I finally decided to name this piece “Weathering Hearts”. I have been watching and listening to Jude with her mini-series “Whispering Hearts”. Recently, I listened to two audio books on my walks, Wuthering Heights by Jane Austen and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. So in keeping with a literary theme, and for one I feel deeply connected, I thought my hearts and this piece might make a good combination coupled with this appropriate title.

Ebby has also been growing fur, very, very slowly. I am finding this process a bit difficult in terms of the sewing and the angle, but I like the look. I won’t cover the entire body with this as I intend to use other pieces that I dyed, but I think the effect is good.

As I was downloading my photos, I realized I had taken a photo of Mt Shasta in Northern California on our trip back to Oregon last week. I never get used to seeing this spectacular mountain. It is always so breathtaking and spectacular. I think that I will climb it….someday. If my knees hold up, it might just be possible.

I have been gone for a week visiting grandchildren and, now, missing them so much. I have other loves waiting for me, though, and that is the plus side of walking into the house.

Cats do not greet you like dogs, but the subtlety is something to treasure especially when you crawl into bed at night and they snuggle up beside you for the entire night unwilling to move or change positions. And in the morning the routine of the food and the treats and the same expected rubs makes you feel as if you had never been away. I find this so comforting and stabilizing.

I have been working on this piece while the baby naps and finding the stitching and its endless path like a good book that I hope will never end. And then in the car, there has been the stitching of Ebenezer who seems to be coming along quite nicely. I will post a few photos of Ebby soon.

This was the inspiration for Tigi, my collage kitty in lace and softness…..

And this is Ebenezer, soon to be found in the best way I know how.

The tail was a good beginning.

The fur will be a long but fun process.

There is a potential for grace here, and that is how I envision Ebenezer.

Gray cats have various tones of color, so in this tub I dumped many whites and cream and ecru tones to see if I could get some nice variations. I also did two other tubs of color and ended with a nice assortment.

Ebenezer has stolen my heart. I have spent the last two and a half days on his tail alone because tails are so important to cats, especially Ebby. There will be a lot more manipulation of fabric in this cat so it has more of a sculptural quality in its fur. I am doing a lot of tearing and gathering and forming. There is no end to the results that one can create with lots of playing and hand stitching. I think Ebby will find a nice new make believe home here with lots of love and devotion.

I will post a few pieces here and there as I work in the days ahead. I have a trip to see my grandchildren next week, but I am hoping to take Ebenezer with me. His tail will be finished today.

Tigi was named for a cat that I met through a missing cat sign on a telephone pole. The name and the personality stayed with me until it became a kind of spiritual entity, a remembrance, as many of these cats are never found.

Throughout the creation of Tigi, the word “tender” captured the mood, and therefore, the lace, muted tones, and fragile pieces became the guiding design elements.

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The pieces are collaged, and some of the them were made in strips with lots of stitching holding them together. All of it is made with old laces and textiles, some quite fragile.

I basically let the laces and textiles dictate intuitively where they should be placed.

I started with some heads and paws…..

And then to create the body and legs and tail, I formed the remainder by looking at my cats and measuring and cutting.

If I create another, I would hope for it to be less cartoon-like and more realistic.

For the last several weeks now, I have been diligently working on a project that is so close to my heart. I am thinking a series of these projects, for starters, will be a good thing. I have spent so much time on this, hour after hour but loving every bit and piece and stitch.

Of course my work table is covered end-to-end and side-to-side with lots of things, but tidy is not on my list of priorities for the moment.

I have been busy working on these sachets for the last week. I decided I wanted to do something for the staff at the cat hospital for all the care and sensitivity and support they gave me through and during Lauren’s illness and passing. I also felt a project like this would help me heal and get beyond the pain that is always so immediate and unrelenting when a pet dies.

Every one that I made seemed to represent a side of Lauren. She had so much personality and different moods and ways of expressing herself that just when I felt I had found the perfect trim or ribbon or button, I was on to the next one with a whole different tone and feel, but still finding each one consistent in conveying the essence of Lauren as she always was on a dependable basis.

She could have the delicacy and grace of Audrey Hepburn, yet the strength and will of a Katherine Hepburn. Whatever it was, it was staged with style, warmth, and absolute sincerity.

All the silks used were new, but the trims and buttons were mostly vintage or antique. I filled each one with lavender that I had harvested and dried from my garden, something I do every June.

And just as I was about to package these up and put them in the mail, the postman delivered the most incredible letter, one I had never expected to receive, and I was so touched and moved by the gesture.

The staff at the Cat Hospital of Portland made a monetary tribute to Cornell University in memory of her passing to the Feline Health Enter. What an amazing and incredible thing for them to do. I wanted to share this news as well.

This morning my sweet kitty, Lauren passed away. She had been ailing for the last several months with renal failure. I feel her loss so deeply and want to remember her in this space, to pay tribute to her life and her remarkable presence in our lives.

I adopted her from the animal shelter five years ago this last October. I walked in the room with all the cats in cages and asked which cat had been there the longest and which one was least likely to be adopted. They took me over to Lauren’s cage and said she would probably be put down in the next week as she had been there the longest. They put her in my cat carrier and Lauren did not make a sound until I set her down on the back seat of the car, and it was then she let out a huge meow as if to say “Hooray! I have a home at last.”

There were so many qualities about Lauren that made her special. When my mother was under hospice care in our home three years ago, it was Lauren who would not leave her side. She kept a nearly constant vigil beside her bed, and then almost exactly one hour before my mother took her last breath, Lauren suddenly and unexpectedly left the room. She knew.

Of all the cats I have had, she was the essence of sweetness and daintiness. She had a huge heart in a tiny little body. Whenever we had guests in the house she would appear out of nowhere to find a warm, cozy lap and a tender, gentle hand to pet and comfort her.

In her short time with me, she taught me more than I could possibly have ever hoped to learn from such a small and delicate little creature:

~To have faith in most people, that there is much kindness and goodness to be discovered and affection is usually and easily given.
~Initiate love and warmth, a kitty head-bump=a huge hug.
~To have courage in the face of sickness or fear.
~Its okay to search for comfort, that a soft cushion counts for much when life gets to be a little too much.
~Sunshine is a thing to be treasured.
~A daily nap does much to restore, renew, and refresh.
~Taking time out every day to play is a gift and not to be ignored.
~Bedtime and sleep is a chance to be close to those you love.
~Giving a trusting, long and steady gaze into another’s eyes speaks volumes about who you are and the character you have.
~Being agile, graceful, and light-on-your-feet is preferable to clumsiness and careless movement.
~Live in the present.
~Love is what we are here for and nothing else matters.

Over the river and through the woods, we are heading back to Portland early in the morning. We are packing and loading earlier than usual because it is due to start raining within the hour. I took this sunset photo last night. Sunrise and sunset, so many of these we have witnessed in the last 13 days.

I accomplished quite a bit while I was here including my angel cat, a baby quilt, and finished reading two books that needed completing.

This is Lincoln’s baby quilt that matches his room. I am not inclined to show new fabric here in this space because my focus is clearly on vintage or antique pieces.

I machine quilted it so it would be finished in time for my daughter’s visit in December when she comes with Lincoln, Ben, her husband and Ben’s parents.

When I sew in my little house I always have a candle lit.

When I am out there sewing, Sam, my oldest kitty, climbs up in the loft by a special ladder that my husband designed only for him.

The sleeping loft is really his. When we rebuilt the tiny house, originally we thought it might serve as extra sleeping quarters for guests, but the grandkids are afraid to be out there alone at night, and so it has become “Sam’s loft.” I think it suits him very well.
He tends to think it really is only his and is quite upset if anyone tries to climb up there.

At least he allows me to store a few boxes up there. Tomorrow all three cats will be cooped up in their cages for the long ride home, but today is still a day for freedom and cat bliss.

We have been in Mendocino for over a week now, and I have spent most of my time here in my little house in the back with the heater on, sewing away the hours.

I awakened this morning to freezing temperatures, so cold that all the rooftops were covered with a heavy frost. I still went for my brisk morning walk with extra layers, hat, and gloves.

I have been thinking a lot about Jude’s class, “Cloth-to-Cloth over at Spiritcloth and how soothing and comforting is this process. I am working on one of the pieces that I wove in silk and velvet. I started to stitch it in rows and then decided to add many more stitches to the velvet. I love the way the stitches bring the velvet to life and give it another look, one that catches the light and gives it a richer dimension.

Of course, Sam is always ready to be there and help me, particularly if he knows it is a delicate piece and one that requires special handling. I always indulge him and let him feel important and helpful for I know soon he will become bored and realize naptime is calling him.

We had a quiet Thanksgiving with a friend in town that we often see when we are here. I credit him with telling me about the Maryhill Museum. Without his encouragement, I am not sure I would have ever made the trip to this incredible jewel of a museum. These were the flowers that graced our table along with abundant food that we are still eating. I hope everyone had a relaxing day whether it was celebrated or not. I intend to make the Christmas holiday manageable but comforting and festive.