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Want to add a baby to any block in my quilt patterns?

It’s easy!

You just need to print the baby at a reduced size!

There’s a post here with more info. (scroll down to the section called “Print at 100% Size – No Scaling”)

In a nutshell – tell your printer you DON’T want to print at 100%.

Here’s an example of my print screen. The exact layout and terminology will be different for every printer and operating system, but they all have the same basic info.

In order to print patterns at the “correct” size you make sure the scale is set at 100% – but really you can set it at anything you like!

How do you know what size to use? Well, that takes a little trial and error and I recommend doing some test printouts on inexpensive paper before you print on your fusible adhesive. Here are some samples I tried for my cats. In all the samples below, the mama is printed at 100% size – I just changed the size of the baby.

Here’s a mama at 100% and a baby at 90%. Too close. It looks more like a mama and papa – which would also be fun!

Here’s the mama at 100% with the baby at 80%. Maybe the baby is a teenager?

Here the mama cat is 100% and the baby is at 70%. This is getting closer to what I was imagining.

Here the baby is printed at 60% size. This might be perfect! But I’m going to go down one more step just to see. The eyes might be too small to work with if I go smaller.

This is it! The baby is printed at 50% to make a tiny little kitten. The eyes are JUST big enough that I can still applique them, and I love the look.

So – here’s the video showing how I did it!

See? Easy peasy – and so sweet!

Here’s the link I promised to the post about all the different alternatives to applique eyes.

And here’s the link to the Cuddly Cats quilt pattern where this cutie is just one of the fourteen cats included. But you can do this with any blocks from any of my applique patterns. Just play around with the sizes until you’re happy with the look you get!

Here are links to all the posts showing how to applique with fusible adhesive – my favorite method. It’s fast and easy and (with the right materials) it holds up beautifully to rough use and repeated washing.

• How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – a very basic intro
• How Durable is Applique with Fusible Adhesive?
• Fusible Applique the Easy Way – the way I currently work – use with any of my patterns that include SVG files
• How to Use a Light Box to Layer Your Applique – perfect placement every time
• How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – photo tutorial – use with any of my patterns that do not include SVG files
• How to Applique with Fusible Adhesive – video tutorial – use with any of my patterns that do not include SVG files

Here are links to special posts about eyes.

• Easy Eye Options for Applique
• Using Fabric Markers and Paints for Small Eyes
• Free Embroidery Machine Files for Machine-Stitched Eyes
• How to Machine Stitch Eyes without an Embroidery Machine
• How to Minimize Show-Through on White Eyes
• How to Applique Dark Eyes on Dark Faces
• How to Add Catchlights to Eyes

Here are links to some extra fun things you can do with your applique.

• How to Add a Baby Animal to Any Block
• How to Squish Two Animals into One Block
• How to Add Playful 3D Bits to Your Applique
• How to Add Soft 3D Pieces to your Quilt Block
• How to Add a Door (that Opens!) to Your Quilt Block
• How to Give Your Monster an Underbite
• Fake Trapunto (Stuffed) Applique
• Broderie Perse Applique

Other Applique Methods

• How to Applique with Freezer Paper
• How to Do Needle Turn Applique

Finished with this topic?

Return to the Let’s Make a Quilt main Table of Contents.

Move on to the lessons about outline stitching.

Happy stitching!