Thursday, 9 June 2016

Be Happy

It's been a really up and down month.  My cat died and I was really miserable!  I had him for nineteen years which is a very long time and he was my friend through so many life events and kept me company, often lying on my works in progress as cats do.


He was ill for a couple of weeks and all my energy was taken up with worrying about him, so the day after he died I was sniffing away and feverishly trying to finish Six Coffees and a Tea, take photographs of it and blatt it up onto the internet in time to make the deadline for entry to the Umbrella Prints Trimmings Challenge that evening.  The entries for the challenge were amazing - you can see them on Instagram #umbrellaprintstrimmingschallenge, and on the Umbrella Prints Pinterest board - and you can believe that I was surprised and quite a bit madly happy when my quilt won the quilt section. Hooray!!!!


I am very excited about the prize, which is my choice of products from the Umbrella Prints store.   I enjoyed using the Trimmings pack in my quilt; they are beautiful fabrics and organic as well and I am looking forward to making more Umbrella Prints projects.

In the meantime, I have been making (or trying to make) a card for the latest Very Berry Handmade ATC swap. Like an idiot I managed to burn the first one with my iron!   It burned right through some of the stitches and left big scorch marks. Doh!  I decided to pretend that it looked vintage and finished it off but I couldn't really send it to my partner so here is Mk 2 - the theme this time round is 'Say Something' and I was thinking what more could you wish anyone than this?


20 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about your cat. Mine's getting on and it's sad to see her in decline. Despite their tendency to rip anything we love to shreds, cats worm their way into our hearts. Congratulations on the win-well deserved!

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  2. I'm very sorry to hear about your cat Catherine. It's so hard to lose a part of your family. Congratulations on your win. It is a great quilt, and my favourite colour to boot. I'm sure your swap partner will love the reminder to be happy.

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  3. So sorry to hear about your cat! I can imagine, how you feel. :( I grow up with cats by birth and had to see them go, too.
    And congratulation for wining the prize! Your quilt is really beautiful!
    Greetings, Rike

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  4. Heartfelt condolences to you over the loss of your lovely pet - I hope time helps. Congratulations on your coffee pot quilt - it really is stunning!

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  5. Congratulations Catherine your quilt is a worthy winner. I love everything about your latest ATC card it is a mini masterpiece!

    19 years is a long and happy life in cat terms and another thing to be proud of.

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  6. Congratulations Catherine your quilt is a worthy winner. I love everything about your latest ATC card it is a mini masterpiece!

    19 years is a long and happy life in cat terms and another thing to be proud of.

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  7. I am so pleased to hear you won. Congratulations. I always like it when a personal favourite finds favour with the judges as well. I'm afraid that doesn't always happen! But can quite understand the turmoil of the last month with the loss of your beloved cat. So sorry to hear that. After 19 years there will be a huge gap. I find our cats so restful and a homely presence so can understand your loss. I hope time is helping.

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  8. I'm so sorry to hear your sad news. And so pleased to hear your happy news..!

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  9. So sorry to hear about your cat, Catherine. It's so hard to say goodbye to a much loved pet... especially after such a long time together.
    Many congratulations on your win, those coffee pots were an inspired use of the prints you received... a perfect match!

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  10. Your ATC is gorgeous! So sorry about your cat, loosing a pet is hard xx

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  11. Your ATC is gorgeous! So sorry about your cat, loosing a pet is hard xx

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  12. so sorry about your cat... I don't know what I'll do when my dog dies... she's my constant companion... Love that quilt, as I said before... it's a real winner!

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  13. Oh such sadness! You did amazingly to finish that fab quilt amidst such turmoil!

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  14. Congratulations on winning the umbrella prints challenge. I first saw your quilt on Instagram and I instantly fell in love with it.
    So sorry about your cat. It is such a heart break to see our beloved pets suffer. My dog has been with us for fifteen years and for the last year has been sick. The constant visits to the vet and feeling powerless to alleviate their pain is just too much to handle. Sorry for your loss. Hugs

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  15. Sorry to hear about your cat, losing pets is so hard but I hope you can think back now and remember he had 19 years of a very happy cat's life. Congratulations on your win, that's brilliant, and yes, what more could anyone wish for?

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  16. I'm so sorry about your loss - we're never truly prepared for it are we? Even if they have reached a great age. Well done on your win - another lovely quilt - as us your ATC. I really enjoyed the theme this time round.

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  17. I'm so sorry about your loss - we're never truly prepared for it are we? Even if they have reached a great age. Well done on your win - another lovely quilt - as us your ATC. I really enjoyed the theme this time round.

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  18. I missed this post Catherine, I was on holidays. I'm sorry to hear about your cat.
    I love your coffee pot quilt, very much to my taste. And your atc is so sweet. Love it.

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  19. Catherine, I'm so sorry to read about your cat and sorry that I didn't see this earlier. I can imagine a little bit how difficult you feel now because our little dog was 16 when she died. Your cat looks very much like our Nelli who is now 14 years. Oh, all our furry friends start to be old and I'm worried. Nero has his 12th birthday tomorrow. You are in my thoughts. x Teje
    www.nerospostbox.wordpress.com

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  20. I was so sad about your cat that forgot to say that I love this quilt and Congratulations! x Teje

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