10/27/16

The Cats are Cornered

It's a finish! Four corners of cats.


It seems as if I should be able to make up a nursery rhyme about that...something on the order of

Peas porridge hot
Peas porridge cold
Peas porridge in the pot
Nine days old.

So let's see ... (puts on poet's hat):

Four corner cats
None wearing hats
Four corner kitty cats
All getting fats.

That's the best I can do. And I ask: Did you come here for the poetry? Consider this a warning to all who spend most of their time accompanied by felines. When your brain gets all sing-songy, you know you're in trouble.

As for the finish:



Here's how it looks from the back.


And that was my One Monthly Goal, so I'll be linking up today.

Yesterday, I was able to get pretty far along with Gingerbread Square. It was necessary to first decide whether I was going to do the three rows of blocks first, or whether I wanted to make those strings of nine-patches to fit between the rows. In the end, I decided to take each row in turn. It seemed as if doing all those nine-patch rows one after the other was going to get tedious. Still, I had to do two of those first.


And since I was fitting in laundry and housework at the same time, I only was able to get one more row of blocks stitched together. Each nine-patch also has to be trimmed, and so it takes a while.


It's a little bit of a trick getting the nine-patch points lined up straight and without cutting off corners, but I've figured out a trick with pinning. I'll take some pictures of what I'm talking about while I work on it today. Maybe everybody does it this way, but I'm a slow starter, and it took me a while to figure it out.

Through all of this, Smitty thought he would die of boredom. It rained all day. He spent a good portion of the day on the catio where he can stay nice and dry. Still, he likes his periods of liberation when I let him out to the great outdoors. 


He's only allowed out now when I can be upstairs keeping an eye on him and the surrounding field. Of course, that isn't possible when I'm in the basement sewing. This caused him no end of perturbation. He paced this way...


And that way...


Smitty...dude...eat some catnip and chill!

He paced over here.


He paced behind the sewing machine, 


and beside it.


Are you *ever* going to stop sewing?

Finally, I did. We went upstairs, and the door was opened for him, although it was pouring rain, as it had been all day. He stepped halfway out and stood. Finally, I said to him in the same tone as the Portland light-rail public transportation system entones ..."The Doors are Closing." And I closed it slowly allowing him time to either go out all the way out or turn back. He opted to turn back.

No outside time for him yesterday. His life is utterly ruined. It sucks. Being an Oregon cat is the pits. Pass it on.

So, today, I'm hoping to get the center for Gingerbread Square finished. If I get the borders on today, that will be a bonus. I'll be fitting in housework and making up a grocery list.

Tomorrow morning, Sue and I will resume our Friday morning walks. Sue has been off gallivanting in Spain for most of the summer, walking the Camino de Santiago. At 500 miles, that'll put some steps on your Fitbit. If I'm remembering right, I think she said they did it in 37 days. She'll correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway...I'm looking forward to hearing all about it, and to giving her a big ol' hug. I've missed my friend.


29 comments:

Quilting Babcia said...

Poor Smitty..our dog has always hated having to go out in the rain. MOM, get out here and hold the umbrella pulease! The tiny 9-patch blocks are the perfect sashings for Gingerbread Square, and you already know that I love your kitty quilt.

beaquilter said...

the cats look great, the cats look swell, so do the nine patches you're doing quite well!!

Lana said...

Congratulations on the finish! Love that cat quilt. And your nine patches look so cute with the Gingerbread houses.
And yeah, one of my cats acts like he's gonna die if he can't go out. The other one walks out for a moment, checks it out, & comes back in saying she's good. Lol. They do have their own little purrsonalities!

Sally Trude said...

Dear Smitty, For some indoor fun, grab the thread in between where its on the spool and where it goes into the sewing machine. Grab it in your mouth and then run as far as you can go. You may also learn some new words. Respectfully, Molly

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Congrats on the lovely finish. The gingerbread is looking so yummy with each sashing. We have snow and sleet today - I booted them out onto the porch and got the most hateful stares.

Anonymous said...

I am loving those little nine patch blocks more and more! And having them set on point seems to give them an updated look! I am working on a quilt that needs a little boost with sashing, and I think little nine patch blocks set on point are just the ticket!
Our kitty seems perfectly happy to stay inside...which is fine with us...he was five months old when we got him from the SPCA...they had gotten him from one of the local shelters, and his file showed he was a stray...we are guessing that he had enough of the outside before he came to live with us 10 months ago... He does love to sit at the window looking out...win, win for everyone!
Sandra B
scb304@juno.com

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Congrats on finishing the cat quilt.

Sarah said...

I'm not sing-songy yet so I think I'm safe. Phew!!
Sadie looks like she is ready to take Smitty down for all the pacing. LOL.
WOW - I can't belive your friend walked El Camino!! Good for her. I recently re-watched The Way which reminded me that EC should be on my bucket list.

Kate said...

Love your Kitty Kat quilt! It turned out beautifully. It's such a fun quilt. Is it destined to be hung in the stairwell? You made a lot of progress on your Gingerbread Squares. It's going to be gorgeous!

SJSM said...

The cats are united on the Cat Quilt! They can now strare you down when Smitty wants out...then in.....then out... Congrats on the finish! I have one cat that will go out in the rain because she only wants to be in when night falls. Stella sits under the eaves of the house and just strares at the rain willing it to stop. If it turns into a drizzle she is off to do her rounds. What a wonderful surprise when a damp cat comes in. Lana is happy just to hang out in one of May warm, cozy spots in the house.

Loving the Gingerbread Quilt.

Susan said...

Great finish. I really like the polka-dot border.

Looks like Smitty is giving you the evil eye behind the sewing machine and in the next picture is saying, "Who, ME?" I wonder if you could put a fit-bit on him and count his steps.

Teresa in Music City said...

Love your cats Barbara! They turned out so cute :). And great job on cornering all those stray ones LOL! Poor Smitty - he lives such a deprived life! I'm happy that Rocky never wants to go outside, which is pretty amazing really since he spent his first 3 years roaming the NC mountains. But even here in fairly tame suburban TN, we have the occasional coyote sighting, not to mention the devil dog next door that kills anything hapless enough to wander into his yard. I'd be a nervous wreck if Rocky were out there!

Barb H said...

Oh, Barbara, your Gingerbread Square quilt is looking so good! I love the dotted red that you're using--gives the quilt more personality than using a plain red or tone on tone. I think this one will definitely bring home a blue ribbon if you enter it in some shows!

Auntiepatch said...

Smitty has such a sweet, intelligent face.

Dar said...

I feel for Smitty I hate it when I want to go outside and work or play and it's raining. Of course, my hair gets all super frizzy, so I will opt to stay inside where it's dry, but I don't like it!! Your Kitty Kat Quilt is a winner.

Motherdragon's Musings said...

The Kitty Kay Quilt is purr-fectly beautiful.

Katie Z. said...

Your cat quilt is purr fect. Well done!

Ariane said...

Congrats on a wonderful finish!! Your cat quilt is gorgeous!! I love the progress on your embroidered quilt. It's going to look amazing when it's all done.

Kat Scribner said...

Your cats are gorgeous. I love the cat quilt and the fabrics you used for sashing! Perfect.

Marly said...

Your cats are great fun, and you did well finding all that catty fabric!

Cathy said...

Your cat quilt is wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed watching your quilting process. And of course, Smitty and Sadie are favorites of mine and Alfalfa and Darla! ;-)

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Love the story about your cat - what a hoot! The rainbow cat quilt turned out so cute, too!

LA Paylor said...

the doors are closing.... so funny catio... sending a link to some cat friends. I'm a cat lover but a poodle parent, or I was... will be... LeeAnna

claudia said...

I need to make a catio. I've lost both of my catfriends since I moved to Washington...I want to get more, but I will do it safely this time. They will only go out when I am able to go out with them. A catio makes a lot of sense here! Speaking of cats. I love your cat quilt. I need to make one for my sister. She has a family of kitties and I know she would appreciate a quilt with cats for her and her furbabies to cuddle up together.
The Gingerbread Square Quilt is so cute! I love the nine patch blocks around it. You have so much patience!

Martha Ginn said...

I'm one of LA Paylor's cat friends she sent the link to. Loved reading about Smitty's assistance and supervision over the cat quilt. Those walking back-and-forths look so familiar, except Elizabeth makes a stop in my lap at every pass. And she has Molly's trick of biting the thread between the spool and the needle down pat. She doesn't run with it--just sits and swallows as fast as she can. I've pulled as much as a yard out of her throat and wiped it free of kitty spit before continuing to sew. I tell her she's an "almost perfect cat," which is why she gets by with this stuff.

Mari said...

Love your kitty quilt! Congratulations on the finish.

PaulaB quilts said...

That kitty quilt is the cat's meow! Poor Oregon cat, rained in forever and ever in cat time. Love your beautiful houses.

Brown Family said...

you did a great job getting all those little 9 patch blocks to match up at the points! Poor Smitty! It is hard to be an Oregon cat!

Magpie Sue said...

Your kitty quilt is delightful! Well done!