The last conversation I had with my friend Carri was about cats. We giggled over this image.
We all know house cats love boxes. What about big cats?
Day 21: Cats in Boxes
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Tag Archives: cat
Day 13: Aurifil and Rocket Ships
Another #31dayblogchallenge post.
When the dementors circle it’s difficult to focus. Gratitude can be the patronis charm needed to fight off depression. It’s one of those days so here are some things I’m thankful for.
- Friends and strangers who’ve stepped up and offered to help with the Turtles Quilt. Many are making tree blocks for the final border. Thank you! The block tutorial is here if you’d like to help too.
- Aurifil thread. I’m so grateful to Glenni for granting my thread wish during the #getyourquiltywishesgranted community event.
- Kitty snuggles. This one will tolerate photographs of things plopped on top of him if head scratches are involved. I love how openly cats show affection. There’s no guess work involved.
- Oreo ice cream. No explanation needed on this one methinks.
- Rocket ships. I’m hand embroidering this one as I veg out in front of the TV. It’s for Conrad’s quilt which I learned about through #getyourquiltywishesgranted. I’ve seen photos of him happily receiving other blocks and am excited to send this one his way. You know, once it’s finished.
Day 5: My Kitties
Check back all month during the #31dayblogchallenge for daily posts.
This one happens to be about cats. ‘Cause I like cats. Chances are, if you post a photo of your cat on Instagram I’ll heart it. (I’m quiltartbymegan on there.) I might also like your quilt or landscape pictures but the furry felines will almost always get my attention. So here’s a few pictures of my four kitties for your enjoyment.
Let’s start with the youngest, Wormy. She’s difficult to photograph! Wormy’s a squirmy little runner but does enjoy drinking from the faucet. She’s very talkative when my husband and I wake up in the morning and likes to be pet inside her box on top of a dresser.
Next is LokiBear. She’s my sewing buddy and president of my husband’s fanclub. Seriously. If I’m petting her and he walks in she’s by his side in a flash. LokiBear loves to be snuggled under the covers and can be territorial. (I get to snuggle my husband too! Sheesh girly!)
Velcro is so named because he stuck to everything as a kitten. He has a bit better claw control now but still makes the velcro-ripping sound when he runs across carpet. Silly boy! He’s our gentle kitty. When he wants to snuggle he waits for you to look over at him before jumping up, like asking permission. Want him to love you forever? Bring beef jerky.
Here’s Milo. He’s a stubborn boy who thinks he can do whatever he wants. Thankfully what he wants to do is usually acceptable, like curl up next to my head to sleep. Or clean behind the other cats’ ears. Sweet stubborn kitty.
Window to my Art
Soon I’ll have an art studio! Hubby and I installed a new window today. Yup, all by ourselves. 🙂
Our cat Milo didn’t approve. His hiding spot is under the covers. (I see you!) He’s not going to be happy tomorrow when we replace the bedroom window. The kitties will be locked out of the bedroom while there’s a gigantic hole in the wall.
My husband started the job by unscrewing the window and removing the frame and track. We set those aside to deal with after the installation.
We discovered that he’s much better with the caulking gun than I am. So my job was to squish the silicone into the holes and smooth it out.
The window easily slid into its space. I pushed from the outside and Jeff screwed the frame into the wall from inside. It’s a nice tight fit. The window on the left in the photo below is the old style. How much nicer does this one look?! All of the windows in the house will be replaced. First one’s done!
Clean-up was fun. It’s not everyday you get to smash a window! We hammered the glass out, swept it up, and put it in the bin for recycling. The metal track and frames were sawed smaller and recycled too.
I’m excited to see things progressing! The studio will be ready for me soon. We’re going to put bamboo flooring in. The closet doors need to be put back up (we took ’em down to paint) and then… and then… and then… well, I guess there’s nothing left to do but move in!
Linking up with Thankful Thursday.
Baby Tortuga, Honu, Schildkrote and More.
This week’s blog post will be an update of the various things I’ve been working on while recovering from being sick. (Yay antibiotics!)
I’ve been doing a lot of handwork on the couch with my kitty keeping me company. Her name is Loki. We call her Loki Bear because when she’s really excited that you’ve come in the room she stands up on her hind-legs so you can reach her head easier and give her love… which looks like a circus bear trick. The living room, open first room, hallway, and kitchen aren’t completely cat-safe yet. There are lots of hidey-holes and dangerous things to get into. So the cats, in general, spend all of their time in the master suite. Loki Bear is the exception. She’s learned that she can be out here as long as she stays on the couch. Smart girl.
Remember the summer camp quilts for the turtle and turkey clans that I’m working on? Here are some of my previous posts on the topic: Turtles, Turkeys, Wolves and Bears Oh My!, The Turkeys are Here and Like a Herd of Turtles.
This week I’ve been doing some hand-embroidery for the turtle quilt. One thing that I admire about Crystal Lake Camps is the emphasis on diversity. Every summer there are international campers and counselors. During the years that I was a camper I befriended people from Mexico, Russia, and Germany. Since then it’s become even more multi-national. In honor of this, I researched how to write the word “turtle” in many languages. These blocks will become part of the turtles clan quilt for the lodge. Here are the completed ones I have so far. Many more to come!
I also sewed the buttons onto these and other card holders that will be added to my etsy shop tonight. Isn’t the baby rattle fabric cute?! They’d be perfect for baby-shower gift cards to help pay for… diapers! Isn’t that what most parents use those gift cards for?
As always, I do custom orders! If you’d like some gift card holders for a special occasion please let me know. Fabrics can be for every occasion. I can make ’em individually and in bulk as well.
Somebunny Hid the Cottons!
I’m working my way through Tula Pink’s newest book City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks with some quilty friends of mine. One of the cool things about this book is that the author encourages you to name your own blocks, providing numbers to reference them by.
Here’s my version of #87. I call it “Hide the Cottons!” It reminds me of a map of a fabric store. Not a quilt shop, mind you, but a JoAnns-ish fabric store. Where are buttons? All over the store. Where’s the fabric? Easily accessible and plain to see. How about the quilting cottons? Well… those are hidden in the dark recesses of this itty-bitty corner where the dust bunnies breed. Ugh!
Speaking of bunnies, I had the chance to meet one that wasn’t made of dust (or cat hair) this weekend! Our neighbor’s cat chased him into the garage, where we had to move a bunch of boxes and poke him with a 2×4 before he was caught. We decided to put him in a cat-carrier cage until the neighbor’s cat had been let in for the night, hoping to save little cotton tail from becoming dinner. I even offered him some carrots but he was busy being scared out of his mind. Here’s the little guy in the carrier.
When it was time to let him go, my husband picked him up with welding gloves on. Wild animals are known to bite, right? Safety first!
I gave him some pets before he hopped home. He calmed right down and squinted his eyes when I stroked the top of his head and the base of his ears. Hubby said his heart-rate slowed way down, too, from what he could tell through the gloves. 
So cute.
On A Good Day
Here’s my newest completed piece, “On A Good Day.” It measures 48×12 inches and was sewn entirely by hand. It’s pieced, appliqued, embroidered, couched and quilted. Texture, value and repetition were important to me when in the design stages.
This quilt began as a challenge in a quilting group. Each artist is making a piece of this size using the same red fabric. The quilts can then both be displayed as a group and stand individually. I think I’m the first one completely finished, but I’ll let you know if these ever go to a show or exhibit.
I leave you with a photo of my fuzzy helper, Milo. He likes to lay on my pillow and hug my arm while I’m doing handwork. Very cute.
It’s Also a Bathtub
Motel living has me really appreciating everything for its multi-functionality. Our nightstand holds the laptop computer and (clean!) underwear. The ice bucket holds our utensils. The bed, of course, makes a nice surface to assemble and sew quilts. It’s also a fun kitty fort. A spotlight is clipped onto the vacuum handle. I’ve taken to scooping kitty litter twice a day. Why? i’m usually pretty lazy about cleaning in general, but take a look at this litter box location.
Nevermind; don’t look at it. My camera’s battery isn’t taking a charge. No photographs for now. Grrr….
Anyway, the litter box is snuggled in next to our mini refrigerator. Ew. Also, we’ve seen a few bugs. It’s not too bad, just one or two tiny things each night. So as not to attract them, food is stored in airtight containers. Our food, and the cats’ food as well. The shower is where we clean our bodies and wash dishes. They dry on a towel over the dresser.
Ah well, do what you can with what’s available.
QUILTArtbymegan 
