,
-Soma

 

I am linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them, they are a lot of fun!

 

 

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