Perfect Pet Quilts - part 2

Have you ever made a quilt of the image of your pet?  We love our furry friends and are always drawn to quilts that celebrate cats and dogs. Smile along with us, as we present Part 2 of some of our favorite pet quilts !

Maynard, 54 x 81", by David Taylor (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

David notes, "Maynard was adopted from a photo shot by my friend Hilary Spillane of her bulldog. I love the way Hil captured the stark white of a winter's day in Northwest Colorado." We can almost sense Maynard's curiosity to see what's ahead  as he pushes his short little legs through the drifts of new-fallen snow.

Close up, Maynard by David Taylor

David continues, "When I saw the image, I knew I had to turn it into a quilt, as I had been eager to try a white-on-white quilt. Of course, I ended up using different colors of thread to quilt the snow and sky - lavender, green, tan, and a lot of blues."

Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr, 31 x 34", by Nancy S. Brown (Oakland, California)

Nancy states, "The source of my quilting energy and my inspiration are all of the wonderful animals of the world. This quilt depicts the happy family of Cassidy and Chase ( Rhodesian Ridgebacks), Mashatu ( a Savannah cat), and JasPurr ( a gray and white cat). Nancy has used beautiful and subtle gradations of neutral colors to depict this elegant and attractive family of canines and felines.

Close up, Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr by Nancy S. Brown

Nancy has perfectly captured dog Cassidy's extremely handsome face and soulful brown eyes! Her original design is machine pieced, hand appliqued, and hand quilted.

Bathtub Beach by Sandi MacMillan (Florida)

Sandi writes, "Bathtub Beach is my favorite spot on [Florida's] Treasure Coast. I have spent a lot of hours face-down, snorkel-up, enjoying all the creatures on the living reef in the naturally protected and warm water. My design evolved from the literal 'bathtub' on the beach. A banner-flying bi-plane seemed Florida-appropriate for the lettering. The mouse as pilot...well, why not?  The cat's face is from A Year of Cats... in Hats! by Sheila Haynes Rauen."

Closeup, Bathtub Beach by Sandi MacMillan

Sandi continues, "I hope this quilt makes you smile as much as Bathtub Beach makes me smile."  We love the lighthearted humor in this quilt, and we think the quilting, especially the fun bubble pattern on the bathtub and the sand, is very appropriate for this delightful piece.

Family Resemblance, 39 x 31", by Patt Blair (Mount Baldy, California)

Patt tells an interesting story of how she was inspired to create Family Resemblance: " I did this piece as encouragement to students to 'Just try it !'  This was a royalty- free clip art contour drawing [on the internet], for which I searched for animal coloring tips. I first thought the highly wrinkled bulldog was the mom (I was getting angry!)  but later learned this was three generations of English bulldogs." 

Close up, Family Resemblance by Patt Blair

Patt explains that her work was created by hand-dyeing and hand-painting solid white finely woven cotton to create the images of the dogs. She then used her domestic sewing machine for quilting the foreground and the background. She adds,  "I am mostly inspired by things with a heartbeat".  Her inspiration and talent is certainly evident in the very expressive lines and movement she gives to these bulldogs. Patt's work allows us to see their loveable personalities hiding just underneath their serious faces.

Cornered by Wendy L. Starn (Alexandria, Louisiana)

Wendy says, "In August of 2008, my son found a tiny kitten under the hood of the car, covered in grease and fleas. He cleaned her up, and she won his heart, as well as the scorn on our other two cats. Boris, the black cat is determined to be Alpha male, and is also proud of his prowess at catching (catnip) mice."

Close up, Cornered by Wendy L. Starn

Wendy adds, "Moose, the orange cat, is the mighty hunter of lizards and bugs, who is afraid of everything.. Oslo, the kitten, sleeps, dreaming no doubt of how best to annoy her two big brothers."
Wendy's vividly colored background blocks,  which showcase the cats perfectly, are comprised of variations of the "Puss In the Corner" pattern. Her very creative work is hand-stamped with feline images, thread-painted, and collaged.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration of Maynard (in a Faculty exhibit at the 2014 Road to California); Cassidy, Chase, Mashatu and JasPurr (at the 2012 Pacific International Quilt Festival); Bathtub Beach (at the 2015 World Quilt Show in West Palm Beach, Florida); Family Resemblance (in a Faculty exhibit at the 2014 Road to California); and Cornered (at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival).