1/15/16

A Finish!

Just shy of three years from when I started it, the Quilting Snowladies are finished. Yay!



Here's my finished quilt!


Many of you already know this, but for people who are visiting, I'll say that the original embroidery patterns were created by Carol L. Steffensen of Chickadee Hollow Designs. The patterns are available right here. Of the original patterns, only two included a cat, but I included a cat in each one. The quilt finished up at 60 x 80 inches. It's hand embroidered and machine quilted. I started stitching the first quilt block on 2/12/13 and finished it yesterday, 1/14/16. Here's a picture of the quilt back and some of the quilting detail:


Here is another picture of the snowflakes, free motion quilted with a Superior gold variegated metallic thread.


And here are close-ups of the individual blocks.













Maggie had her first visit to the vet yesterday. She actually did quite well. She howled and yowled about being loaded into a crate and going for a ride in the car, but settled down about halfway there and made the most pitiful-sounding mews. She's probably been loaded up and crated off somewhere plenty in the past several months, and so it's not surprising that she was anxious about going for yet another ride. In any case, she was pronounced healthy. The vet seemed to feel she needed a booster of one of the immunizations she'd been given, and it has made her feel a little punk this morning. I'm imagining her little hip is sore too. She's gained two pounds since moving in at the Three Cats Ranch. Her weight was 7.68 pounds when we brought her home, and she's now at 9.6 pounds...a good size.

Here, she's stretched out on her dad's lap, while Smitty sits off in the background.


Initially, he thought he should make a fuss about her intrusion into our family TV watching time, but then chilled (or warmed) in his usual spot next to the fire.


Miss Maggie stretched out and made herself comfortable.


It's really the first time they've been in the same room together without hissing and spitting. A nice change.

This morning I'm walking with my friend Sue. Our neighbor broke her foot recently, and so I'm stopping off with some chicken noodle soup for her. It should be easy to get my 10,000 steps in today.

28 comments:

Lana said...

Priceless! And congratulations!👏🏻 I adore your snow ladies quilt & love that you put a cat in each scene. Maggie sure looks quite comfy, cozy, and at home on your husband's quilty lap. I'm sure you're still missing Gracie, but glad things are going well with Maggie.

Cathy Smith said...

From the looks of it Miss Maggie has decided she IS HOME! That is one contented kitteh!

crazy quilter said...

HIP HIP HURRAY! it is finished, and I will say it is quite stunning. Your embroidery and Quilting are really the icing on the cake so to speak. Glad Ms Maggie did good at the vet, and Smitty has settled down a bit from being mad about the interloper... Enjoy your weekend.

Chris said...

Whoop! Whoop!

Sheila said...

Love that you added a kitty to each block. It's a beautiful quilt. I think you should dedicated it to Gracie!

Lyndsey said...

Well done Barbara that quilt is truly beautiful. The quilting compliments the blocks so well and the kitty makes each block so personal to you. A kitty on your quilts could become your trademark and think of the fun folks could having trying to find them.

The kitties look very relaxed in front of the TV and Miss Maggie seems to have the best bed in the house.

Ray and Jeanne said...

Whoop Whoop!!! And it is gorgeous. Congrats on the finish. Love, love, love the quilting in each block. ~Jeanne

Sarah said...

Congrats on the finish! It looks fabulous. And it's also nice to see both cats at the Three Cats Ranch co-existing for the time being. LOL. Have a nice weekend.

Dana Gaffney said...

Congratulations on the snow ladies and the cats in the same room :).

WoolenSails said...

It looks wonderful with the sashing and your fun quilting.
Good to see the kitties are starting to get used to each other.

Debbie

Marlene said...

Big Whoop, Whoop. Congratulations on the finish, it is fantastic-will miss seeing it's updates! Lovely photos of Maggie etched out on Mike's lap-she is definitely HOME. Well done Smitty for allowing her to join in TV watching.

Quilting Babcia said...

Fabulous finish, I especially love the quilted outline of snow-laden trees in the background of the blocks. Miss Maggie is obviously the queen of the household now.

Carla said...

WOW, that is a beautiful quilt. Love the snowflakes you quilted. Beautiful.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Gosh - it doesn't feel like 3 years. I remember the start of this journey and so happy to finish it with you thru your blog updates. How content Maggie looks all stretched out.

Meg said...

That quilt is just beautiful! You really have taken off with your long arm. The quilting is amazing. Good to see the cats are starting to get along!

Debbie said...

Snowladies finished so great. Your stitching for the snowflakes is so good....be proud and love it!

Sherry said...

The quilt turned out fantastic, love all the kitties. I see yet another ribbon in your future. So happy to see that peace is starting to be the norm between Smitty and Maggie.

gpc said...

Time flies . . . it definitely doesn't seem like 3 years! I thought then and still think that adding the cats was just brilliant. Whoop whoop for sure. :)

MoniqueB said...

Congrats, it's lovely!

Kate said...

The Snow Ladies are gorgeous and the whole quilt is truely awesome. Congrats on the lovely finish. And congrats on having a relatively calm evening with the kitties.

Lynn - JnL4God said...

Great finish - it looks wonderful. I love how you keep track of start date end date and size. Hard to go back since a lot have been given away, but can start now. :)

Lou said...

WHOOP WHOOP!!!!! Great job!!!
so glad the kitties are getting along:)

gayle said...

I love all the little peekaboo kitties hiding in the blocks. Hurray for a finish!
Glad the kids are getting along better.

Dar said...

Your stitching and quilting on Snow Ladies is just beautiful. I love this little quilt and especially with the kitty added in on each block. Very nice finish. Glad Maggie is doing well and that Smitty has begun to treat her more like family.

quiltzyx said...

WOOOOHOOOooooOOOOoOooOO! Congrats on finishing the Snow Ladies. It's been a fun ride along. :)
Maggie is looking more at home, especially on Dad's lap! Good boy Smitty for sticking to your regular space too!
I remember loading zzyzx into the crate. My final solution was to tip it on end, with the door on the top & "pouring" her in. She also yelled most of the time she was in it. Once, when she had to stay overnight at the vet's, they told me she hollered the whole time she was there. When I was bringing her home, she had almost completely lost her voice! Silly kitty. Glad that Maggie is healthy!

Deb said...

Oh my goodness these Snow Ladies are so darn cute, great quilt and lovely embroidery.

Betty said...

Congrats on your finish! The Snow Ladies are so cute. I'm glad that Smitty and Maggie are starting to get along better.

Brown Family said...

Love the Snow Ladies! Great work. Glad Maggie is gaining weight and confidence.