A Cat's Gaze in 45 Shades: Foundation Paper Piecing a 60 x 80 Portrait Quilt
Nothing escapes the curious gaze of Mo the Cat — and in this Liam Brazier design, that gaze is built entirely from solid fabric. There are no prints to hide behind here. The Mo the Cat Quilt Kit from Legit Kits renders a cat's face through foundation paper piecing, using dozens of shades of one fabric line to create the shading, depth, and sharp lines that make the portrait read as a portrait.
What This Kit Makes
The finished size is 60 inches by 80 inches — a generous throw that will also cover a twin bed, and large enough to work as a statement wall piece. It is a full-size quilt built around a single bold image: Mo, watching. The style is graphic and modern, driven by crisp pieced edges and smooth transitions between closely related colors.
What's Included
The kit contains 45 different shades of Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Solids. That palette is the heart of the design. A cat's fur, eyes, and shadows cannot be built from five or six flat colors — they need the in-between steps, and 45 shades let the piecing move gradually from light to dark. Kona is a quilter's staple for good reason: it presses flat and holds a crease, which matters when many small seams must lie flat and meet accurately.
The kit also includes color maps. With 45 solids on the table, several shades will look nearly identical under sewing-room light. The maps tell you exactly which shade belongs in which section, so the gradient you finish with is the one the designer intended. Legit Kits describes the kit as including everything a foundation paper piece quilter could want — the maps are a big part of that, because organization is half the work here.
A note on scope: the description lists the Kona solids and color maps, and does not list backing, batting, or binding as included. Plan to choose those once your top is underway.
Skill Level: Who This Suits
This kit is made for the foundation paper piece quilter. The technique itself — sew on the printed line, fold, trim, press, repeat — is straightforward, but a 60 x 80 top built from 45 shades means many units and many joins. A confident beginner who has completed a smaller paper-pieced project will find this a rewarding step up. If you have never paper pieced, learn the basics on a small block first.
How Long It Takes
Expect a multi-session project rather than a weekend finish. Accuracy at this size comes from steady sessions, not marathons. Work section by section, complete each unit fully before starting the next, and the top will come together without the drift that creeps in when piecing is rushed.
Tips for Success
Label everything before you sew. Sort the 45 Kona shades against the color maps as soon as you open the kit, and keep labeled offcuts labeled. In a palette this deep, swapping two neighboring shades early can quietly shift an entire gradient.
Use a short stitch length. Shorter stitches perforate the foundation paper as you sew, so it tears away cleanly at the end and your seams stay secure.
Press and trim as you go. Kona solids press crisply — take advantage of it. Trim each addition evenly and press before adding the next piece, so units stay flat and sections join without puckers.
Check the portrait from a distance. A design built entirely from solids lives or dies on value placement. Pin up finished sections, step back, and confirm Mo's gaze reads clearly before joining the largest pieces. A phone photo helps too — the camera is ruthless about value mistakes.
Leave foundations in until units are complete. The paper is both guide and stabilizer; removing it early invites the precise sections this design depends on to skew.
The result is a quilt with real presence: a watchful cat, built shade by shade, with the precision that makes foundation paper piecing worth learning well.
Shop the Mo the Cat Quilt Kit at Linda's Electric Quilters.
