Zippers

 Yesterday I pulled out a bin of about a gazillion and five zipper blocks. (This is also a inspiration from Lynn Dykstra's blog and her series of solid and pattern blocks). The blocks are so fun to make, I went a bit overboard in experimenting with color combinations. When I tried to put them together, I was blinded by the chaos. So I limited the range of hues a bit. While this seems like a good start, I think I might need to make some more blocks. . .

And while we're here...I found some pictures of Buddy and friends on an old iPod and was adding them to the photo library on my desktop computer (the device that you don't take with you). To be fair to Molly, that is the face I would have if my brother licked my face.

And here's Buddy with his other sister Cyclone...this was back when the kittens were fosters named by the shelter as Typhoon (Buddy), Cyclone and Hurricane (Molly). Cyclone was the only kitten that wasn't a foster failure. She was adopted the same day I returned her after socialization.

Here's Buddy providing a visual commentary on the construction of Bonnie Hunter's Idaho Square Dance.

And here's Buddy with an incredible impersonation of Buddy.

Postage Due

 My last plan for this quilt was to make 16 by 16 patch blocks and then arrange them, until I had another plan that was to just put it together and call it finished. So let's call this quilt top finished. I had a momentary lapse where I thought maybe it needed a border...maybe some quiet space and then more postage stamps. But then I remembered that although its on the small side (finished stamp size is .75 inches), it weighs as much as a large quilt. 

Despite a bright sunny day, I had quite a bit of trouble taking a good photo of this quilt top.  Sometimes my camera does a better job, but this time I went with the phone. (I would not have understood this sentence for most of my life.)

Here is a close up.

It's seeing the close ups that remind me what fun this quilt top was to make.

And here is a reminder to savor the quiet moments.

Vintage Plaid Quilt Top

 

Here is the finished quilt top using the plaid (and some striped) shirts that I had deconstructed then stored. Over on Lynn Dykstra's blog Klein Meisje Quilts, she shows how to make this quilt based on a vintage quilt block she found on another blog. You can read all about it here. She used slightly larger strips than I did. I used 1.5 inch strips and the block finishes at 11 inches.

Of course, once you finish a quilt top, it is very easy to unfinish it by deciding it needs a border. So let's change this quilt top's status to unfinished. But at least its off the design wall.

Molly wanted to demonstrate the importance of holding down the ruler firmly to ensure accurate cuts and I wanted to demonstrate the importance of removing cats from the cutting table before cutting fabric. 

And, of course, as I was finishing up the quilt top (that is, unfinishing it) I saw this eye candy show up in this weeks listing of estate sales. 

A Foolish Post?

 So believe it or not, the sewing machine is humming again with minimal interference, I mean, supervision from Molly. These are all the components arranged in the final block arrangement. I have had this quilt on my want to do list for quite a while and I was in the mood for plaids, so here we are. I will go into the origins and inspiration for this quilt in a later post...but Molly has concerns about the downfall of humanity...

Molly originally had high hopes for AI and expected all references to cat to refer to her as the most intelligent and beautiful cat in the universe. But now, she, along with the rest of us are horrified by the deluge of AI slop creeping into our daily lives.

Molly was horrified to see this disfigured cat with a triangle on the wrong side of the face and no mustache! How is this even allowed? (I have to say the look of distain saying "get that camera out of my face" is quite realistic!)

I personally am more concerned about the implications of the photo. Must we insist that our clothes come fresh out of the dryer covered in cat hair? I guess I preferred the old times when the cat had to apply fur directly by sitting on a person or rubbing against them. Sigh.

Molly's Rebuttal

Please disregard the rumblings of my befuddled staff. I am an overlord, so I certainly would never consider being an adult as well. A complete contradiction.

Meanwhile, I would like to thank you for all the kind, loving comments you left about my brother. Although Buddy was too soft with his staff management style, I did appreciate his backup support when I was getting my beauty sleep.

I've noticed that staff is taking advantage of my nap time to use the sewing machine. She  is trying to finish sewing the mini postage stamps into the bigger blocks so she can have the design wall available for other things. She says the sewing is easy enough, but twirling the seams slows things down a bit.

Here's the back with the twirled seams. And please don't mention the obvious glaring mistake. Staff can say some very mean things when offered constructive advice from a kitten. So just know that she knows, has no plans to fix it, and tiptoe away if you can.

Meanwhile, did you know that I can find a wool ironing mat no matter where you try to hide it?

Adjustments

Everything gets a bit harder to navigate when a sinkhole unexpectedly forms in the middle of one's life.

Molly and I are learning that every family benefits from having at least one adult in the family. And I think Molly is slowly coming to the realization that it won't be me stepping up to the plate to fill Buddy's boots. 

I did finally finish sewing the Portland frog. It took so long I had to make him a donut to sustain him. The black fabric will become an outline and then I will put him in an urban environment. I think that's why he looks a bit horrified. (The frog is 5 feet tall).

Buddy

 Buddy (originally Typhoon):  August ?, 2015 to February 4, 2026.

Buddy gave more heart than he had available. He developed a fluid build up around his heart and in his abdomen. Given a poor prognosis, he chose more time at home being coddled instead of further diagnostics. Even Molly was nice to him.

I always thought I was taking care of two cats, but I have since learned that Buddy and I were sharing the responsibility of caring for Molly. 

He was a good boy.