2019 Caterpillar Rileyblakedesign.com
 

When I got this panel a few years back, I did not see it before purchasing, long story…anyway our SIL does excavating but they don’t like yellow, so this may or may not end up with them. It is a horizontal panel approx. 41 x 36….. I have looked through many sites, and 39 pages on quiltwoman …so far my preference is to do some kind of bargello on top and bottom, and then thin basic borders on the sides to make a throw size.
Was looking to see if I could find a design that actually looked like the tracks of an excavator but haven’t come up with that yet. Any other ideas floating out there? Thanks!

ha! When I saw your title, I was thinking "caterpillar" as in the creepy crawly bug type ... not A "CAT"
And to think I used to work CAT. :)

For your track design what about a variation of bricks and mortar?

BTW ... great picture ... angry sky looking like it's ready to let go with a cloudburst, while the CAT has some good light focusing on it. Maybe a bolt of lightening?

A chevron with sashing between all the pieces makes a good tire pattern, but I don't know if you want to put that much into a boarder. Might be fun to go with a brown batik for the boarder and put the tire pattern into the quilting.

I thought it was "The Hungry Catterpillar" panel also. Once a Project Linus maker, your mind just goes to childrens items....sorry about that. With the darkend skies in the CAT panel it looks more like the Angry Catterpillar. I'm no help about a border...sorry about that also!

If you want to go the bargello route, I think earth tones with short dark pieces for the 'treads' might work. Just a very gentle curve instead of zig zag. To me, that would look like the track a CAT would make through a job site.

Yellow is a color that I avoid. I would go with a colorful border with no yellow.

Have you seen this pattern?
https://spoolandbobbinquilting.com/b/yC9fF
You could vary the colors or fabric type in the blocks to more resemble the tread tracks?

How about creating a window effect? Looking out a window at the scene.

Thanks everyone for the ideas, I have hung it back in the closet for now. Still have a couple more projects I should be working on first!