Graphic Florals - Completed Front

I promised more pictures of my current project that uses a lot of colors that are bright enough to see from space.  (As if I can do any other kind of quilt.)  I'm posting those pictures which also includes lots of cameos from the cat army.  

Working on the layout with Angry Bob.  

Layout complete, cats in motion.

Labeled and ready to go. 

Scout on inspection of the final project. 

Completely pieced front.

Sadly, no cats appeared for this photo.

I'm off to work on the back of this and I'm thinking of using some of the dark blue that was left over from the Spinster Quilt. I really should be outside playing on this beautiful day, but I'm staying close to home to keep an eye on Scout, AKA Little Girl Cat, AKA Scooter, AKA Scooter McGooder.   As you can see above, she is doing great.  Why am I worried?  Well, she had surgery on Friday to remove a tumor and an abscessed tooth.  The tumor was on her lip and is in the process of being sent to the lab for testing.  We are assuming that the tumor is benign until we hear differently and will not be worrying about it until then.  Friday was exciting in that I got her home from the vet and she was still loopy from the anesthesia and stumbling around like an adorable little furry drunken sailor.  She also managed to fall down the stairs twice, which is why I'm staying close to home today.  Meanwhile don't worry about Scooter McFurryPants.  She is getting lots of scritches today and free access to whatever sewing project she chooses to sit on.  She will be fine.  Me, on the other hand........

The Spinster Quilt - The Front is Done!

Scout helps to finish the border.

The pretty pieced front....

.... with a cat for scale.

A view of the cornerstones.

My photography assistant

This is crazy!  I finally finished piecing my Spinster Quilt.  I added the last part of the border today and am happily admiring it and the work that it took to put this together.  This was not without risk; I took these pictures while standing on the island in my kitchen and I was slightly afraid that I would fall off it.  I think it would be an awkward way to die - landing on my head while taking pictures of a quilt.  But, that's probably happened to someone somewhere because it is important to get the right shot.

I succeeded in not using the same patterned fabric in more than one block.  Most of these were taken out of my stash, but I also definitely purchased some bright colors with the intention of using them here.  I did use one or two solids in more than one block, but that is the nature of solids and I'm not going to worry about it.

The cats were helpful as usual and are probably happy that I no longer will inquire as to the condition of their toes.  (Are your feet dirty? You can't be here if your feet are dirty!) And, now, to the back!  I'm planning on making 8 log cabins, one from each color group represented on the front.  I have about three yards of a deep blue and I plan to incorporate the log cabins into the blue and make a simple, but pretty back.

Taking the day off work to finish this was the greatest decision I've ever made!

Done with the re-dos.

Well, that was fun.  I redid 11 blocks and made them full of awesome.  I tore through these because I really want to get to the layout.  OMG.  I get to play with the layout now!  Yes, please. Until then, admire the pretty and the oh so necessary cat pictures. 

Contrary Wife

Single Wedding Star

Economy

End of Day

Completely necessary cat photo

Flower Garden Path

Basket Weave

Rainbow Flowers

Flower Pot

Railroad

Cups and Saucers

Hill and Valley

Sorry for the brief blog post, but it is layout time!

In case you think only one cat is trying out for the title....

Sammy curls up, signaling his approval of the green border. 

Scout helpfully points out the outer border.

I'm putting the outer border on, I've got two pieces on and one pinned on when I decided that I needed to take a break.  I'm planning on using the dark brown leaf pattern on the back, but will be putting another row of blocks towards the bottom of the backing also.  I just hope that I have enough material to do this because I bought up all the dark brown leaf that they had at the LQS.  I may end up putting a row of blocks on a side, making a "T" out of them.  If I get permission from the cat army to lay it out, I will look into that.

Windmill #5

I just love stepping back from a block and saying, "wow, I did that and it really looks cool."  Seriously. Love. This. Project.

The Cat Army, however, remains ambivalent.

Soaking in the sunlight

Session is over and life is back to normal here at Cat Army central.  Tonight after work, I took some pictures of what is currently blooming in the yard.  The Daphne lost lots of its leaves during the cold snap over the winter but still managed to produce flowers. She is a trooper.   Other pictures are available here.  Sadly, Sammy is not featured in the pictures even though he was wandering around in the yard with the rest of the troops.  Sam has never forgotten me taking a picture of him inside the house and using the flash, which apparently he really, really didn't like.  He has an incredible memory or a great capacity for holding a grudge.

Merry Christmas!

Peace on Earth goodwill towards kitties.

Cat army

The cat army continues testing the thai quilt.

Sleeping cats

The cat army approves of the new soft and warm quilt.

Thai quilt

The Thai quilt is done! In case anyone is wondering, it is extremely
difficult to bind a quilt while two cats are sleeping on it.

Cat army

Seriously? How cute are these guys?

Angry Bob the gardener

Bob alertly supervises all garden related activities.

Cat naps

Sammy takes a well earned break and naps on the back deck.

A fine summer day.

Just another productive day in the back yard.

Pirate Kitty

Sammy is sleeping on the counter because he is exhausted. Spending your morning outside and killing and eating a squirrel will do that to you. I don't know why I am so proud of my one-eyed hunter, but I really am. Ironically, he is sleeping on a set of ASPCA magnets.

Sammy

I tried to work on my quilt tonight. And then Sammy decided to be cute
and cuddly and fall asleep on my arm. I'm just a victim here.

things I've learned from having cats

One of the biggest lessons I've learned from having cats is to never just pick up random items off the floor.  I just picked up a "stick" only to discover that it was the tail of a garter snake.  So I'm trying to figure out if garter snakes are able to shed their tails like lizards (and if that means that I have one in the house) or if the cats managed to eat all but four inches of a snake.  

Angry Bob - Before and After

Angry Bob moved in almost two years ago.  He moved in after Scout did, but started hanging out before she moved in.  At the time the only cat I had was the late Grover and he was all that I really ever wanted.  I'll follow up with pictures of him. As much as I love Angry Bob, I wish that Grover could have handled him better.  

At any rate, Angry Bob is the lover of the neighborhood.  If he were a human, he'd be hanging out in bars saying, "Hey Baby" to everyone he meets.  He's the guy you don't really want around, but he wears you down with his persistence. And, of course, I really want him around. 

 

I first met Bob late one January evening when I came home from work.  It was raining and he followed my car into my garage and proceeded to run circles around me.  It became obvious to me that he wanted food.  I fed him, he left, and I thought that was the end of it.  Of course, it wasn't.  Eventually, I would find him sleeping on my couch or wandering around my house.  I wasn't the only woman on the block he did this to, I was just the one he decided to spend his nights with.  I got him neutered so there wouldn't be little Bobs running around and I honestly thought that would be the end of it.  Every man I know agrees that a good neutering should prevent return visits.  At any rate, Bob moved in with his suitcases and has lived here ever since.  He still spends his days with his girlfriend next door, but he comes home to me at night. I suppose that I should be flattered by this behavior.  He is also incredibly sweet and is a welcome addition to the cat army.  If anyone asks, he doesn't live here.  My homeowners association only allows two pets.  Bob breaks my quota.  

This picture is from his days of living in the garage when I thought I could persuade him to just stay outside.  That, of course, didn't happen. I didn't know at the time that he had already instigated "operation become a house cat" when he was eating canned food next to the car.  

This picture is more recent - as you can see, he is resembling Jabba the Hut more and more these days.  He's just putting on his winter weight - honestly.  

Scout - Before and After

I think Scout deserves a before and after post too.  I got Scout over two years ago when a woman at work put out an e-mail asking someone to help a cat she was feeding in her parking lot.  She believed the cat had been abandoned by tenants in her apartment complex when they moved.  She said that the cat was very sweet and she was concerned and didn't want the little thing to be hurt by people anymore.  Well,  I had to take her in.  (After having my friends berate me about only having one cat and how I could easily fit this little one into my home.)  I went to the woman's apartment with the intention of meeting the cat, but it became clear she needed to come home with me.  She was scared out of her little cat mind and very, very thin.  I locked her in a bedroom and then took her to a veterinarian the next day.  She was covered with fleas, scabby, severely dehydrated and starving.  She was also incredibly affectionate, which was a little rough on me because she was scabby and covered with fleas.  At any rate, this is what she looked like when she moved in......

... and this is Scout after living with me for two years.  This picture was taken during the Democratic National Convention as she anxiously awaited Barack Obama to speak.  Scout is a huge Obama fan.  Don't even get her started about Sarah Palin - it makes her very upset.

 

Pirate Kitty - Before and After

The fine folks at Feline Friends sent me a picture of Sammy when he arrived at the shelter. Even though he only weighed three pounds and was severely dehydrated, Sammy was a handsome fellow.  I thought I'd share his "before" picture with you....

...followed by his "after" picture.  It is actually quite hard to get a picture of Sammy.  He hates the flash on the camera and now runs when he sees me carrying it around.  I'm stuck with slightly grainy camera photos, which works only so long as the phone is turned to vibrate.  If there is a noise, he is gone.  I imagine it is because the flash is disturbing to his good eye and not that he is in the witness protection program.