Last updated on 07/28/2023
Good evening everyone!
Tonight I decided to try something I had in mind since my last project. I wanted to see if I could make a raw edge patchwork design of a cat. I had other visions in mind, but it wound up turning into a finished edge applique patch that I’ll likely use in a future project.
My goal was to mostly use scrap fabrics and try to make a meaningful design from them.
I primarily wound up going with an interesting piece of fabric I had from before I got into any major sewing. I cut out a 10″ x 6″ rectangle and sliced it up into 2″ x 1″ pieces.
Then, digging through a little bucket of scrap fabrics I pulled out the other pieces I felt fit my vision.
I took a 12″ x 12″ piece of plain seafoam green fabric as a sort of backboard to work on and started laying down the different pieces. I tried to overlap them as best as I could to cover up the majority of the background.
Once things were in a good enough spot, I did a zig-zag stitch along the edges of each piece, mostly in longer lines when I could due to the alignment of the different parts.
After all the pieces were secured to the background fabric I cut out the shape of the head and ears.
With the guidance of my wife, who suggested the finished edge approach, I found a large enough scrap piece for the back of the project. Facing right sides together I used a 1/4″ seam allowance and sewed along the edge of the cat head.
Then she showed me how to cut the cross on the back to flip the project right-side out. Then I got to use her “That Purple Thang” tool to push the tips of the ears.
And finally the final result!
I think my experiment went pretty well.
Some takeaways:
- Slow down and take my time
- Pin pieces and don’t trust the fabric’s friction to hold the pieces together
- Sometimes things take an unexpected journey, just go with any design changes or imperfections
Resources
Disclaimer: I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
