Cats (and People) Who Quilt

Cats Who Quilt -- Where Quilters and Cats Meet on the Web

Return to the main tutorial page.

Return to the main page.

Buy the book "Cats Who Quilt." Buy your cat the "Certificate of Membership in the League of Cat Quilters." Make your cat very happy. Buy other stuff too, like some of the other cat quilt pattern books featured on this Web site.

Read stories about special cats who quilt, submitted by visitors to this Web site. Submit your own story about your quilting cat.

Sewing Room Safety Tips for Cats--And Dogs

Please read these all-important sewing room safety tips for pets!

Free Cat Quilt Patterns to Download

World's Biggest Cat Quilt Pattern Database. Find cat quilting patterns in this "shareware" directory of cat patterns around the world.

Read excerpts from the book 'Cats Who Quilt'

Read more excerpts from the book 'Cats Who Quilt'

Read the Table of Contents of 'Cats Who Quilt'

Certificate of Membership in League of Cats Quilters'

Read about the Certificate which comes in the book, or can be purchased separately.

History of the Web site, and the book's rocky road into print.

You can read about me and find out why I do these crazy things.

Proof that all our needlework projects come from a higher source.

Is there a special guy in your life who helps run your quilting Web site, who drives you to fabric stores, who humors you with "Honey, but that quilt looks lovely!" when you're too embarrassed to pull it out of the closet? Honor your special guy here in our special feature Quilt Guy of the Month!

Looking for information on how to use a sewing machine with a blow stick or help for quilting if your eyesight is failing? Here's some help.

Is your cat from outer space or has she simply been abducted by aliens? Find out here.

A Quick Trick for Getting an Embroidery or Applique Pattern from Your Computer Screen to Your Fabric

This is Copyright 2002 Judy Heim. You may link to this Web page, but please, please don't distribute this material in e-mail messages or post it on your Web site or in your quilting guild newsletter without my permission. I don't make a lot of money as a writer, I'm only a scribbler because I'm seriously handicapped and can't make my living in any other fashion. I eek out a living as best as I can. I don't mind sharing what I write with other people, and in fact enjoy it very much. But when I find things that I've written on other people's Web sites without my name and used without my permission, it's hurtful and it's frustrating. In the past year I've found entire chapters of books that I've written posted on other people's Web sites without my name or my permission. I've also found essays that I've written circulating anonymously on mailing lists and in newsgroups. Please respect what other people write. I'm happy to share, but I ask only that my work be respected. If you'd like to republish this material, I ask only that you drop me a note requesting permission.

Here’s a nifty trick for transferring a black-lined pattern from your computer to fabric. This is great for transferring a quilting applique pattern to fabric, or an embroidery pattern. Simply print the pattern on ordinary paper, then iron it onto cotton fabric. That’s right, that’s all you need to do!

The image will be faint, but it should be clear enough for you to embroider over. You can also trace lightly over faint lines with a pencil or fabric pen (although fabric pens are permanent).

Will the image wash out when you’re done embroidering? Most of it will, depending upon your printer and the type of ink it uses. Obviously, you’ll need to experiment before you iron computer printer ink on to that $40-a-yard linen.

This trick works best with images printed with a laser printer. But it also works with patterns printed with an inkjet printer. Just be sure to drain any water out of your iron and turn off its steam setting before ironing the fabric, because some inkjet ink is water soluble. Does that mean the ink will run if it gets wet--like from your sweaty palms as you stitch? Possibly. That’s why you’ll need to experiment before ironing a computer printed image on to pricey fabric and stitching it.

Don't Forget! You'll need to mirror the image prior to printing it, so that when you iron it onto the fabric it looks right. You can mirror the image in your graphics software or drawing program.

IRON, IRON, IRON! PRESS DOWN WITH YOUR IRON AND APPLY LOTS OF VIGOR AND FORCE AS YOU IRON YOUR COMPUTER IMAGE ON TO FABRIC.

Why Not Print Your Pattern on the Back of Embroidery Transfer Paper?

Cut embroidery transfer paper to letter or legal size. Iron it (on a cool setting) to flatten the paper's creases. Print your embroidery pattern on the back or untreated side of the paper. Pin it to your embroidery fabric and trace right over the design on the back of the fabric with a stylus or pencil.

I know the question that is on the tip of your tongue: Where can you buy embroidery tracing paper? Get it from Clotilda’s catalog at 800/772-2891. It’s cheap, it’s indispensable. It’s also available at many sewing stores.

Fish Art Applique

Mr. Goldfish began life in my computer as an unassuming clip-fish in an Art Nouveau pose. I scanned him. Enlarged him. Twirled him around. Then printed him on paper. I ironed my pattern onto fabric (IRON, IRON, IRON!) After that I cut out the fabric pieces. I appliqued him onto quilting fabric and then I embroidered accent lines on his face and fins--which I also ironed onto the fabric after printing them on computer paper.

Cats Who Quilt is a trademark of Fruitful Plains. Text on this Web site Copyright 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Judy Heim. May not be reproduced in any form--in either e-mail messages or on Web sites without written permission. All illustrations are copyright 2000, 2001, and 2002 Irina Borisova. They may not be reproduced without permission. Photos and quilts are copyrighted by their respective artists, and may not be reproduced without their permission.