behind the scenes:
Paws Up! quilt

detail of Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com — Mini sample shown made with Redux by Giuseppe Ribaudo (AKA Giucy Giuce) for Andover Fabrics. Pieced and quilted with Aurifil Cotton thread.

Raise your paws if you love cats and dogs! I’m super excited to release my new Paws Up! quilt pattern.

Our recently adopted four-year-old Yellow Lab mix, Casey, was the inspiration for Paws Up! Shortly after we adopted her, we discovered that she not only loves to sleep on her back but it is super comfortable for her to stretch one of her long legs up in the air and leave it there while she sleeps. The first time we witnessed this we must have stared (and giggled) at her for 15 minutes.

Happy Gotcha Day! Adopting Casey.
The three of us moments after we signed Casey’s adoption paperwork.

Casey, a yellow lab mix loves sleeping with her leg up in the air.
Casey, a yellow lab mix loves sleeping with her leg up in the air.

Casey was my muse for designing and drafting Paws Up!, an intermediate foundation paper piecing pattern. Each Paws Up! block, which consists of 2 paws/legs, measures 30″ x 30″. The pattern includes fabric requirements and layouts for 4 sizes— Mini (30″ x 30″), Throw, Twin and Queen. While I think of my Paws Up! quilts as dogs paws, they can certainly be cats too!

Over the past few months I’ve been making LOTS of paws— they look great in solids and prints. Let’s take a look at some of the quilts I’ve been making.

Paws Up! in solid fabrics

I had a lot of fun working with my friends at Art Gallery Fabrics to select fur, pad and claw inspired colors to make a Queen size Paws Up! quilt. Art Gallery recently added 20 new colors to their PURE SOLIDS collection, so I had plenty of choices. Narrowing it down to just 8 sets of colors for the legs/paws was challenging!

Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com

Art Gallery PURE SOLIDS

The final fabric selection was (all Art Gallery Fabrics PURE SOLIDS):
Fur: Mink, Coffee Bean, Vanilla Custard, Chocolate, Macchiato, Moonstone, Raw Gold and Mystic Grey
Pads & Claws: Miami Sunset, Blossomed, Gentle Feather, Steel, Cotton Candy, Magnetism, Smooth Pebble and Caviar
Background: White Linen

Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com
Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com

even more Paws Up!

Every time I went into a fabric shop (or looked through my own stash) I kept seeing more potential paws!

Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com
Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com
Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com

Throw size version of Paws Up! with QT Fabrics:
Fur (all Ombre Stitches): Black, Gray, Straw and Brown
Pads & Claws (all Color Blends): Wild Rose, Pewter, Graphite and Charcoal
Background: Illusions Small Dot
Quilted with Aurifil 40wt. cotton—2692 (black), 2606 (gray), 2312 (cream), 2340 (brown), 2024(white), 

 

Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com — Mini sample shown made with Redux by Giuseppe Ribaudo (AKA Giucy Giuce) for Andover Fabrics. Pieced and quilted with Aurifil Cotton thread.

detail of Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com — Mini sample shown made with Redux by Giuseppe Ribaudo (AKA Giucy Giuce) for Andover Fabrics. Pieced and quilted with Aurifil Cotton thread.
Mini size version of Paws Up! with Redux by Giuseppe Ribaudo (aka Giucy Giuce) for Andover Fabrics. Quilted with Aurifil 40wt. cotton—2870 (green), 2000 (off-white), 2692 (black)

Paws Up! is a tribute to all of the dogs and cats looking for their forever homes.

Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com

Casey napping with her Paw Up—the inspiration for Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com

make your own Paws Up!

Paws Up! an intermediate foundation paper pieced quilt pattern celebrating dogs and cats. Pattern makes 4 sizes—Mini, Throw, Twin and Queen. Pattern available at www.wholecirclestudio.com
Dog and cat lovers unite! Make your own Paws Up! for an animal lover in your life or for yourself. Get your copy of the pattern here.

UPDATE: Check out Whole Circle Studio LIVE! (episode #3, aired May 2, 2020) — meet Casey, hear about her adoption story and learn how she inspired Paws Up!
Welcome to Whole Circle Studio LIVE! Join us every Saturday at noon ET as we chat about what's happening in the Studio, give Studio updates, quilting tips, and chat about awesome things. This week we introduce you to the third member of the Studio and our family, Casey—our adorable yellow lab mix and the inspiration behind my Paws Up! quilt pattern. See photos of Paws Up! and get the quilt pattern.

 

Go make something great,


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