Merry Christmas from Caitlin, me and Kip the cat.

Time is flying by! Craig is busy starting seeds, the cats are growing like crazy, I am still on a sock knitting binge, and the dogs are happy poochies. I have started to get back to my sewing room thanks to my fellow quilt bee member Dee, who is staring us on a group mystery quilt project.
 
I finished my first pair of really nice socks. The yarn was a gorgoeus self-stripping wool blend in oranges and pinks--so pretty. I sent them to my sister for her birthday.

I have been doing battle with my cats... they seem to think that my yarn is fair game. The other morning I awoke to find my nice sock yarn all over the house. It took me hours to untangle it, and I was not amused.

Here are a few pictures of my little angels. Kip has become a handsome boy, and Sammy is outgrowing his bed (watch out Buddy someone has designs on yours).

I just finished machine-quilting a quilt made by my friend Tamah. It is always a pleasure to work on a well- made and beautiful quilt. I was tempted to keep this one... it looked great in my house.

Buddy with his new best friend Sam.

Kip smilling.

I don't know what there is about cats and quilters, but every quilt studio needs a cat or two. Sammy is now discovering the joys of my sewing room...he is fascinated with all of my gadgets, especially my bobbins. I now have to put all the dangers away, and there are quite a few in my sewing room. It is like having a toddler around. 

I have been busy finishing up my Primitive Gatherings "Folk Album" wool quilt. It has been a pleasure working on this for the past 3 years (no - really, I am not kidding). I love hand-appliqueing with wool, especially these beautiful hand-dyed wools. I decided that because all of the applique was done by hand, it deserved to finished off with hand-quilting. It was worth all the work - it really is beautiful.

I have also finished machine quilting a Carolina Lily quilt for Tamah, which came our really nice.

Last but not least here are some updated pics of Kip and Sam, who are having the best time together.

I just can't say enough about Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh. As a wonderful non-profit, no kill shelter, it is no wonder they are always full! The cats are well cared for by the small staff and wonderful volunteers. Our Sam had all his shots and was neutered before we adopted him. He is also clearly well adjusted and socialized.

One of the first things I did when we brought Sam home was to make he and Kip a new collar (I didn't want Kip to feel left out). This led me to the idea of making cat collars and donating the proceeds to Safe Haven. So when I get my ETSY site up and running again, I will be offering them.

Here are a few pics of Kip, Sam and collars:

Last Friday Craig and I went out to lunch at our favorite Mexican Restaurant - Cafe Capistrano, off Durant Road in North Raleigh, which just so happens to be in the same plaza as Safe Haven for Cats. I lured Craig in there for just a look, and we were so impressed. They have many beautiful adult cats as well as teenagers and kittens. The cats were in clean large cages (some of walk-in size) with plenty of toys and nice bedding. I was tempted, of course, and Craig seemed to be encouraging me. My eye caught a cute gray and white kitten having a great time with his siblings. Well, to make a long story short, he is now a well- loved member of our family. His name at the shelter was Cronkite, which doesn't quite roll of the tongue; we needed something catchier. And so he is now Sam (or Sammy or Little Dude or...).

Kip (our Maine Coon) loves him - they are constantly playing, and Mocha and Bud want to love him, but he is still a little shy around the dogs.

Meet Sam!

It's that time of year when Mocha and Buddy's collars start to look worn out. I love to look through my stash to find the perfect fabric to suit their personalities. I make them new dogs collars once a year using a kit called Playful Pet Collars from Love the Fabric. It come with easy to follow directions and all the hardware you need to make a couple of dog collars and a cat collar. Here are my favorite models (as long a you have a treat in your hand they will do anything) wearing their new collars.

And now to the quilt...I was making this wallhanging from a Jane Sassaman Garden Diva fabric that I fussy cut and arranged to my liking. I was delighted that it was also to my daughter Sara's liking. My kids see me making so many quilts and don't often comment on them. So when Sara said she liked this one I was more that happy to give it to her for her new apartment.

A busy spring has turned into a busy summer. The garden is doing great, we are starting to harvest tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, summer squash and green beans. I put up pickles yesterday and today it will be green beans.
I have been busy quilting also. I have completed two more custom quilted wall hangings using my pattern "Colour Karma" and the hand dyed fabrics by Lorin Fields of Beyond Surface Design. The clients picked out these fabrics to match their decor.

My pattern "Colour Karma" is an easy pattern that works well with batiks as well as hand dyed fabric. It is available at Thimble Pleasures quilt shop in Chapel Hill or you can contact me directly.

We also have a new baby in the family. My cousin in California just had a beautiful baby girl. And I happen to love to make baby quilts; this was done in "blue work" and machine quilted.

Last but not least, here is my main obstacle to not getting more quilting done. His name is Kip (after Rudyard), he is one year old and our sweetie (sometimes). He was sick a few months ago with cystitis, but has recovered nicely. One of these days I may sew that little paw into a quilt!

Happy New Year....a little late. If I was one to make New Years resolutions I would make one to become a better blogger. But I am not in either respect.
Sara made it home from Madagascar safely on Christmas night, which was the best present of all. Our new year got off to a rocky start.Craig and I drove to Florida to visit my mother in law, who is in an assisted living facility. It was very nice visiting with family, but while we were there our 8 year old cat Moby passed away. Sara was watching him when one morning he couldn't walk; she took him to the vet, who kept him sedated.
That night he died unexpectedly. They think it may have been due to a blood clot. Moby was a stray who came into our life when we needed him, and left us too soon. We miss him.

Moby is still not doing well. He is sleeping all the time and when he does get up he takes a few steps and lays down again. He is not holding up his head or moving his neck. He slept with me last night and peed on Craig's gardening clothes that he throws on the floor and also peed on Mocha's bed. I am hoping next time he will use the litter box. At least he is still eating. I hope we see some improvement tomorrow. He doesn't seem to be in pain;  I just think that he is dizzy and disorientated. It is hard to watch.

Kip on the other hand is up to his old self (if you can call four months old). Today he is walking on his foot as if a big giant never stepped in it. The world is back to being his oyster.