More Gratuitous Cute Kitten Pictures

What is it about dirty laundry and cats? No matter how stinky and smelly, they love to sleep in it. Baby Oslo has a bed about 2 feet from the hamper, but will she sleep in it? Noooo!

Mother's Little Helpers

Moose, a.k.a. Mooseyboy, showed up on our porch in July of 2005, when he was about 5 or 6 weeks old. At first, he would hide if he saw anyone looking at him, even through a window, but after we sat outside and talked to him every day for a couple of months, he gradually decided we were okay. When he's outside, he likes to pretend to be a feral cat and mighty hunter, although he's too fat to catch anything but bugs and lizards. When he comes in, he turns into a big teddy bear, although he still only likes two people.
Boris and his sister Natasha were born in January of 2000, to a part Siamese mother adopted as a stray by some friends. He loves to show off for people, when he's not sleeping on the deck. Sadly, his sister Natasha developed cancer and died in 2006.

New Baby

Oslo the kitten appeared under the hood of the Prizm on August 10, covered in grease, dirt, and fleas. She had apparently inspected the entire engine area after wandering off when her mother got distracted for a second. We suspect her mother is one of the many neighborhood strays.

After a quick bath and some internet reseearch, she drank kitten infant formula from a tiny bottle. In less than 2 days, she chewed the bottle apart and learned to drink from a tiny dish. Then she started eating kitten chow mixed with milk and softened. Yesterday, she decided to try dry kitten chow. What progress in 2 weeks.

She's also made huge progress in getting around. Rocket Kitty is faster than a speeding racehorse and able to climb furniture in a single bound (well, most of the time...). She spent last night in the top of a tall laundry hamper instead of her little bed. Tomorrow, she'll conquer the world.

Breaking News

My quilt, Maple Leaf Rag, will be in the Festival Gallery of Quilt Art, Town & Country exhibit at the IQA shows in Houston, Chicago and Long Beach, as well as other venues until 2011! Sorry, no pictures until the show opens.

Bluebonnet Swamp, Baton Rouge

Not a day for record heat, but possibly for record humidity. All photos taken Sunday, August 10.

Mary Ellen's Tree Preserve

My friend Mary Ellen has a few acres and more than a few trees, including several that are rare and unusual.

Big Leaf Magnolia. HUGE leaves. She had 22 flowers this year and is hoping to collect seeds.

a type of asian evergreen with wider needles and cool blue growth.

Busy, Busy, Busy, but not much (I can) show for it

The past six weeks or so have been very busy. I have made three quilts during this time.

Can't show these 17" x 22" journal quilts, but here are the parts I cut off. Top piece is stamped, fused, thread accented, embroidered on organza, painted, and heavily quilted with metallic thread. Bottom piece is painted, appliqueed, thread accented, fused, overlaid, and quilted with metallic thread. Pictures of the actual items to appear in late October. Some may appear a bit sooner. Both have nature themes. Doesn't this make you want to see them?

This was the first finished, and is 48" x 48," which is pretty large for me. Can't show it yet, so here are some of the leftover bits. It's pieced, fused and heavily quilted, and also has a nature theme.

glorious colors

Glads

Huge Caladium

Lily

Sneak Peek

This will be going to the Breaking Traditions show when it is finished. It was done with Setacolor paints and paintsticks over a maple leaf rubbing plate.

Here are two small detail glimpses of possible journal quilts for 2008. The upper one has painted batik fabric with leaves from batik fabric and leaf shadows of netting and MistyFuse.
The lower one is a batik stamped with Setacolor and Lumiere paints. Can't show you the whole thing until the Houston show opens in October. Any that do not go to Houston will be going to the Bluebonnet Swamp in Baton Rouge next January.

Glow

Stargazer Lily: even cooler than the ones on Jane Sassaman's wonderful fabric.



Daylily

Daylily with dinner-plate size blooms.