Cat Napping on the Blog

My first (and only) post before this was 9 months ago. Somehow posting on my blog has been last priority. How do people find time to post every day? I'm mostly retired, but my days are fuller than they were when I was working. I think it's because I can do what I love, at least most of the time, so I fill my days with those things.

In that time I've edited quilt patterns for Hedgehog Quilts, Prairie Sky Quilting, and Sweet Clover Canyon. I've made quilts to sell at the Browncoat Ball, a yearly event for fans of the TV show, Firefly. I started teaching at a sewing studio that focuses on helping children learn to sew. I've started a new Etsy store, Cats Dreaming.

And the usual range of things: books read, cats groomed, floors vacuumed, dinner made, garden cleaned & planted, etc. So I'll try to keep up with this, especially posting new photos of my quilts & cats for you to enjoy.

Why Quilters Love Cats...and Vice-versa

Quilters are sensuous creatures. So are cats.

Just watch a quilter in a fabric store: she can't keep her hands off the fabric, she has to touch it to see how it feels. One year we celebrated my birthday in our new home as we waited for the moving van to arrive. When it was time to open presents, my husband led me to our empty bedroom. There on the floor were yards of fabric arranged like a giant flower. "Go ahead," he told me, "get naked and roll around on it. It will feel great."And it did.

 

Quilters love the play of color and pattern and the visual stimulation it provides. I believe that quilters in snowy climates quilt in wintertime not just because it's cold out, but for the color that quilting adds to their world when everything outside is monochromatic. I love the intensity of batiks, deep, rich jewel tones that I can almost taste. Batiked flannels are my current favorite fabrics, since they combine deep colors with the softness of the nap of the flannel.

I don't know what percentage of quilters own cats or how many cat owners are quilters, but I do know that quilters joke about how many of us have cats. And why not? Petting a cat, especially a purring cat, is so pleasurable that it lowers blood pressure and boosts the immune system. A cat is a delight to look at because of the innate grace in its movements. Cats are visually beautiful, with colors and patterns to delight the eye.  And what other animal has a coat color named 'calico'?

Cat love quilters as well. All that fabric to snuggle into on a cold day. And a quilter involved in a project might forget to finish her lunch, leaving that sandwich unattended... I have one cat, Brand, who demands to be let into the laundry room whenever the dryer is on. He sits on top of the warm, 'purring' appliance, curls up and sleeps. He loves when I come back from a fabric shopping trip - lots of dryer time on those days!

So now you know what my blog is about: mostly about quilts and quilting, with a few cat tales added in. I hope you'll stop by often.