Two mile stones today…or you could even say three:
1) I finished the quilt I started in November;
2) I made my first glove cat; and
3) I have 52 likes on my facebook page – not a lot compared to other pages but definitely not bad, given I don’t even have my Etsy shop open yet (thank you everyone!)
vibrant quilt with hand-appliqued hearts
I have decided to keep the quilt myself. This sort of hand stitching is too time consuming to make it practical to sell at a price that would cover my time, and I love the colours, and I have never kept a quilt before – it is something I have only ever made for other people. I think I also prefer more quilting, to keep it flat, and may go back and quilt it more in due course. Max the cat has already made it clear he wants to share the quilt with me…hence the cat fur!
Oops; this really needs pressing!
I used blanket stitch variations – whipped, crossed, closed and alternating between short and long stitches – and I really like the effect of the stitches on the back of the quilt (despite the cat hairs!).
glove-cat
Having made a number of dogs from Miyako Kanamori’s books, I thought I should try a cat. I have used stitching to shape the paws, rather than the pipe-cleaners that Miyako uses, as I want these to be suitable for babies and don’t want any wire poking through. No buttons either, as I don’t want any choking hazards.
I also got to spend a wonderful afternoon yesterday with a Bath WI friend and her daughter – two amazingly creative ladies. I came away full of enthusiasm, confidence boosted and excited about the future.
Deerey Me! 
Cute cat!
Will they have to be CE marked if they’re for babies? You’re clearly a braver woman than I, all those regulations have always put me off toymaking.
Yes, I had originally intended not to produce any toys, but whenever I make one as a gift it generates interest, and I enjoy making them so I have decided it is worth the headache of CE mark self-certifying. Having said that, if I hadn’t bought a download guide to the legislation (Conformance Ltd), including details of how to test the toy along with a testing checklist, I think I would still have steered clear. I will contact my local trading standards shortly too, to make sure my technical files are sufficient for their needs and that there is nothing I have missed.
It does amaze me how many people online either don’t mention the CE mark or include a disclaimer saying it is not a toy, when it blatantly is a toy – the legislation is quite clear that if it looks like a toy, then it is a toy and you cannot rely on a disclaimer.
I love the quilt! I think you are quite right to keep it to yourself (well and to Max, perhaps 🙂 )
I do rather like it sitting on the back of the sofa too – it suits the room. I am not sure which quilt project to do next…a child’s quilt of faces or a fairytale quilt. First, however, I want to make a pair of ruby slippers to go in a Dorothy dorothy bag!