Ok. I know that's a big statement - best. But truly, I haven't made many gifts this year so I'm going with it. Mama Cat and her skirt dwelling kittens were made last week and promptly given to my eighteen month old niece (which explains the bad quality photos - sorry). Evelyn would not put the kittens down during dinner - she calls them "meows" and was hugging, patting, and kissing them. She (and the cats) were killing me with cute.

You still have time to make this, if you can string a few hours together. The pattern is straightforward and easy. Plus, cute overload! Seriously, that little baby cat is under 3" tall. Tiny, tiny. Perfect for little hands. I used a lightweight, chocolate brown Italian wool (repurposed from a pair of Fatty's work pants) for the cat bodies. In theory, it was a good idea. But, woven wool = F R A Y I N G. And a fraying 1/4" seam allowance was a bit tricky to work with, but I managed. Next time I'll stick with quilting cotton or flannel for the bodies.

I hope that everyone has a nice, blessed holiday season. I'm taking a week or so off from everything to spend time with family and just be. I'm looking forward to 2013 - it looks to be a good one.

Merry Everything, Happy Always!

Look. I made something.

This is a Christmas gift, but since the recipient is only a couple months old, I figure I won't ruin the surprise. If his parents are reading, I'm sorry to blow it. But only a little. It felt really good to make something. I need more of that.

The quilt is on the smaller side - 33" x 44". It's the snake trails pattern from Denyse Schmidt's book, Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspirations. I really like making this one, curves and all. So much easier, for whatever reason, than the single girls I made for Kate. I cut the trail pieces from a jelly roll of Chicopee - each strip gave me 14 pieces, although you could maybe eek out 15 if you are super careful when cutting. Regardless, the small size is due to the fact that I only had 12 blocks to play with. Still, I like it. The background in Kona Snow, my favorite white. I bought 20 yards of it in one fell swoop last year and am down to my last 3 yards. Time to re-order.

I quilted it with straight lines, 2" apart on the diagonal. I couldn't think of another way to do it that I liked and that I had time for. If I had hours to spend, I would have tried to echo the curves in some way, but I didn't. I think this works nicely, though. I totally copied what Denyse did in the book so it has to be ok, right?

The binding is Moda Bella Solids in Marine. I bought it from Pink Chalk Fabrics - I totally adore them for taking the time to pick out the solids that go with different quilting collections. It makes internet fabric shopping a breeze. I used the leftover bits from the jelly roll to make a patchwork strip across the back, flanked by Kona Snow again. All of the fabric in this quilt was on hand - I just had to pick up batting. Score!

I have one more gift to make if I can find the time. Tiny cats, anyone? I'm feeling pretty optimistic about it, actually. I have adopted "all is calm, all is bright" as my mantra this holiday season. It's working.