Quilting - QAYG quilt incorporating handstitched cat squares with bright borders

I finished up this QAYG cat quilt on the weekend.  I did not do a traditional QAYG using the backer as the piece that wrapped to the front to create a sashing effect.  Instead I made my "front" larger and wrapped it to the back.  The gray squares are 10" and I made the cat squares 12".  You can see that bright colourful border worked out quite well without any fussing about the order of the pieces.  I added a precut 3" square of black and white fabric to the back which allowed me to quilt the batting (one layer of flannel and one of white cotton) to the back all the while stitching the square onto the gray back. 

I had to add a layer of white towards the front of the quilt because some of the poly cotton I used for the borders was quite see through which allowed the flannel pattern to show through.

I laid the colourful cat square over the gray backer squares and then stitched all around the inside edge of the cat squares to provide another layer of quilting.  I used black thread in the bobbin so the stitching adds a bit more interest to the back as well. Check out the  photo below.  Once all the squares were done I laid them out and figured an arrangement for them then started sewing them together.  See the photo below.  There are photos of the front and back of the first row.  I stitched all five rows and then used the same technique to sew my rows to each other.  Finally, to bind the edge you simply fold the outside edge over twice and stitch it in place all the way around like any other quilt binding.  I like the front a lot and the back has a lot more interest!!!  I will likely decorate both the back and the front on my next QAYG quilt as well.  

Therese