How to Quilt a Dog, a Cat, and a Bunny-Machine Quilting Motifs
Good Morning, Quilters!
Thank YOU all for your kind words following the loss of my Aussie, Roxie. Roxie was twelve years old and she was my first dog. (My husband bought her, but within a few weeks it was clear–she was MY dog.) Roxie followed me everywhere, and like me, her favorite place was my sewing room. She will be greatly missed, but in the last few days, Ruby has silently and confidently claimed the role of Protector-in-Chief.
Let’s celebrate all of our pets today with a round-up of motifs:
NOTE-This is a very old tutorial–before I begin stitching step-by-step tutorials. It is very similar to the Cool Cat–just change the ears a bit. (an updated tutorial is included in my new book…coming soon!!!)
In honor of all our wonderful pets, let’s add a dog or a cat or a bunny…to YOUR next quilt!
What about YOU?
Does YOUR pet LOVE to quilt with YOU?
Do they hang out in YOUR sewing room?
Does YOUR dog or cat sleep at YOUR feet?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!PS…If you like these motifs and tips, be sure to check out my book, Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 .
I have no pets but I understand your pain. I can not wait for the next book. Is the date known Lori?
I follow your blog, and look forward to it everyday. I am very sorry for your loss and know your pain. I have 2 doodles at present, but have had several dogs over the years. Hugs to you, Mary
Lori..does the shaggy dog not have a head??? Lol.
We have a rescued Bishon who is now 14 years old. She follows me everywhere also and has a bed in my sewing room. Sorry for your loss. Roxie will be waiting for you at the Rainbow Bridge where you will enjoy being together again.
My havanese pup sleeps on any piece of batting she can find. It can be three inches square and it is hers.
So sorry about your loss. Our pet friends are family.
My cat Casey either curls up right next to the foot pedal of my sewing machine or jumps up next to my machine for a close inspection of my stitches. How nice to know you and Roxie had so many happy years together in your sewing room.
My cat, Carmello loves to sleep in my sewing room while I sew. But when it’s a mess he stomps around making sure I see that he can’t find a spot!! It’s so funny.
We lost our Sonia last September and just adopted 2 adorable brother and sister kitties. They are keeping us busy!!!!!! They are so darn cute 🙂
And it really helps with our loss.
I’m so sorry for your loss. What a giant space they fill and how big that space feels when they’re gone. My Aussies (True and Jax) are my constant companions, sewing or not! The cats, tho, rule the bed!
What beautiful dogs – and how we love our fur family.. I’ve had several cats who wanted to share the sewing experience, including one who walks around the porject under the needed but they have all been insistent on helping to layer tops whether on a bed or on the floor…LOL
Our two Goldens love to be wherever we are; right now they are both at my feet as I type on the computer. We have a gate into the hallway that separates the two spare bedrooms from the rest of the house and my sewing room is one of them. They are not allowed, not because of the hair, which they have oodles of LOL, but because I am paranoid about them ingesting pins, thread or fabric. They eat anything on the floor!
Otherwise they are allowed anywhere. Their favorite activities are going on a walk in the woods with my husband, or swimming in our pool, supervised of course.
Lori, it’s so hard when our pets leave us. Life is so much richer when they’re in our lives. I’m so sorry for your loss.
Sorry for your lost. I have had many dogs over the decades and they are family.
A well-loved dog remains in your heart forever. So sorry you lost your baby. My three basset hounds love to cuddle up on the couch or chairs as I quilt in the living room (which has become my quilting studio). Often one of them will try to lie at my feet.
I am so sorry for your loss of Roxie.
Oh, Lori, I know your pain well and I am so sorry that Roxie is not with you anymore. It is my hope to be some day reunited with all my pets that have gone before me over the years. I hope this for you as well.
I’m sorry about Roxie, Lori. It’s hard to lose a companion like that.
I have two cats, and one of them in particular hangs out with me in the sewing room. She HAS a bed in there that I made for her, but she prefers the padded chair, leaving me with the bare wood chair, of course. She likes to tromp around on the quilt while I’m working on it, and is my direct supervisor. I have to cover the machine at night, or she’ll take the thread off the machine.
Sincere condolences on your loss. Roxie was a gorgeous Aussie, and I know her life was filled with love. My first dog on my own was a red Aussie, and Asey played such a huge role in family life. I have four (now adult) kids. If they were arguing, Asey would get between the offenders and bark until I came to take care of the problem. He was so sweet, but I had little time for sewing then. He lived 13 years. My next dog, Charlie,is a black tri. His favorite spot is under my sewing table, and we spent many happy hours together with him at (and sometimes ON) my feet. I had to give him to my daughter, where he lives happily with her mini Aussie, and I miss him terribly. The boys visit whenever my daughter comes. Again, condolences to you and your family, especially Ruby.
I’m sooooooo sorry for your fur baby loss. They become family????. My pug, Bubba loves to lay under my machine at my feet when I sew. He has stepped on the pedal before so sometimes I have to turn the machine off so we don’t have any accident sewing.
So sorry Lori for your loss. My daughter also just lost her dog. She misses him meeting her at the door when she returns from shopping and of course the usual following her everywhere.
Sadly no indoor pets now. I do have two geriatric (9 and 10 years old) chickens in the garden – outdoor pets with added egg bonus – alas they are too old for that now, but fun characters nevertheless.
I’m so sorry to hear Roxie has passed, but I know she lived a wonderful life in your loving home. She will be missed by many. Big hug.
The little dog (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) has a bed under one of my vintage machines in my sewing room. She loves to ‘tell’ me when it is time to head in there. The large dog (120lb Alaskan Malamute) isn’t allowed in my sewing room since he is just too big. He lays at the top of the stairs, where he can look in my sewing room and make sure that I’m ok. It doesn’t hurt that there are doggie treats hidden (high up) in my sewing room.
I lost my Aussie Annabelle. She would tell me when my blood sugar was off. She wasn’t trained to do it. If Annie was human she would be a nurse. Nothing like the love of an aissie. I am so sorry for your loss.
Recently discovered your blog and broke my heart looking at your Aussie pictures. Especially the one with the breakfast sandwich in, wasn’t it Ruby’s?, mouth. I got my first Aussie in 1985 and lost the last in a long line at 15yo just a year and a half ago. I feel no desire for a dog again except when I see an Aussie go by, or in a blog posting. The temperament is just not replicated in most breeds. My heart now breaks anew hearing of your pain. How good that you have still Ruby to comfort you.
Thank you for the great tutorials. I am currently working on the whole cloth quilting mystery quilt! (Shhh! Don’t spoil the suspense! I know I’m a few years behind)
There are 4 lovely furballs in our house Lori, 3 playful cats, and one 95-lb, gentle giant of a boxer mix – all adopted and very much loved. Our dog Sarge is my buddy, my protector and a wonderful foot-warmer on cold nights. Thank heavens we have a very large bed! His own bed is in my sewing room so if I’m there, so is he. One of our cats, Mr. Curls., loves to “help” me when I’m sewing. He’s a hugger who tries to sit on my left shoulder purring his heart out while I work. He makes sewing a straight seam a little challenging! His sister Clo-Clo, is one of those “I-must-sit-on-top-of-whatever-you’re-working-on” cats. Our oldest cat, “Abster” (don’t ask!) doesn’t give a hoot about sewing but if I’m in the family room watching TV, she’s glued to my hip.
Not surprisingly, I keep a good supply of lint rollers in with my sewing gear. When the sun shines through the window in front of my machine you can see the hair flying everywhere!
They quickly wiggle into our hearts, don’t they Lori? Sarge is getting old, so we know his time is limited, and Abster is 16, so her time is getting short as well. But if you’re anything like me, despite the sadness we know we’ll have to face, we would never want to miss a moment of the unconditional love they give us so generously.
May your time of grief be short and the heart-warming memories of Roxie soon become smiles on your face.
With appreciation for all you share,
Suzanne
Love the shaggy dog motif! Thank you for this one as I’m about to start a dog quilt.
I am so very sorry to hear of Roxie’s passing. They leave a big, empty space when they cross the rainbow bridge, but they live on in our hearts and memories.
Sorry for your loss, Lori. Our fur babies are our family. I feel sorry for the people who say, “it’s just an animal.” They have lost out on so much love.
We had many dog pets thru the years while the children were growing up. Our 20 yr old granddaughter lost her Buddy, a red bone hound, at Christmas. He was age 8. She is feeling better but was so devastated at the time. There are still 2 other dogs in their household who moped around for two weeks and stayed under the feet of the family, They are feeling better too.
Your Aussies so remind me of the sweetheart our son had for many years, Belle. We all still miss her. We dog- sat her once for 3 days.The first night she made her post
at the front door. The next two nights, she posted herself in our bedroom door, facing out.. Such a lovely and sweet and intelligent one who brought joy to many people..
I am so sad and sorry for your loss. Losing our beloved pets is such a blow.
She had 12 wonderful years, and I know you keep reminding yourself about that, but still. Our animals are so loving.
I lost my Pierro (seen in my profile picture) almost 15 months ago…. time goes so fast.
I still miss him. He only lived 9 years. Just thinking about it hurts my heart.
I love all of your free motion motifs, They are adorable.
Gosh, I love reading all of the comments above. It is heartwarming to know that we are not alone in grief.
To you and Ruby who are missing Roxie so much, may your pain find relief in the memories. Each time we have had to grieve over the loss of a pet, I have told the children when they were little and asked “why did they have to die?” , I think when an animal lives a long life for their breed, their death helps us learn to grieve. It also teaches us we will survive, even though it hurts like we won’t, and prepares us for tough times ahead when we need to know we can make it through. Happy memories and may you and Ruby comfort each other.
So sorry for your loss. A pet just takes your heart. I too recently lost my sewing room companion, Savannah, a sweet dalmatian of 14 and half years. She would lay in her bed next to my chair and keep me company. It took me over a week before I could even step foot in the room after she was gone. I plan to rescue another but need time.
I’m sorry for your loss Lori. Roxie was well loved and she gave the love back to you, that’s a wonderful experience.
My darling cat, Punky, died Jan 13th. She had to try out every quilt I made. I miss her so much. I will have to try quilting a kitty on my quilts in her memory. Thanks
Lori,
So sorry about the loss,of,your precious pet. It hurts so much when one of them travels across the rainbow bridge. My cats and dog all love to be in the sewing room with me. One of the cats and our dog sleep on our bed at night. The other cat chews on the blankets so he gets to stay in another room at night. I worry that he’ll get a blockage from eating the blanket.
Hello Lori, was saddened to hear of your loss of your long time loyal ROXIE. I feel sure all dogs go to heaven to wait for us. I love your blog and your AQS Monthly lessons. i am So charmed by your work. Maybe some day we’ll meet at Nancy’s Notions in Wisconsin. Thank you for the Woof and bone free motion designs. Fran Rhine, Oshkosh WI.
Lori, I’m very sorry to hear of the loss off you dog. I’ve been there.He will be in your heart forever.
Sending my sympathy your way…. Karen
Triste d’apprendre la perte de ROXIE, c’est un grand vide la perte d’un animal que l’on a chéri.
J’ai un chat qui vient sur ma table de couture et il adore si promener, c’est notre complicité.
Courage à vous
I grew up with an Aussie. Loved that dog. Now we have our third Golden. I know that Roxie will be with you as my first 2 Golden’s are still with me – as they shed and no matter how hard you try, there will be a few dog hairs in that quilt sandwich. I know the ages of the quilts by the dogs that “helped” me make them.
Wrap up in one and Roxie will be taking care of you.
Thanks for what you do. You inspire us.