For the month of April, Island Batik teamed up with Funky Friends Factory for the Ambassador challenge. I made the Kawaii Cat pattern.
Disclaimer: The products used to make this project were generously given to me by Island Batik and industry partners.
We were allowed to choose whichever pattern we wanted from the vast selection of Funky Friends Factory stuffed animal patterns. In the past, I've sewn two Llamas and a Fox. These patterns are adorable and very step-by-step.
The Kawaii Cat is one of many Kawaii Kuties patterns available. This is an easy pattern if you are new to making stuffed animals. I made mine in one day. It was so much fun to make, I couldn't stop myself to take a break. I loved seeing my kitty come together.
I am a bit of a Crazy Cat Lady. I currently have three Ginger Tabbies and two Calicos. Originally, I thought I would make an orange kitty to match my Ginger cats, but after looking through my stash, I changed direction and went to Calico cat. I used two Island Batik basics fabrics. I think the brown was Sable? The white with the swirlie pattern is Flour. It's my new favorite neutral.
The pattern pieces need to be copied and cut out before cutting the fabric. I have a huge box of template plastic in my studio that I've used for all three of the Funky Friends patterns I've made. Template plastic is not required to sew these patterns, but it works well to trace the pieces, and keeps well for future use.
The first part of making the Kawaii Cat is tracing and embroidering the sweet face onto the fabric. The patch, eyes, nose, and cheeks are cut from felt. I placed them with a tiny dab of fabric glue and stitched around them with a small zigzag in matching Aurifil thread. I used a full six strands of black embroidery floss for the hand stitched details.
Next, I cut and sewed the cat's body, ears, and tail together. This was quick and easy to do on my sewing machine with Schmetz needles and more Aurifil thread. Then on to the stuffing to bring this cutie to life.
My Kawaii Cutie, or Cutie Kitty, as I'm calling her! So cute!!!!
But there's more...
The pattern includes a super cute and easy optional jacket for kitty. The jacket is also made with felt. My son said she should have a leather biker jacket, so I used black felt, although I'm sure this would work with leather scraps as well. The jacket has decorative buttons sewn on (I used pink buttons), but features a velcro closure so kitty can choose to wear it, or not.
After Cutie Kitty was all dressed, she went outside to play in the Azaleas.
She ended the afternoon on the front porch in my favorite spot. Oh kitty!
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This is the Spring Market quilt. It's one of my new patterns this year. This quilt is featured in the Island Batik catalog. The pattern is available in my Etsy shop and select quilt shops across the USA.
Disclaimer: The fabrics used to make this quilt were generously given to me by Island Batik.
I used the Mountain Gems fabric collection by Kathy Engle for Island Batik. I just love the gorgeous blues and greens in this collection. The designs on the fabrics are equally awesome. Do you see the curly vines? That one is my favorite. This fabric is available in quilt shops now.
The main block for this quilt is a star with an on-point nine patch in the center. These are really fun to sew.
Trail Mix did a little photobomb while I was taking pictures. I'm sure she is wondering what this quilt is doing hanging on the outside of the house. That's not where they belong. How can she cuddle it like this?
The star blocks are set in blue sashing with checkerboard cornerstones. A classic look. The checkerboard is also featured in one of the quilt borders.
I quilted Spring Market in an all-over loopy meander.
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This is my newest quilt, Summer Breeze. It's sewn in soft yellow and blues, like sunshine and blue skies.
The Summer Breeze quilt and pattern appear in the new Summer 2022 issue of Quilter's World magazine. This issue is on sale now ~ run out and get one today! If you're feeling lucky, I'll be giving away a digital copy of this magazine at the end of this post.
I used Island Batik's Honey Blue fabric collection, plus their solid white to make the Summer Breeze quilt. This fabric should be available in local quilt shops now.
The blocks are sewn using an easy strip piecing method. This pattern plays well with precut 2-1/2" strip packs, or cut your own from yardage.
Sunrise has become my number one tester for quilt comfort. He appears to approve of this stack of blocks.
I quilted the Summer Breeze quilt with a loopy meander in White Aurifil thread. It was the last of my big white thread cone. That did last for a long, long, time. I need to get another one. I also used Hobbs Thermore batting for this quilt. It's very lightweight and perfect for a summer quilt.
Summer Breeze
Quilt Stats:
Finished Quilt Size: 74" x 74"
Block Size: 10" x 10"
Fabric: Honey Blue by Island Batik
Batting: Hobbs Thermore
Thread: Aurifil
Needles: Schmetz
Designed in EQ8
Enter to win a digital copy of Quilter's World Summer 2022 by leaving a comment below. Let's make it fun by answering this question: "What is your favorite Summer activity?" I'll draw a winner by random on April 19, 2022. Please be sure I have an email to contact you, should you be the lucky winner.
If you sew a Summer Breeze quilt, please share a pic with me @curlicuecreations on Instagram. I would love to see it!
Note: This is an affiliate link. Clicking this link will not affect the purchase price. However, if you do make a purchase, I may receive a commission. Thank you.
