Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Among the roses.....


Jos and I have been searching for a new kitten lately. The loss of Dagi was hard for us but we have so much love to share with another kitty. In May, I saw the photo below that a breeder posted online. Meet Elwin...a red oriental short hair. He was adorable and it was love at first sight. We arranged to bring him home the day after we returned from a week's vacation in May. I grabbed some yarn from my stash and started on a kitty pod. I used this pattern but needed to wire it like a tent to help it keep its shape.  Then I made a mattress with some quilt fabric so he would have a "bed of roses".

Jos en ik hebben lang gezocht naar een nieuwe kitten. Het verlies van Dagi was wel zwaar voor ons maar we kunnen heel veel geven aan een nieuwe kitten. In Mei zag ik de foto hieronder die een fokker op internet gezet had.

Ontmoet Elwin: een roodharige orientaalse kat. Hij was erg leuk en we waren op slag verliefd. We hebben afgesproken om hem direct na onze vakantie naar ons huis te brengen. Ik heb snel naald en draad gepakt en een klein kitten igloo gemaakt.  Daarvoor heb ik dit patroon gebruikt en metaaldraad gebruikt om het als een tentje neer te zetten. Daarna heb ik een matrasje gemaakt met quilt stoffen zodat hij een rozen bedje zou krijgen.


The big day arrived and we drove the hour to pick up Elwin. His brother Joep climbed up on my lap and looked at me as if to say "You are not going to take Elwin and leave me here, are you?". So Joep came home to live with us too. 

It quickly became apparent that Joep needed a man's strong guiding hand. I was not able to cope with his and he was constantly playing so hard with Elwin that it left Elwin with scabbed scratches. We made the difficult decision after a vet looked at Joep and said his aggression would probably not deminish as he became an adult cat. He was all personality so this was a hard decision to make but he was returned to the breeder.


Elwin was sad the first 24 hours and would not eat or drink. He was missing the breeder and his partner. But finally he turned around and he ate very well and followed us all over the house talking away wherever we went. He had the funniest meow which sounded like those friction wind up flash lights. He cuddled day and night. His favorite sleeping spot was laid over my should with his little sweet head on my chest. He went happily back and forth between Jos and I.

Elwin was de eerste 24 uren droevig, hij wilde niet eten of drinken, hij was te gehecht aan de fokker en zijn partner. Echter dit veranderde al snel en werd een echt cuddlebeestje.

I am using past tense as this is not a story with a happy ending. Sunday he started to get lethargic and stopped eating.  He did still drink when we took him to his water. Monday morning, when I awoke he was laying between Jos and I and at first I though he had died. He was alive but breathing very badly. Then I saw his little belly looked strange. I knew it was serious and he was very ill. 

Ik gebruik verleden tijd want afgelopen zondag werd hij helemaal lusteloos and stopte met eten. Maandag ochtend dacht ik dat hij dood was, ik wist dat hij erg ziek was.

We called the vet and she had us bring him in. His breathing was more and more distressed and the assistant let me wait with his in a well cooled room. The vet drew stomach fluid to test and came back with horrible news. Elwin had FIP. It is viral disease and was in his stomach and lungs. Cats cannot survive this illness. We had to make the decision to put down a beautiful kitten that was not even 4 months old yet yesterday. It seems so wrong that this little life has passed too soon. He should have had many years here with us. 

Op maandag tweede pinksterdag zijn wij naar de dierenarts geweest. Hij kon eigenlijk niet goed meer ademen, wij mochten wachten in een kamer met Airco de hitte kon hij niet meer aan. De dierenarts heeft vloeistof afgetapt uit zijn veel te dikke buik. Daarop heeft ze ons het slechte nieuws gegeven dat Elwin FIP had. Dit is een ongeneeslijke virus infectie. Helaas hebben we op advies van de dierenarts moeten besluiten hem te laten inslapen.


Elwin is buried our under the bench in our garden. He is right next to Dagi where we can go and sit with them. I am totally heartbroken. I miss him so much even though he was such a short time in our home. He fit in! He was instantly part of the family. 

Sweet dreams little Elwin out there with Dagi among the roses.........

Elwin is begraven onder onze tuinbank. Hij ligt naast Dagi waar ik soms naar ze toe kunnen gaan. Ik ben gebroken... Ik mis hem heel erg ook al was hij maar kort bij ons. Hij past perfect bij ons.

Droom zacht lieve Elwin samen met Dagi en de rozen.

Heidi

Friday, June 6, 2014

Potholder quilt finish...


Thrilled to bits, I can now show you my finished potholder quilt. I finished it last month the day before we went on vacation. This was my quilt group's theme project last year. I tea dyed muslin which is great fun to do. All my choice of drawings for the stitchery hexies are sewing related. 

The back also turned out nice and could be used as well as the front of the quilt. Enlarge the photo or search under potholder quilt to see more details. 

Ik heb mijn potholder quilt in mei voordat we weg ging op vakantie afgemaakt. De potholder quilt was de 2013 thema van mijn quiltgroep. Ik heb ongeblekte katoen eerst in de thee geverfd. Wat een geweldige manier om stof heel uniek te maken! De tekeningen voor de stitchery blokken hebben met naald en draad te maken.

Achter is ook mooi geworden en kan ook gebruikt worden net als de voorkant. Vergroot de fotos om beter de details te zien of zoek onder potholder quilt. 




I made this to use in my studio on the table there but for now it is on the coffee table in the living room. It works well in there too. I am really pleased with how it turned out! I love doing the stitchery as well as making many tiny patchwork blocks to sew into the hexie shapes. 

Bedoeld voor de tafel in mijn quiltstudio mijn quilt past ook goed in de woonkamer. Ik ben erg tevreden hoe het geworden is! De stitchery was leuk om te maken maar de smalle patchwork blokken waren nog leuker om te naaien en dan hexies van te maken.


Heidi