Our Visitor - Is he stray or gone astray?

This is Stallone:

I call him that because he looks like Sylvester. No idea what his real name is or if he even has one but I suspect he does. He appeared at our door in January on a -30C day and when I opened the door he walked right in, helped himself to cat food, had a nap and then asked to leave. So I let him go. It was cold all weekend. Stallone came and went several times. I decided if he was still around on Monday I'd take him to be checked for a chip but on Monday he didn't show. We didn't see him for a week or two and after that he turned up occasionally but wasn't very hungry and didn't look skinny or injured.
In fact he looked very comfortable.

My my cat Stella has adjusted to his presence.

But Maybel is worried he'll steal her toys:

All of this has led me to believe he lives nearby. His family likely goes off to work and school each day and he goes on his route including a stop at our house for a bite and a nap. I don't mind at all. Oddly, several other cats have been lurking around lately. Stallone must have spread the word about the buffet and pretty female cats at our house!

Sunday Summary - January 19

Well, it's not -30 anymore. That's good news, I guess.

I spent the week sewing up a storm! Finishing 6 cat quilts and getting them shipped. That always makes me feel good. Love finishing things. Must get to those UFO's though. Do you have UFO's hiding in your craft room? I'd love to hear about them. I plan to get busy on mine again soon. I finished 3 in 2013. I should aim higher for 2014, right? Four?

Here's what I made this week:

                   

There was one more cat quilt but I forgot to photograph it.

Our little buddy, who we've begun to call Stallone because he looks like Sylvester, is still coming by for food and some love. We're still not sure if he has a family around here somewhere or if he's really a stray. Anyway, we're always happy to see him when he stops by.

And, finally, I got a lot of fabric this week! 

Cat fabric:

Dog fabric:

Christmas Fabric on sale, because you know how fast Christmas comes around?

Some great basic fillers, also on sale

And, finally, some fabric to make pillowcases to match the quilt I made before Christmas for my daughter-in-law's mother's birthday.

So I guess I better get busy and make some more stuff or I won't be able to get into my sewing room anymore!

Sunday Summary - Oh wait it's Monday - Jan 13, 2014

Back to normal after the holidays. And yes, I know, it's Monday. Kinda missed my deadline there.
The weather went from frigid to dripping. What a switch!

I got busy with Etsy orders. One for 5 coordinating cat quilts. They're done and ready to ship. And another for a charm quilt with a black cat silhouette which I haven't finished yet.

Five Cozy Cat Quilts!

For Brownie, Bob, Lucas, Mouse and Spartacus!

I also continued working on string quilt squares. I've completed sixty-five 6 inch squares, My scrap boxes were overflowing and it was time to put them to work. Not sure what Ill do with that one. Im sure something will come up!

I got lovely reviews and comments from one of my best customers on my Etsy store. If you've ordered from me I'd love to get your feedback too.

One of my fabric orders arrived today. That's always a treat. Love getting packages in the mail. This is what I received from Fabric.com. Looks like I'm branching out into dog quilts or football lover quilts. We'll see that next week maybe.

And this guy (the one without the collar) has been hanging around since Christmas. It was so cold we let him in for awhile. Now he comes and goes. He seems to like the food and the company. Oh, and the beds!

Well I'm off to make biscuits to go with split pea soup for supper.

Have a great week!

Sunday Summary - The Big Reveal!

So you probably noticed that although I mentioned I was making 3 quilts for Christmas orders I only showed you the two cute baby quilts. They were ordered for Christmas gifts and from what I'm hearing will be loved and cherished by two little ones, Emma and Daniyal.

Couldn't show the other one because it was commissioned by my daughter-in-law for her mother's 65th birthday on December 31st and i didn't want to ruin the surprise.

Now that the big day has passed I can share some photos. This quilt was easy to make using a pattern called Spring Bouquet from the book Quick Method Quilts Galore. The pattern was easy to follow even though I didn't have the special tool called the Companion Angle. The tropical colours chosen by my client were fun to play with especially in December.

Leaf Quilting on the borders and flowers in the blocks

Adding the binding

Stella's quality control session

Ready to pack up.

The unveiling

And the happy recipient! Happy Birthday Nicole! 

                  Bonne fete Nicole!

This week's project? FIVE, count em, FIVE cat quilts! Orders from my etsy clients www.etsy.com/shop/pieceandtranquilty