Hive 5 September 2018 - Cat Block

Happy September Hive 5! I hope everyone had a summer filled with wonder and adventure! 😊

Ours has been an eventful and unforgettable one, as we became adoptive parents to two young teens (14 and 11 years). Between getting to know each other, preparing rooms for them, visiting with family, house renovations, and school shopping, it has been both incredible and, at times, overwhelming! We are excited (and mildly terrified) about this new journey we are taking as a family. 

I'm thrilled to have your help this month with a special block for a friend of mine. During this school year, my teaching partner is having TWO knee replacement surgeries (not at the same time), and I would like to make her a quilt to cuddle under during her recovery. Since she is OBSESSED with cats, I've selected this cute (and simple) cat block by Elizabeth Hartman. It uses relatively small pieces, so is very scrap friendly!

Here is the link to the tutorial:

https://www.janome.com/inspire/projects/home-decor/cat-block/

Cat Face - Brights:

Since I would like the quilt to be as colourful and cheerful as possible, please use your favourite bright fabrics in solids or prints for each face. The face can be made from one fabric or, if you're feeling ambitious, even pieced with several different fabrics within the same colourway (ex. a variety of blues).

Here are some brights I pulled from my scrap bins:

Fabric required for cat face:

• A – 1 piece 4” tall x 4½” wide (pieced, if desired)
• B – 2 pieces 2” x 2” each

Background fabric:

Please use a black & white (or off-white) fabric for the background - nothing that reads too dark. Please use only one fabric for the background of a single block. Again, please raid your scrap bin - perhaps you have some leftovers from our July and August blocks!

Here are some possible background fabrics:

Fabric for background - black & white:

• C – 1 piece 2” x 4½”
• D – 2 pieces 1½” x 1½” each
• E – 2 pieces 1½” x 5½” each
• F – 2 pieces 1” x 6½” each

The blocks:

I made two practice blocks with different face colours and backgrounds. The pieced (blue) one took me 25 minutes to complete - including cutting. (And I accidentally rotated one of the face pieces, so the block is actually too skinny - this one has been claimed as a mug rug by my daughter!) The orange one took me less than 20 minutes to complete - including cutting. 

Please do not trim the block when you are finished - it should finish at 6.5" x 6.5". 

Please remember to press your seams open so that the blocks finish true to size, and lie as flat as possible. 

Since the blocks are only 6", I would appreciate it enormously if you could make me two (2) - they can be exactly the same or entirely different like my examples above. (Of course, I will happily accept more if you happen to make too many! 😆)

If you have any questions, please email me: sewgeekcanada@gmail.com

Thank you so much for helping me create this gift for my colleague!

Tanya (like lasagna)