Windham Fabrics Cat Tales Too - Downloadable PDF

Cat Tales Too Quilt Pattern by Wendy Sheppard for Windham Fabrics

Cat Tales Too is a free, downloadable PDF quilt pattern designed by Wendy Sheppard and published by Windham Fabrics. Rated at an intermediate skill level, this charming quilt is a wonderful project for quilters who are comfortable with foundational piecing and are ready to explore appliqué work. The finished quilt measures a generous 80" x 96", making it an ideal size for a bed throw or large lap blanket.

What Is Being Made

Cat Tales Too is a pieced and appliquéd quilt top in the blankets and throws category. The design features a variety of distinct blocks — identified in the pattern as Block 1 through Block 5 — each with its own unique cutting and construction requirements. The playful cat-themed aesthetic is brought to life through the use of Mod Cats fabric by Whistler Studios, a Windham Fabrics collection. Because of the variety of blocks involved, the pattern specifically instructs quilters to cut and organize all pieces by block number before beginning construction, a helpful tip that reflects the complexity and planning required at the intermediate level.

Techniques Used

• Appliqué — explicitly noted as a required technique for this pattern. Appliqué involves cutting fabric shapes and attaching them to a background fabric to create decorative motifs, in this case likely cat-themed figures that complement the Mod Cats fabric line.
• Precision rotary cutting — the pattern calls for a wide range of carefully sized rectangles, squares, and template-based pieces, requiring accurate cutting for blocks to align properly.
• Template piecing — Block 2 requires the use of Templates 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as their reversed versions, indicating curved or irregular shaped pieces that go beyond standard straight-cut patchwork.
• Strip piecing and subcutting — multiple fabric cuts are made from width-of-fabric (WOF) strips, which are then subcut into the specific rectangles and squares needed for each block.
• Border construction — the pattern includes both an inner border and an outer border, each assembled by piecing WOF strips together and subcutting to the required lengths to frame the quilt top.

Block Breakdown

The quilt is composed of five distinct block types, each contributing to the overall design:

• Block 1 — Uses a variety of rectangles including 3-1/2" x 4-1/2", 3-1/2" x 5", 1-1/2" x 5-1/2", and 2-1/2" x 14-1/2" pieces, cut from WOF strips.
• Block 2 — Incorporates template-cut pieces (Templates 2, 3, 4, and 5, plus their reversed counterparts) along with standard rectangles such as 3" x 4", 1-1/2" x 14-1/2", and 3-1/2" x 9-1/2" pieces.
• Block 3 — Features 4-1/2" x 5-1/2" rectangles, 4" squares, 3" x 8" rectangles, and 1-1/2" x 14-1/2" strips, suggesting a structured, geometric layout.
• Block 4 — Calls for 3-1/2" x 5", 3-1/2" x 4-1/2", 2-1/2" squares, and 1-1/2" x 5-1/2" rectangles, creating a compact and varied block composition.
• Block 5 — Includes larger pieces such as 9-1/2" x 13-1/2" rectangles alongside narrower 1-1/2" x 14-1/2" strips and 3" x 3-1/2" pieces, likely serving as a feature or showcase block within the quilt layout.

Borders

• Inner Border 2 — Cut from fabric SKU 37098-2 (Ash), using eight 1-1/2" x WOF strips pieced and subcut to 1-1/2" x 70-1/2" and 1-1/2" x 84