Upon becoming an apprentice (a warrior or medicine cat in training), '-paw' replaces '-kit' at the end of the character's name (Bluepaw, Bramblepaw, Tallpaw, etc.). As a kitten, the character's name ends with '-kit' (Bluekit, Bramblekit, Tallkit, etc.). The name's suffix varies through the character's lifespan and position within the Clan, with the bestowing of the new name being a component of the ceremonies marking these role changes. Each cat's name has a prefix (Blue, Bramble, Tall, etc.) which generally stays constant throughout their life. The teacher for whom this gift was made was very fond of cats, so I wanted each piece to be recognizeable as a cat.In the Warriors universe, the characters in the five warrior Clans (ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, ShadowClan, and Sk圜lan) have names composed of two parts. You can make a tessellating piece that is very abstract and let participants draw whatever shapes they can fit on their tile. Note: Here is where you have to decide on the goal of the project:ġ- Have recognizeable cats, no matter how they are decorated orĢ - Give the decorators more options in decoration. The second set of ears will become a skinny cat. I wanted to have two different kinds of cats, so I drew one set of ears 'upside down' and SLID it down to the bottom of the square. I drew cat ears on the bottom and SLID the ear shapes up to the top of the square = TRANSLATION.ģ. I modified the square using the technique of TRANSLATION - removing a part from one side of the base shape, and SLIDING over to the opposite side. The base shape must fit closely together, with NO spaces in between individual pieces. Common shapes used are equilateral triangles, diamond, and squares.

Tessellations are repeating tile-shapes, and can can be made using several base shapes. It might be fun to make a set of cat pieces for Halloween decorations. And, since all the pieces interlock, they can be assembled and reassembled in numerous variations.Ĭat tessellations can also be hung together for a window/wall decoration, or, with added magnets, be fun fridge or white-board decorations. Tessellations are wonderful for group projects because each person can decorate the tiles in a unique fashion, but they can also all be combined to make a larger focal piece. (Too bad I forgot to take a picture of ALL the cats that were given away - this was several years ago and the teacher has since retired).

We had a bunch of extra cats, which family members decorated and are pictured here. My daughter and her friends decorated lots of cats, which were then given to her teacher. Good examples of tessellation can be found in the works of M.C.

I made cats that interlocked, in a space filling, repeating pattern, called a tessellation. This instructable describes how I made a set of cat puzzle pieces as a gift for my daughter's teacher. I also like to cut stuff out using my scroll saw - though cutting lots of the same item sucks and would be MUCH easier with a laser cutter (pardon me while I wipe the drool off my chin thinking about an Epilog laser cutter :-). I like cats, I like group projects and I like puzzles (as a social activity).

Warrior cat tessellation