Kittens

It's been about 2 months since we got our kittens--they were about 10 weeks then.  They are healthy now and fun, fun, fun--when they are not getting into trouble--just like little kids!

It's hard to get photos of them, since they are in constant motion or asleep.  Here are a few shots:

Stitches, in his usual pose

  

Patches, on the dining room table--that's trouble!  She knows the water bottle is coming...

Stitches with the hubby

On her favorite chair--mine.  If I get up for a second she is there.

Patches, the torti girl, is sweet and lovable and loves to cuddle in my lap, especially when I'm quilting.  She was about 2 lbs when we got her and is about 3.5 lbs now.  She is so soft and purrs whenever she's still.  She can keep up with her "brother" when the 10 pm cat tussle time starts.  She can also fly--last night she leapt from the arm of my chair to land on Stitches, a good 7 feet away.  She is very talkative, and can tell time--6 am each morning she's knocking on our bedroom door to announce their bowls are empty and it's time for breakfast.

Stitches, that big boy, is very curious and can climb on top of things--it won't be long before he gets on the kitchen counters, that will mean trouble.  He loves to have his belly rubbed and cuddles in my lap just as soon as I sit down.  His purr is loud--but that's all the sound he makes.  We've only heard him "speak" twice, the first time the vet clipped his claws, he really hollered with each snip, and once when I stepped on him as I was getting their dinner and he was under foot.  He was about 2 lbs and has now grown to 5.5 lbs.  Long and lean. 

About 10 pm each night it's "cat tussle" time.  They go wild, flying from one chair to the sofa to the next chair to attack each other.  That's when my husband gets the laser light and drives them crazy, going around and around, trying to catch that red dot.  Patches gets dizzy when she stops--that's mean!  Stitches chases his tail, and catches it too.  They go crazy for about 15 minutes then they're all worn out.  Fun times.

Cat Tussle



OK, that's all the cat news for now.  Back to quilting.

Barbara

Grandmother's Choice--Fini!

I managed to get my Grandmother's Choice top finished this week:

Grandmother's Choice, 74" x 74"

This is a block of the week created by Barbara Brackman, quilt historian extraordinaire, to tell the story of the fight for voting rights for women, in this country and England and Canada.  The patterns are still available here:  Grandmother's Choice.  Each week for 49 weeks there was a block pattern and a history lesson--very interesting and educational.  The colors I chose were the colors used by the English Suffragist movement--purple and green, right up my alley.

Don't know what I'll do with this top--let it rest for a while, I suppose.  Another project I can mark "done".  Yes, I'm a "topper" sometimes, more than a "quilter". 

Thought you might enjoy seeing an antique top I bought at Long Beach from Cindy Rennels.  It is not in perfect shape but is a great collection of old fabrics and the price was right.  I love how the maker add those much smaller squares on the right side.  I'll just protect this one and use it to study the old fabrics.  I might even replicate it because that's the best way to honor the maker:  "anonymous" was a woman.

 

And here's a new project I started, easy hand work I can take with me when traveling or work on at night while listening to TV--if I can keep the kittens from helping:

They are just stuck up on the design wall--as I get more done, I'll start sewing them together.  The blocks are 6" square.

Patches and Stitches--always in constant motion, unless they're asleep!

Check out Judy L's Design Wall Monday blog to see what others are doing.

Let's Quilt!

Barbara

Small Feathers

I seem to have a thing for Feathered Star blocks and made this one to commemorate the 2013 Raffle quilt I created for our guild show, which is this October.   Here is my "baby":

I'm still hand quilting it--the wool batt is luscious to quilt with.  Then I'll bind it and add a sleeve.  It's 26" square and those feathers are 13/16" finished, the star is 12" finished.

Here is the "mama": 

It's 84" square and the star is 15" finished.  Tickets are still available for this beauty--just contact me and I'll fix you right up with as many tickets as you want--$1 each and you do not have to be present to win.

The kittens are getting adjusted.  The male was diagnosed on Saturday with a parasite, Coccidiosis, and is taking 3 meds to clear it up and control his "problem".  And we have to watch for symptoms in the female--she tested negative but it's early and she may still develop it.  They are 12 weeks old now and growing.  They sleep most of the time, then run and chase each other hard for a few minutes, then eat, "go", and sleep some more. 

Check out Judy L's Design Wall Monday blog to see what others are doing--I seem to make it by Tuesday!

Let's quilt!

Barbara

Call Me Crazy--Kitten Time!

After 10 years without a cat, I caved and went to a kitten adoption fair last Saturday.  My husband insisted we "needed" two so they could have a friend so we selected 2 sweet fur babies.  They came home yesterday, about 11 weeks old and so sweet. 

Here's Patches: 

She's still shy and a little skittish--I never know where she is hiding.  And she is not making friends very well yet.  But she purrs when she lets me hold her and she seems to be getting the lay of the land.

 

Here's Stitches:

 

Isn't he sweet?  He loves to pose for the camera so I have lots of shots of him.  He is very playful and you can hear him purring from across the room.  He thinks Patches wants to play--so why is she hissing at him all the time? 

Even though we prepared by buying all the stuff you need for cats, within minutes of being home I realized they needed collars with bells on them--so I can find them.  They are fast little kitties and I have to be careful I don't get tripped up. 

Today they'll be introduced to the studio as I have to get a small quilt done today--guild meeting tonight.  We're keeping some doors shut so we can keep an eye on them and they won't ever be left alone in the studio--there are just too many attractive dangers in there for them. 

Let's quilt--assuming the fur  babies will let me!

Barbara