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 2017

Sketchbook 2017 - Lost Pages Bookstore Watercolour | Whims And Fancies

 

Lost Pages Book Store

 

Every year I get this notion of doing a long-term project to improve a certain skill.  Last year I did the Wandering Camera daily photo project to explore new photography ideas.  This year, I wanted to keep a sketchbook, but with one thing or another, time passed on.  I finally got tired of waiting and decided that June was going to be THE month to embark upon my Sketchbook 2017 project.

Lost Pages is the very first painting in my little sketchbook.  Although it is a make-believe book store born in my head, I would love to own a real one by that name.

 

 

I am very fond of Stillman and Birn sketchbooks.  The pages of this 5.5″ x 3.5″ sketchbook are the perfect size for playing with ideas.  The Beta sketchbook is also great for pretty much all painting media.  I started filling this book when I was sick earlier in the month.

 

Orange Maine Coon | Whims And Fancies

 

My orange kitty Taffy is my constant companion.  I missed him while he was having a surgery yesterday, it was the ninth surgery for this little fellow.  He is back home now, in pain and a bit battered, but otherwise safe and sound.  I will be busy taking care of him over the next few days.  I love this photo I took of him a few days ago.  He is really as soft as he looks here, and as sweet as his name.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Cat On The Wall Prismacolor Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Charlie – trying to climb a wall

 

We have another kitty called Charlie who is equally sweet and also very clumsy.   He can’t climb anything to save his life, so it’s a good thing he is an indoor-only kitty.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Sirens Prismacolor Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Sirens

 

The morbid side of me is fascinated by the idea of Sirens.  I am thinking of expanding this scene into a larger painting.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Dawn Prismacolor Marker & Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Dawn

 

Once, when we were camping in the Inyo Mountains, I was up early to see a lunar eclipse.  Shortly after that, dawn broke just as the moon was setting.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Vintage Tiles Winsor & Newton Watercolour Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Rusted Tiles

 

Rusted tiles are quite beautiful.  I was having too much fun painting this one, making random rust spots on these tiles.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Silocon And Gold Prismacolor Marker & Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Silicon And Gold

 

I wanted to see if I could paint sand with marker, then came up with the idea of sand to circuit boards.

 

Sketchbook 2017 - Bristlecone Pine Prismacolor Marker & Copic Marker | Whims And Fancies

 

Looking Up At A Bristlecone Pine

 

California is home to Bristlecone pines.  During the same camping trip in the Inyo Mountains, we hiked the Methuselah trail to see these oldest living beings on Earth.  The colour of the bark on these trees is created by fungus and polishing through ice and wind storms.

 

Round Pencil Case | Whims And Fancies

 

On Sunday, my 14-year-old pencil case bit the dust.  I had become so fond of the round pencil case, I had to make a new one.  I came up with an idea of making it in a certain way.  I made a few prototypes; these two are the final finished ones.  Both pencil cases are lined and the zipper ends are covered. 

The dark green one used to be my husband’s pyjama pants.  I love green tartan, so when he discarded the pair, I saved the leg fabric which was in very good condition.  I used the same fabric both for the outside and the lining. 

The yellow one is a newsprint fabric and I used a pinstripe grey fabric for the lining as well as for the sides on this one. 

I got couple of sweet packages from another friend, Mary as well.  That however, is a story for another day.

Hope you enjoyed my little show and tell!

Until next time,
-Soma

 

Linking up with the linky parties on my Events And Links page.

 

 

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