Hey look! It’s a finish! One of my biggest issues as a quilter is my inability to finish anything, whilst constantly starting new things. For the last three years I’ve been making a list to follow along with All People Quilt‘s yearly UFO Resolution list, which I then mostly ignore for the year. The first year I finished I think nothing, the second year 1 project, the 3rd year I finished two, and this year… I’m up to four! (I should be on project 8, since it’s one per month, but honestly I’m happy with 4. I hope I finish a few more, but if I don’t, that’s okay!)
Hipster Cat is a pattern from Shwin and Shwin that’s done with freezer paper applique which is sewn on a whole cloth piece of fabric and then quilted. Basically super easy and super cute!
I made mine almost exclusively with fabrics from Rifle Paper Co’s Wonderland line… with Moda Grunge in Vanilla for the background and one of Rashida Coleman-Hale’s prints from Kujira and Star for most of the backing.
Of course, I didn’t order enough for the backing (I ordered 1 yard instead of the 1.25 or whatever it should have been), so I had to piece some of my leftovers into the backing as well. The gold stripes and dots are a lot of fun though, so I guess I’m okay with that! (I’m less okay with the fact that I did not get it lined up straight and so if I showed a full on view of the back, that strip is noticeably narrower at one end than the other. Not enough to look intentionally wonky, no. Just enough to look like I was being lazy about it.. haha!) (I probably was being lazy about it!)
I quilted this one with a big cross-hatch in the background using my walking foot, and then just some really simple free motion quilting through the cat – the loopy meander through the dotted parts of his body, a zig-zag through his striped belly, and then just stitch-in-the-metaphorical-ditch around the eyeglass applique and the entire outside of the cat. It’s super lightweight and fluffy – probably because I haven’t for once quilted the project to death – and though it’s small (about 34″ x 42″) I think it’s just perfect to be loved to death by some grubby-fingered little kid.
I LOVE this quilt and I don’t have anyone to give it to, so it will probably go to charity at some point, which will be great. For now it’s been making the rounds for various photoshoots (I finally decided to buckle down and just photograph it pinned to my own deck where the shade was enough to keep it from washing out like it did pretty well every where else I tried) including one memorable trip to Calgary Zoo, where my friend Christina tried to hide behind it while holding it… her feet were just too obvious every time, so here is Hipster Cat with Zoo Lion Statue, and my friend making a silly face:
Come join us for Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday! I can’t wait to see what everyone posts!
Also linking up to Finish or Not Friday with Alycia Quilts!
wipgirl.wordpress.com 
Great job on your quilt finish, Kristel! Fun photos, too! I can’t believe how many free patterns there are at that Shwin & Shwin. Thanks for sharing the link!
Happy to share! There is some neat stuff there.
At least you are showing progress on your lists right?? LOVE hipster cat!!!
Thanks!
Your Hipster Cat is darling, Kristen! I don’t feel any guilt about my UFO/WIPs anymore. I’m finding that, when I resume a project after a hiatus of a couple of years, my skills have improved to where whatever I was getting stuck on is easier now. Authentic art is a journey, an exploration of discovery and adventure, not a destination or a goal to check off. At least that’s what I tell myself…. 😉
I try not to feel guilty about it either – it’s supposed to be enjoyable and bullying myself about it only takes that pleasure away – but it’s sure a hard line to walk.
Isn’t that just the cutest quilt!!!
So cute!
This is awesome! Thanks for the link to the pattern. You’re making progress on your UFO list so that’s all that matters.
Thanks so much! It’s a fun pattern so I’m glad to share it with anyone who might want their own hipster cat!
I’ll get there eventually with the UFOs!
Cutest cat quilt ever! Love the glasses.
Thank you!
Adorable! Wish my cats were so cool!
You could always make them bowties…. 🤣
Ok, I love this! Fantastic job! A few years ago, to encourage myself to finish more quilts, I set a goal to finish 15 quilts in 2015. Well, I way surpassed that number! It was good motivation for me!
Thanks so much!
Sounds like goal setting works much better for you than for me haha.. I am just distracted by every shiny new thing that floats by! Fifteen in a year sounds amazing!
adorable quilt!! Love the pieced backing too.
Thanks so much!
Thanks for hosting this week. ❤ ❤ You are so completely not alone in being a consumate starter and having to stretch yourself to get the finishes! 🙂 I really need to kick myself into gear for finishes again. I've been side-tracked since March on just doing new stuff that caught my eye. I love this Hipster Cat quilt so much. Good inspiration!
I’ve started more than I meant to this year too! Every year I swear this will be the year I reverse the trend but… maybe next year I’ll finish more than I start!
Your Hipster Cat is beyond adorable. Love, love, love those glasses! The backing is delightful oozing with those pretty fabrics. A most fabulous finish.
Thanks so much Kim! I enjoyed making the cat quilt a lot!