Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Santorini Cats - New York Beauty Challenge for Island Batik

I am excited to show you what I made for the June Island Batik Ambassador Challenge!  


This month we are having a blog hop featuring the newest collections from Island Batik that are arriving at your quilt shops - and the challenge was to use the New York Beauty quilt block as our design inspiration. I can tell you that this block is fairly challenging to make as it includes lots of sharp points as well as curved piecing.  I loved the fabric I received in my Ambassador box last January, so it was fun to come up with a quilt to showcase them.  




The collection I received was Santorini - designed by Claudia Pfiel!  I have really enjoyed working with her collections in the past, and this one was terrific, too!  It was inspired by the Grecian Island of Santorini and features gorgeous colors and abstract shapes in a modern design.  So beautiful!  Here is the video I recorded when I first opened this bundle:


I think you will like these as much as I do!

At first I planned on making a more traditional piece, but as I browsed Pinterest for ideas, I came upon a very neat idea for using the blocks as cats!  It took me a bit of looking as the pattern is out of print, but I found a copy on Ebay - Sawtooth Cats is the name of the pattern.  .


And I found out that Santorini is a bit famous for it's cats as well! Well that made me super excited about my project!


Just google Cats of Santorini Island and you will see dozens of gorgeous pictures! I used the pattern as a starting point for my quilt, but opted for a more modern design as I felt it suited the fabrics better, plus I didn't want to make that pieced border. I wanted to keep my cats right side up and decided that since cats aren't the most cooperative animals that they should be arranged so they weren't in staight rows!  I used every bit of that background fabric that I had left to stagger my rows!  I ended up with a quilt that is actually wider than it is tall, but I actually like it that way.  Isn't it cute?

I think this would make a lovely wall hanging, but it's also perfect for the back of a sofa.  And of course, as a lap quilt!  It's 68 inches wide and 59 inches tall.  I used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 cotton for the batting in this and Aurifil thread for both piecing and quilting.  And of course a Schmetz needle - actually 2, an older one for the paper piecieng and a new one for the remaining piecing and quilting.


The arcs are paper pieced, as well as the tails, so that part was pretty easy.  I haven's sewn any curved seams for a while, but they really went well once I got one or two under my belt!  


I like to piece curves with a minimum of pins, so I usually just put one in each end and the middle, and it works like a charm.  I put the concave part of the curve on the top and just stitch slowly around the curve, easing the fabric as I go. 


I like to stitch the larger curve first and finish with the smaller curve (the smaller the curve the more difficult it is to sew!)



I press these away from the pieced arcs.  Twenty of them took a few days to get done between the paper piecing and the curved seams!

After I got the curves pieced I added the head and feet, then figured out what I needed to add to the back of the cat and the bottom so I could sew the tails on. You have to think aheasd because the tails are directional. I used the background fabric and sewed to to the pieced tails as a backing, turned them right side out, then hand appliqued them to the background.  Try as I might, I ended up with one cat facing the wrong way - of course!  I figured it would just add to the "cattitude" and left it as is, can you spot it in the finished quilt?

This ginger cat is my favorite of the bunch (or clowder, as a group of cats is called!). 

It was fun to come up with different combinations of colors for all 20 cats.  Each cat has a different color for the belly and feet, and each fabric is used so you can admire all of them!  I used Bronze from the basics line in the piecing of the arcs as well as the binding.  The background is Porcelain from the Naturally Neutrals selection of basics.  I used up all the rest of this except for some small scraps - this was also the background in my project from February - Colorado Memories, and it's one I really like for using with a collection with a lot of warm tones.


I really had fun making this quilt, and I love that it's a different take on what you can do with a New York Beauty block!  I had quite a bit of fabric left over from my project, and instead of hording it all and not using it, I thought it would be a great idea to give some of it away! 


 I cut a bunch of 5 inch squares, and am going to give you a chance to win a set of 40, two each of every design - plus I'll throw in a 5 inch roll of strips and your choice of one of these charm square table runner patterns:  Cobblestones or Windmills.


To sweeten the pot, I am going to add another opportunity to win a set of squares with every 25 entries to my giveaway, so the more entries, the more opportunities to win!  Just enter the rafflecopter below for your chance to enjoy these lovely fabrics!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure you visit Anorina Morris at Samelia’s Mum to see what she made with these fabrics!

Thanks to Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz needles, and Aurifil thread for the products provided for this project!





48 comments:

Linda H. said...

I love these fabrics! Yes, I made a pet portrait quilt of my cat, Kaboodle. He had a certain look that we called "The Kaboodle Look" and I was able to capture that on the quilt! Great fun!

Bonnie58 said...

I totally LOVE your block. Such a cute way to show off the cats. I am going to search for this pattern now. Thanks!!

Susan said...

I love your block and the whole quilt. It is my favorite one so far.

Barb N said...

Oooohhhh, I love everything about this quilt! What an excellent pattern to choose for these fabrics.

Barb N said...

I have never made a quilt with cats. But when I originally became interested in quilting, I bought a pattern with large cat blocks and even fabric. It is still sitting in the closet someplace. Doh!

Connie said...

So interesting. Gives me many ideas for my first cat quilt, perfect for our guild challenge. Thanks

Deb B. said...

Your quilt is lovely and all the different cats are adorable. I like your setting of the cats as opposed to the quilt pattern, very clever. Thank you for the giveaway opportunity. I look forward to seeing your next creation.

Lori Smanski said...

these fabrics are lovely and look like so much fun to play with. WOW your quilt is fantastic and so creative. WOW thanks so much for sharing and inspiring. I love cats. I have made cat beds and cat crate beds but not a quilt with cats on it. I have used fabrics with cats on them. Your two table runners are wonderful. I especially love the pin wheels one

Susan Stanton said...

No, I haven't made a quilt for a cat, only a cat lover! Some of the fabrics had cats on them!
yoyopattycakes@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I think you made good use of the New York Beauty Block, the fabric made some of the coolest cats I've seen. Yes I have made a quilt using the usual cat block and it was fun to see the finished top. petuniakr@aol.com

works4me said...

I love this, and thank you for letting us in on the process.
I have made a few cat quilts, and all of my quilts have been kitty approved while sewing them. :)

Nancy A: SewingGranda@gmail.com said...

I have never made a quilt for a cat, but I am sure I have made a quilt with cat fabric in it.

Karen Luebke said...

I haven't made a quilt for a cat or featuring a cat...yet.

Sharon Aurora said...

I have never made a quilt for a cat, but I have made quilts with cats on them.

Diantha said...

I made a baby/toddler quilt including some fabric which had cat faces on it. And then I free-motion quilted the outline of a cat in the solid blocks. Love your quilt with the NY beauty points making up the cat bodies!!!

Cindy P. said...

This is just an absolutely adorable quolt! Love all the cats!

tac73 said...

I have made a quilt using cat themed fabrics. Love your quilt and the batiks.

GranChris said...

I've made lots of cat quilts, and lots of kennel pads for Animal Shelters. That said my quilts were never as wonderful as yours. Absolutely stunning.

Sewgirl said...

Your quilt is so darling! Yes, I have a quilt with a whole bunch of different cat patterns that I accumulated over a pierced of time. Then it was a bit of a puzzle to figure out how to put them all together. I think it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself!

mumbird3 said...

Your quilt is amazing - just love it! I haven't doen any cat quilts yet but I am working on one now with a running cat on it!!!

Brenda @ Songbird Designs said...

These cats are fabulous, Pamela!! I love this and so would my grands, as they have four cats! LOL

Lisa England said...

I have made several quilts with cats on them. I took one to my LQS where there are a lot of cat lovers and a girl who was visiting from another state bought it from me on the spot.

cjmont said...

Many years ago I made a tessellated cat quilt for a new baby. These cats are much more sophisticated.

Lori Parsons said...

Gorgeous!!😻I’ve never made a cat quilt, but this one would be great to have!

VA said...

Beautiful quilt!

Each of my three cats has their own mini quilt with their name on it, and I've made several using cat blocks.

Cecilia said...

Beautiful! I made a quilt of sleeping cats for my daughter-in-law a few years ago. She loved it! Thanks for the chance to win this beautiful fabric and one of your patterns.

Anonymous said...

beautiful quilt. widget doesn't work on my phone.

Anonymous said...

I love your "clowder"! Great job!

Batiklvr said...

Beautiful clowder of cats!

Paula said...

The cats look great. I've made a quilt for our grandkitty and 3 for grandpuppies. It's fun and they deserve some comfort for all the love they give. Thanks for sharing.

Beth said...

I have made several quilts for our cats, and am getting ready to make a quilt for a friend's newly adopted cat. On a somewhat related note, my cousin asked me for a quilt for her 60th birthday, and requested that it have a cat theme--your Santorini Cats is the first quilt I've seen that has sparked a creative fire in me. I love this quilt! But if I make one somewhat like it, would I ever be able to part with it??

Lee said...

I am allergic to cats but love them! I make lots of cat themed items for my sisters and friends who own cats. Your quilt is amazing! Thank you for sharing!

scottylover said...

I have a quilt top made that is all pieced cats, but it hasn't been quilted yet. The cats need their legs and tails quilted in order to really see what they are, and the eyes are embroidered in the original pattern, but I may try and quilt them, too. Just a little intimidated to try it still!

Sandy A

Pamela said...

I never thought of using a New York Beauty block to make a cat! I absolutely love your quilt - especially the contrary kitty (which I would not have noticed without your mention). I have never made a quilt specifically for a cat, although my cats assume otherwise. Thanks for sharing this delightful quilt and thanks for offering this beautiful giveaway!

Cindy Shelley said...

I have made a quilt with cats.. one was a Debbie Mumm pattern.

Jayne said...

I've used cat fabric to make cute zipper pouches

Dawn F said...

I haven't made a quilt for or with cats before. I enjoy these blog hops so much because each of you takes such a unique and creative spin on the same block. I would have never thought to make cats, but they are so cute!

martha said...

My grandson recently visited an island in croatia that brought in cats when they had the black plague, to rid of the rats. The stray ats are all over the town.

Sumac said...

I've made quilts and pouches with cat fabric.. I love your take on this pattern!

Kit said...

love cats! second quilt i ever made was of cats from "repurposed" men's shirts. added colorful collars with buttons too. lots of fun

Margaret Kennedy said...

My cats think every quilt is for them!

Barb said...

I have not made a cat quilt, but love yours!

JANET said...

I was making a cat quilt for my MIL's cat to sleep on, on MIL's bed, but never finished it. Cat took ill and passed.

Julie in GA said...

Your cat version of the NY Beauty block is fantastic! I love the delicious colors in those batiks.

Sue D said...

Fabulous cat quilt with these fabrics. I would like to make a quilt for my cat.

Tanya G said...

I just recently got my first quilting frame and I made my practice pieces into quilts for my cats, but nothing as intricate and beautiful as yours! Just stunning!

Carol Andrews said...

I have made cat blocks before but none are as whimsical and cute as your NY Beauty Santorini Cat quilt blocks. Thank you being part of the hop and using this block in such a unique way.

Sue King said...

I haven't made a cat quilt, but I like the idea.