Around the World in Strips: Sewing an Animal-Themed Cuddle Quilt
A quilt can be a geography lesson you can nap under. The Sensational Strips Cuddle® Kit Our Planet from Shannon Fabrics gathers popular animals from all of the world's continents and oceans into one soft strip quilt — from a quail on land to a "cuddle fish" in the sea. If you have been looking for a Cuddle project that works for a child, an animal lover, or a classroom, library, or playroom corner, this kit is a useful example of how a strong theme and a simple strip format carry a quilt.
What This Kit Makes
The finished quilt measures approximately 58 inches by 58 inches. That square format is versatile: large enough to cover a lap, spread out as a play surface, or fold over the foot of a twin bed, and small enough to stay manageable to sew, wash, and store. The rows also read clearly when the quilt is draped or hung, so the animal prints stay the focus.
The theme does a lot of the design work here. Because the prints travel from continent to ocean, the quilt invites pointing, naming, and talking — the kind a child keeps returning to because there is always another animal to find. A coordinated kit matters for a theme like this: the fabrics have been selected to work together, so the rows feel like one trip around the planet rather than a stack of unrelated prints.
What's Included — and What You Still Need
The kit supplies the Cuddle fabrics for the strip-quilt top in Shannon Fabrics' signature plush Cuddle cloth, with the animals already curated into a coordinated set. What it does not include is the backing. The product notes call for approximately 2 1/4 yards of coordinating fabric to complete the quilt, so plan that purchase alongside the kit rather than discovering the gap at the layering stage.
Choosing the backing is a genuine design decision. A smooth, solid Cuddle backing keeps the focus on the animal strips, while a tone that picks up one of the ocean or land colors ties the quilt together. Buy it before you start sewing, so you can check the color against the top fabrics in natural light and the project never stalls waiting for a finishing material.
Skill Level and Time
Strip quilts are one of the friendliest introductions to quilting, because the core skill is sewing long, straight seams and keeping the rows in order. That makes this format a sensible choice for a confident beginner ready for a first full quilt, and a relaxed make for an experienced sewist. There are no small pieces to track and no intricate points to match, so your attention can go to handling the plush fabric well.
Plan on a few sewing sessions rather than a single sitting — a 58-inch square top, plus layering, quilting, and finishing, is realistically a weekend project for most makers. Sew the strips in one session, layer and quilt in the next, and finish when you are fresh enough to keep your edges tidy.
Tips for Success with Cuddle Fabric
Cuddle is a plush fabric with a nap, and a few habits make it behave. First, check the nap direction before you sew — run your hand down each strip; it should feel smooth in the same direction on every row, so the finished quilt looks even and the animals sit upright. Second, use plenty of pins or clips along long seams, because plush layers like to creep as they feed. A walking foot and a slightly longer stitch length help the layers move together.
Third, expect fluff: cutting and handling Cuddle releases lint, so shake cut pieces out outside before bringing them back to your machine, and clean the bobbin area when you finish. Finally, press gently and from the back if you press at all — high heat and hard pressure can flatten the pile you chose this fabric for.
Shop the Sensational Strips Cuddle® Kit Our Planet at Linda's Electric Quilters.
