Sunday, November 15, 2009

I got bored with sewing bindings so...

...I made this for my cat.
Molly the changeable has taken to sleeping on a chair in the living room. She is now completely shunning her "kitty cube" that she loved so much just a few months ago. And, after over seven years she made up her mind that she can sleep on furniture other than the bed. So she snuggles up in a corner of the living room chair near the hall door so she can keep an eye on the comings and goings.

The problem is, she sheds. And the chairs are upholstered in a cream/blue/taupe stripe from Kravet that isn't made anymore, so I am really careful not to stain/damage them. So, I pulled out a small pink and green Lover's Knot quilt I made for my last cat back when the living room was a different color and scrunched it into a little kitty nest for her on the chair seat.

Molly loves it. I can't express how shocked I was because usually if we suggest anything she immediately hates it. So, I decided on the spur of the moment to make a quilt to use there which will coordinate a little better with the living room.

These are all scraps of fabrics from Connecting Threads left over from other projects. The border design arose because I didn't have enough navy fabric. I would have liked the darker taupe inset strip to continue straight across the corner of the quilt but the navy strips weren't long enough so it came out asymmetrical. Oh well.

I had to piece the backing too. There was a length of a cream print that wasn't quite wide enough so I added a strip of rectangles in blue/taupe/cream/navy. Those inserted strips are a good place to sew on the label. Oh yes, the binding had to be pieced from two slightly different shades of taupe. It felt good to be able to use up all these related scraps, but it was a stretch trying to finish without running out!

Now the trick will be getting it quilted and ready to use before she decides that chairs are yucky and she doesn't want to sleep there anymore. It could happen.

ADDENDUM: I just looked in the living room and she's sleeping in the other chair. Rats.

4 comments:

momtofatdogs said...

We have a "formal" living room that we do not use. Nearly not at all.Upholstered in a brown wide wale corduroy...Smelly Cat lays on ALL of them. I was NOT as industrious as you. MY solution to the issue of him laying all over it all was to purchase towels that match the furniture. handtowels for the tops of all the chairs & the back of the couch. And 2 towels, one for each seat of the chairs. Towels were cheap, match well enough & I can just pull them off in a second (literally a second) if/when company comes. He is NOT declawed - this wasn't an issue 14 years ago when we got him...we didn't have nice furniture until just last year....But towels are good....

Sam

*karendianne. said...

What a fantastic quilt and a super, creative design for the border. I luv, luv, luv how you worked that in! Clever. How very nice of you to create a Lover's Knot for your last kitty. Kind.

Molly the changeable has quite interesting cat-amous behavior. I guess they all do as they age. I notice it here. As I recall when it happens - which is sort of a rare - I stand in wonderment and a bit taken aback if not shocked. You know, the rarity of it.

The Calico Cat said...

That quilt looks vaguely familiar. :o)

Yesterday, after my quilt finished in the dryer, I spread it out on a chair to finish drying - I know the irony. I bet you a penny that my boy cat is on it right now. (I found him & occasionally her on it several times yesterday!)

Linda C said...

I am laughing at the account of cat behavior--that silly Molly! Funny how they love a spot till they don't, LOL.

Nice quilt for the little miss. You got quite creative with the border situation and made a lovely quilt for her.