Cats and quilts just go together

My little Sally found one of my quilts, neatly folded in the laundry room. I had just washed and dried it. Too bad it had been there for a while so it wasn’t still warm from the dryer. She would have really liked that. As any cat owner knows, cats gravitate to warm places, despite their little bodies seemingly radiating heat as they sleep.

I’ve always been amused at how cats just seem attracted to quilts. I have always had cats in my quilting life, which began nearly 30 years ago. Whenever I finish a quilt and lay it out on the bed or the floor, frankly to admire my handiwork, it is almost impossible to keep a cat from snuggling or writhing around on it. That is fine with me, since I love both cats and quilts and think they just go together.

So many of my quilting pictures have cats in them, like this one at right. I was in the process of machine quilting this quilt and Ryan wanted to help. I have had to stop many times because she wanted to be part of the action. I was never too busy for a little cuddle time with Ryan. I have so many photos of her, who I lost a few years ago. Ryan was THE cat who will always have my heart. She was the first of five kittens born on the front porch almost 18 years ago. Only two of them are still living.

And then there is Sally. She is the most recent of my kitties. And she is nothing like Ryan, or any other cat I’ve ever had now that I think about it. She was abandoned at a friend’s house not long after I had lost Ryan. I couldn’t resist her beautiful face so I was happy to take her in.

But Sally was no Ryan! She had none of the traits that I feel in love with. In fact, she was a mean kitty. She wasn’t very trusting, and certainly wasn’t a cuddler. Anyone who tried to get that close to her often got a face full of claws; ask me how I know. Sally was dumped, maybe abandoned. Who knows what her early childhood was about? Who knows if she had a nurturing mother or if she was weaned way too early and had to fend for herself? She was pretty young when she came to me, so I don’t know her story. I do know that she didn’t get the kind of human attention as Ryan and her siblings. They were adored and held and snuggled, from the moment they took their first breath. Sally has had to learn what love of humans is all about.

The first person she took to was my late husband John. He was definitely her person. She was pretty devastated when he died. She was even meaner to me and to the other cats. But she is coming around. Rather than curling up in a corner somewhere all by herself, she has found the comfort of a folded quilt in the laundry room. I see that as a very good sign. She will be 3 yrs. old in April and is starting to trust again. She is becoming a sweet, loving kitty. Seeing her all comfy and cozy on one of my quilts makes me happy. Love me, love my quilts because we go together and there is always room for kitties.

Finishing this quilt was especially satisfying

I finally finished my version of the Pick-A-Petal quilt, the 2024 Block of the Month (BOM), designed by Jen Kingwell of Australia, brought to us by The Quilt Show. I do love Aussie quilters, and I especially respect Kingwell, since she designs and sews her quilts by hand.

 

Initially, I wanted to do that too, but soon changed my mind. After piecing the middle star in the center by hand, I decided I'd prefer to save my aging, arthritic hands for hand quilting, applique, and now embroidery, all of which I love. So, the rest of this quilt was machine pieced. 

I have already detailed in previous posts what a challenge this was for me. I am surprised that it turned out as well as it did. In fact, I really like it now that it is finished and I am anxious to start on the next project.

This was supposed to be completed at the end of December. There were times that I just wasn't into it. I will admit that it wasn't my favorite. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it wasn't the quilt at all because in mid-November, I had a near-fatal heart attack, for which I am now trying to recover.

I knew my condition was improving several weeks ago when I decided I wanted to get back to my quilting. For a time, I wasn't interested in anything. And then I knew I was on the mend when I decided to finish this project.

I'm not sure why I was not enamored with this quilt. I love all the colors; love using up scraps of fabric, many of which I picked out for other projects or purchased just because I love them. I even like this design, especially the whimsical applique and embroidery in the light middle squares.

I haven't done embroidery in years. I do love all kinds of hand work. So when I set out to quilt this quilt, that will be enjoyable as well. I'm not sure when that will be though, since my quilt tops are starting to pile up. I hope I might live long enough to finish them, or at least make a dent in them. At any rate, the road to feeling normal again has been rough and isn't over yet. But, hopefully my quilting life will be normal as ever.

As I look at this quilt on my design wall, I am reminded that it almost didn't get done. It may have never gotten done. I was almost no longer here to finish it, or to get one year older, or to enjoy the start of a new year, or so many other things. My friend Nancy always says that every quilt I finish is always my favorite. She is right. This one now holds that place of esteem for me. It is rather symbolic. It will always represent a second chance, one for which I am very grateful.