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Spooky – a free cat applique pattern

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

You can add this free cat applique pattern to your Cuddly Cats quilt pattern if you like. I designed it especially to have really terrific eyes for a black cat – but you can make it any color you like.

I love black cats! I grew up with two of them – Nasty and Gandalf. But it can be tricky to applique the eyes on a black cat. Almost all of my animals in all of my applique patterns have simple black oval eyes. That helps give all my designs a cohesive look – and they’re also simple to applique. But what if the animal you’re making is black? Black bears, black panda eyes, black raccoon eyes, black penguin eyes, and, of course, black cat eyes.

This post shows you a quick and easy trick to applique dark eyes on dark faces. But I really love black cats and I really wanted to make a free cat applique pattern with big, glowy cat eyes.

So I did!

Especially for Halloween, I created this spooky black cat applique – a single block applique pattern – with huge luminous green eyes. I love her! And the pattern is the same size as the blocks in the Cuddly Cats quilt so you can mix and match if you like. 🙂

There’s a tutorial here with instructions for making a hanging sleeve so you can make your block into a Halloween wall decoration. It’s easy!

Here’s how to make the block. (This video shows all the steps for working with fusible adhesive – if you’ve never done it before you’ll find it helpful.)

Step 1

Download the template pieces here.

Step 2

Trace or print the pattern onto the paper side of the fusible adhesive.

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

I use this printable fusible adhesive so I just printed out the page. No tracing!

The image has already been reversed, so just trace or print. If you’re tracing, be sure to trace the facial features too. You’ll need those for Step 5.

Step 3

Rough cut around each shape and fuse it to the back of your fabric.

applique pattern pieces cut out - from the Spooky free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

Leave a little bit extra all the way around ­- a little extra extra (at least 1/4 inch) where there’s a dotted line, like the top of neck shoulders and the base of the ears.

Step 4

Cut around each piece neatly. Cut directly on the solid lines.

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

Leave a little seam allowance on the dotted lines ­- the top of the neck and the base of the ears will tuck behind the head.

Step 5

Remember when I told you to make sure you traced the facial features in Step 1? Now you’re going to use that. Hold the face up to a window so the light shines through it. You’ll be able to see the lines, and the adhesive will stabilize the fabric so you can trace on it without it crinkling up.

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

Since this is a dark fabric, I traced with a white chalk pencil.

Here you can see all the tracing I did – without the light shining through.

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

I traced the whiskers and mouth exactly, since I’ll be stitching over those lines. I traced the nose a little smaller, and just marked the corners of the eyes to help me position the applique pieces later.

Step 6

If you’re doing Quilt As You Go (I did) then you can quilt your block before adding the applique. So easy!

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

I used a bunch of orange scrappy strips all sewn together for a super textured background, but you can use just one solid square.

Cut your background fabric and a piece of 100% cotton batting 11 inches square.

Layer the block with a piece of 100% cotton batting. Quilt any pattern you like!

Find all the Quilt As You Go tutorials here.

If you’ll do the quilting later, simply skip this step.

Step 7

Peel off the paper backing and arrange the pieces on a background block. Tuck the ears and the neck behind the head.

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

Remember -­ all the dotted lines indicate where pieces tuck behind other pieces.

Fuse the pieces in place.

Step 8

Outline all the pieces with black thread and a simple straight stitch – or choose your favorite decorative stitch.

Spooky - free cat applique pattern from Shiny Happy World

This video has some tips for outlining those tight curves.

Done!

One free cat applique pattern, all finished!

If you’re making a one-block project, go ahead and finish it up!

If you’re making a bunch of cats to join into a quilt -­ have fun!

Please share a photo of what you make! You can share it in the Shiny Happy People group or tag it with #shinyhappyworld on Instagram.

Happy stitching!

32 COMMENTS

  1. Dianna Winfree SAYS...

    Thank you for the cat pattern. I love cats. Mine are Tootie, Max and Sissy.

  2. Charlotte Ceeko SAYS...

    love this cat he’s so mischievies

  3. Judy Francis SAYS...

    Wendi this cat is so cute. I love it. I will be making this soon.

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    • LaJuana Scruggs SAYS...

      I’m sorry but I don’t understand what you mean by subscribe first. I became a subscriber to your YouTube videos and then a member to your web-site in one day. the pattern I downloaded (SpookyCat & Coffee sleeve) did not have the full size there for me to printout and cut from. What happened?

      • So you were able to download the patterns, but they were missing the pages with the pattern pieces? That’s very strange. It sounds like something may have been glitching – I would just try it again. The instructions and patter pieces are all in one file – the pattern pieces are at the end. And make sure you give it time to download the entire file – sometimes it takes a few minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

  5. Sharon Owens SAYS...

    Thank you for this pattern! I love black cats and have had several. My current companion is named Shadow. He is the most curious cat I’ve known

  6. Elizabeth Sowers SAYS...

    LOVE this black cat! Can’t wait to try it,this will be my first applique. My black kitty named Salem passed away & this will be a great way to remember him. Can u pleasuring one for a bulldog? My Matilyda just passed away Feb 3rd & I’d love to do one of her & this c a t! Thank u! Loving it site & everything about it!!!

  7. Diane Farrugia SAYS...

    Thank you for the Cat pattern. Its too gorgeous. 🙂

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  9. Sheryl Miller SAYS...

    Thank you so much for the great pattern. I love your blog. You are a very talented lady!

    • Thanks so much! Have fun with the kitty pattern. 🙂

  10. Gale SAYS...

    Thanks for posting this very cute spooky kitty pattern. I used it to make a pillow cover for my 3 year old granddaughter and it turned out great. She loves it.

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  12. Patricia Campbell SAYS...

    Hello 🙂
    I discovered your site through International Quilter’s Assn. and I’m so happy I did! Your patterns are absolutely adorable {hmmm.. my exclamation point is showing up as a lower case ‘L’} Anyway!! {see? hahaha}, my youngest daughter has TWO black kitties – Pierre and Cowboy – and I am so excited to make her two of these with purple-ish / gray batiks for backgrounds. The only thing I’ll change is for one kitty, one of the ears I’ll flop over as Cowboy has a funny ear. That way they will always know who’s who. hahaha
    Now I’m going to go search for the kitty quilt you mentioned because my oldest daughter has ….. SIX kitties. Yeah. She and her hubbie are such sweethearts and suckers for a sad sack story. All rescue cats.

    Thank you [exclamation point]
    Patricia {aka: Ivy’s Grammy}

      • Izaura Maria Carelli SAYS...

        Thanks for sharing the cat pattern. It´s beautiful.

  13. Marcella Johnston SAYS...

    Wendi,
    Thank you for your tutorials. I am a new quilter (retired and needed a hobby-$$$). I’m going to use your technique. You have inspired me.
    Blessings,
    Marcie

  14. Ingrid Koppers SAYS...

    Thank you so much, looking forward to stitching this out. Love cats

  15. Marianne Christensen SAYS...

    Hi! I’m just crazy about your patterns…Love them all 🙂 Cats (i have Mr. Frodo and Mr. Eddie) monsters, birds, forrest animals, dogs…Love love love…greatings from Denmark. from Marianne

  16. Janet Wilson SAYS...

    Thank you for the free “Spooky” pattern! I have a black cat,too. Her name is Lucy. I also have 6 other cats: Harry, Pumpkinhead, Flossie, Nellie, Snoot, and LittleGirl. I have had cats all my life. Lucy was being abused at the house I worked (private duty nurse), and she “stowed away” in my car one night. I never took her back. She took a leap of faith and joined our family! My husband also feeds a possum, many birds & squirrels, a raccoon family, and deer.

  17. Annette M Dombrowski SAYS...

    I did the spooky cat. Its so cute! Thank you for offering a few free patterns!

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  20. Dottie SAYS...

    Love kitty cats! I grew up with Spicey & Bootsie. My Mom got rid of Bootsie because it was multitoed, would lie on the floor & suck it’s “thumb.” She just hated that sucking noise. LOL Nice cat, though.

  21. PAT NIETO SAYS...

    THANK YOU FOR THE FREE CAT PATTERN. WHEN WILL I RECEIVED MY CLUB MEERK CAT PATTERN

    • I don’t see an order for the Meerkat pattern using this email address. If you signed up using a different email address, please be sure to check that inbox. If you need me to resend it, please email me at smile@shinyhappyworld.com and let me know what email address you used to join the club. 🙂