The intent, focused gaze of this Himalayan cat intrigued me. I designed this quilt from a photograph provided by the owner. I used all commercial cotton fabrics for his body, and a perfectly matched silk for his eyes as I liked the sheen and depth of it. The technique is all applique/reverse applique with satin stitched raw edges. I use tear-away stabilizer for the satin stitching. Once it's gone, the fabric has a nice flexible feel and you get good depth with the quilting. Once the quilt is sandwiched, I stitch invisible thread around each piece to accentuate the detail - this step, while it takes awhile, really makes the portrait come alive.