Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Pets on Quilts Blog hop- Mars Cat on quilts..

Once upon a time there was a cat named Mars. She is a little orange ginger cat who is definitely the queen of our house. We love her dearly and, are entertained frequently, by her antics. Mars is not quite as lively as she once was, when she was a kitten,(she soon will be 14 years old). However, she is not immune to adventures both quilty and non- quilty.. This spring she decided to check out the world outside for a couple of days. She is an indoor cat so we spent a couple of days being frantic for her safety. When she returned, she just sauntered up to our back door, oblivious to all the mayhem  she had caused.  As you can see, she is the queen of all she surveys...Why would you lay on one quilt when you can lay on four or five.. By the way, her favorite quilt is the leaf quilt..
Sometimes Mars likes to come and help me cut- you can see she was a terrific assistant while I was using my cutting board. Occasionally, she likes to sew too (unfortunately I can not locate the photo of her checking out my sewing machine while I was piecing).
A number of years ago I created this cat wall hanging as a gift for these dear friends. It is a pattern from a book called Rotary Magic by Nancy Szeboro Johnson. There are 10 cats included  because it was a gift for their 10th wedding anniversary.
I used a number of different notions to add details to the individual cats- there are buttons, lace, beads and embroidery flossed used to add detail. They are supposed to be looking out the window- something that Mars loves to do..
Sometimes Mars likes to sleep on the end of our bed- This star quilt was made for the International Year of Astronomy as a gift for my husband.
Often Mars turns herself into a doughnut shape on my quilts. This quilt is an anniversary wallhanging made for my in laws. Mars always was found laying on the photo of our family. Can cats discriminate pictures? I don't know, but I do know, that she never chose to lay extended on it, nor did she lay on my husband's sister's family who are in the right bottom corner of the hanging.
Mars loves to lay on the top of the loveseat or back of the sofa.. Perhaps its the vantage point, or maybe its because she usually finds a quilt to lay on in those places. Mars also likes to crawl under the quilts when I have them laid out on the love seat. We only know that she is present, because we will see the tip of her tail or the tell tale bulge in the quilt, as she runs underneath the quilt. She test drives all of my quilts - this one lives with my uncle and aunt. It is called Twisted Strips and is a pattern freely available from Bonnie K Hunter's quiltville website Quilts and quips.
You know the expression" let sleeping dogs lie"?- Well, I think it should read Cat is sleeping do not dare to disturb!! Here she is laying in her favorite doughnut pose. The quilt is made from 2 batik layer cakes and the pattern is a 10 minute block. It was a very fun quilt to make..
When our son moved to Charlottetown area last summer,we had a number of large boxes in our living room. At the time, I was working on this Music of my heart wedding quilt( pattern from one of Kaffe Fassett's books). Mars didn't let the height of the boxes deter her from her typical daily laying around.
Mars can often be found laying in boxes, bags or baskets.. She likes to lay with my fabric and will choose the piles of fabric in my sewing room or my cut strips like these bits in this basket. Mars doesn't care whether the basket is big enough or not- she will just make her body conform to the size of the container. Like all of us, this was once an easier thing for her to do, when she young and more agile...
Well here she is - The Princess and the pea has got nothing on Mars- The top wall hanging is a Chantelle flower based on a Ricky Timms technique. As long there are a pile of quilts or fabric, Mars is guaranteed to find it. It will be her chosen place to have her daily 20 hours of napping.. A girl has to do what she can to maintain her beauty sleep!!!
"Mars and our quilts" is my contribution to the Pets on Quilts blog hop. I am including a couple of photos of our schnoodle dog, Dusty, just so you know that we are sort of an equal opportunity family- both cats and dogs have our hearts. Dusty is laying on some cat mats I made for our son's cat tree.The quilt behind her is a coin quilt that I made for Bruce.

Dusty has her own idiosyncrasies  - unfortunately for her she is terrified of thunderstorms. This summer we have had a number of them . Here, she is hiding behind the sofa nestled up against the pillow and quilt. We have yet to find another way to help her feel safe during a storm. 
Dusty and Mars are tolerant of each other's existence. Our Venus dog and Mars were great buddies - Mars and Dusty- not so much. This photo says it all!
Notice how they face opposite directions from one another even when they nap.


Pets on Quilts" Click on the icon here or on the top right corner of my blog for a link to the schedule for the pets on quilts blog hop.
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There are two other blog hops going on right now- they are of a different nature- They focus on Christmas kinds of blocks.  You may want to check out http://lesleythecuddlequilter.blogspot.ca/2012/07/think-christmas-blog-hop-schedule.html- It is partially over but there are some great blocks to be seen and some giveaway prizes chances available too.
The other one you may want to visit is http://henryglassfabrics.blogspot.ca/  where a number of designers are sharing some Christmasy ideas too. I think there are some prizes for this blog hop as well. One of the things I love best about blog hopping is that I get introduced to some new ideas and new to me bloggers.

I am working on a couple of new quilts- This weekend I am attending a workshop where I am going to try out my new to me featherweight- It will be fun to piece on a machine that is even older than me.. LOL

I was planning to write about our recent trip to the mountains where we checked out some stores in the Canadian Rockies - more about that next time...

Until then- stay cool,  or warm- if you are in the southern Hemisphere. Thanks for dropping by- I hope you will come and visit again soon.

Warmest regards,
Anna

49 comments:

Needled Mom said...

Your quilts are beautiful and your pets are so cute too. Our dogs have always been terrified of thunderstorms too.

Snoodles said...

Lovely post...enjoyed seeing all the picures...my kitty always is the first to hear thunder -- I know because I see his tail disappearing under my bed. LOL
Thanks for partying with us!

Agnes B. Bullock said...

Nothing says love more than pet hair on your quilts- the ultimate seal of approval! Beautiful workmanship too- hopefully I will get there too! Thank you for sharing- they are inspirational and simply beautiful

Darlene's Dabbles said...

Enjoyed your post today and looking forward to hearing about your holiday to the mountains.

My Sister Made Me Do It.... said...

Thanks for sharing your pet babies with us today......and you have made some lovely gift quilts.....you can tell there was a lot of thought and feeling put into them.......

SewCalGal said...

So very cute. You have some very dedicated quilt testers working for you. Looks like they know how to verify a quilt is comfy & cozy.

Love your post/entry to the 2012 Pets on Quilts Show

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

The Thimblemouse of Country Crossroads said...

Mars certainly is one lucky kitty with all those wonderful quilts!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

ANother sweet red tabby - just love them and they are great helpers.

Gene Black said...

Mars definitely rules the roost - and the quilts. That is absolute proof that your quilts are comfy.

CaroleM said...

Mars is a wonderful kitty - at home everywhere!! And I love your quilts! Thanks for joining in!

Donna~~ said...

Your pets are too cute! Mars certainly seems to know how to "enjoy" a good quilt! Love the photo with both of them asleep on the quilt!

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I see Mars carefully kept her/his tail off the cutting board...grin. Beautiful cat!

Missy Shay said...

I think Mars likes the leaf quilt because she knows it matches her coat perfectly!

Marcia W. said...

You are a prolific quilter. How on earth does Mars keep up with the exploration possibilities of all those quilts?

Joanna said...

Do Mars and Dusty have enough quilts to sleep on? I think you should make some more so they more choices. Just kidding. They both look like good company and your quilts are beautiful.

Dana Gaffney said...

I think Mars really does choose where to sleep, your picture and on the ten minute quilt perfectly centered in one of the circles. Beautiful quilts and wonderful fur babies, thank you.

Dirt Road Quilter said...

Well it certainly looks as if Mars has impeccable taste when it comes to lovely quilts! She is beautiful and it seems she has earned her right to sit on the throne as Queen Cat. The photo of Dusty and Mars napping made me chuckle. I imagine they adore each other, yet neither one is willing to admit it.

May Britt said...

Purr purr from Rusken (my cat) to your cat :) All cats needs a lot of quilts :)

quiltmom anna said...

Thanks for all the nice comments about the two pets. They really are important parts of our lives.

Barbara C said...

Hi Anna, I really love your description of Mars and Dusty, but especially of Mars. Isn't it funny how cats seek the most comfortable spot in the room, and they really appreciate fabric and all stages of quilt making.

Mina said...

It really seems like your cats enjoy your quilts!

Loris said...

Love your furkids! And I love the cat quilt. Thanks for sharing where you found the pattern...I checked my cupboard and was thrilled to see I had the book Rotary Magic too.

SpartanBabe said...

The furchildren are great! Mars is a very photogenic girl :o)

Marianne said...

I enjoyed all the pics of Mars. He looks to be a great quilt "tester"!

heartsease54 said...

Loved this post, thanks for all of the great pics of both quilts & furbabies. Loved the one of Dusty snuggled behind the couch to escape thunderstorm.

Teresa F. said...

Mars and Dusty are wonderful. Mars is a real quilt inspector. Dusty is adorable. Thanks for sharing.

Michele T said...

Wow! So many pets and quilts - thanks for sharing your love of both!!!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Thanks for sharing such precious pictures of Mars and Dusty. Your quilts are beautiful! Our cats will also lay in small boxes or containers like Mars!

Teje Karjalainen said...

Wonderful quilts and so sweet dogs and cats! Thunder storm is a horrow for so many dogs, the same with Nero. He is quite big to hide 'under my pillow'! x Teje

InGa said...

First, thanks for visting my blog. :-)
You made a beautiful input to this blog hop.Enjoyed your pictures, and the stories about your cats and dogs.
I'm originally a Norwegian, moved to Skåne when I met my husband. Trying to visit Norway and my mother and 2 children, and grandchildren as often as I can.
I've been to Montreal, but not to western part of Canada. It's a long way from Norway / Sweden. Hope you get some visits from your family in Sweden now and then.
I'm a new follower of your blog.
Take care.

Sandra Wyman said...

Beatiful pictures of Mars and Dusty - beautiful quilts too.
Many thanks for your comments on Django

Kruse Kats said...

Mom seems amazed that we show up on every quilt I say, like duh, mom! No good quilt gets out of the house without fur!

QuiltSue said...

Both Mars and Dusty are lovely. I really like the picture of them both sleeping on the same quilt.

Silvinha said...

Pretty quilt and cat too.I love Pet
That is XAXA , she is old , 14 years. I like to fabric work, is new for me is a hand made therapy. Thanks for your words.
Brazilian new friend

JustPam said...

Mars certainly is queen of the castle. Loved looking at all the lovely quilts she claimed.

Here is something you may want to look into for your Schnoodle. I used to have a dog who was terrified of storms. I wish they would have had this back then to try for him.

http://www.stormdefender.com/

Pam

Lotta said...

I like the "star"-quilt. Very Beautiful! I´m sorry to hear that your dog is so afraid of the thunderstorm :(
Last time we had a thunderstorm, my dog sat ​​with me on the terrace and we watched the lightning together.

Rebeckah Austin said...

Aww pups!

Sarcastic Quilter said...

I like your quilts. Seems kitty has to test them all out.

cOto.patchwork said...

Wonderful world! The cat's world!
And beautiful quilts.
And regards from Poland!

Christine M said...

Gorgeous quilts. Mars seems to like them too!

Aunt Spicy said...

Mars has great taste in quilts!

Mhairi said...

Lovely quilts, especially the cat one.

Amanda said...

This was such a fun post. And you're right...why lay on one quilt when you can lay on several?

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

Gorgeous photos!!!

Marjorie said...

Mars is wonderful and Dusty too. Love your quilts, especially the cat themed quilt. I love Nancy's quilt blocks. It's fun to see them stitched.

Lyndsey said...

Great photos of your beautiful pets and quilts.

Pat said...

Lovely pets and quilts!

Anonymous said...

Great quilts... love the Lone Star. It's on my list!
Thanks for visiting with me, too.
I'm a new follower, btw.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your pet babies with us today......and you have made some lovely gift quilts.....you can tell there was a lot of thought and feeling put into them.

Dog Lead