A Versatile Cat-Themed Quilt: Appliqué with Pam Lincoln

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We are sew excited to welcome guest blogger and quilt designer Pam Lincoln of Mama Spark’s World! Pam’s cat-themed quilt, That Cat, is featured in the August/September 2015 issue of McCall’s and it’s seriously the cat’s meow. A background grid of favorite-color prints sets off a sleek black cat appliqué in this pawsitively adorable quilt. And what’s even better? By just swapping out a few fabric colors, you can easily transform this design into cheerful holiday décor!

The Beginning of That Cat

I have been sewing since I was a girl, but quilting for about 10 years now. I love to design my own quilts and have really started doing this more in the last few years. I work in science at the University of Michigan so quilting allows my creative side to have a voice. I belong to the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild and this quilt began in response to a guild challenge.

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A box of crayons was dumped into a paper bag and we each drew out a crayon. We were challenged to use that color in all its shades, and only add black, gray or white to make a quilt. I had seen the work of Donna Mibus and just knew that her cat would translate into a spectacular quilt using the red-violet crayon I had drawn.

Pulling It All Together

I wrote to her asking her permission to make her art into a quilt and not only did she say yes, but she was very enthusiastic about it. I have 4 cats, so this is a subject near and dear to my heart! A cat-themed quilt just seemed appropriate. So I gathered fabrics, drew the cat, and planned the quilt.

Auditioning patches in every value of red-violet.

Pre-assembled cat applique – already looking cool!

Trying out placement of the cat.

Final positioning…..purr-fect!

Edge-stitching the appliqué.

Machine quilting is under way.

The final product!

It was a fun quilt to make and I adore that oh-so-sixties cat! That era had such fun designs. I believe That Cat will be showing up in some of my future designs as well. I hope everyone loves making this quilt as much as I did!

Stitch Your Own Version of That Cat

Are you as obsessed with Pam’s cat-themed appliqué quilt as we are? From Halloween to Independence Day and everything in between, there’s no end to the possibilities you can unleash with this pattern! How would you want to stitch it up? Let us know on Instagram, Facebook, or the comments below.