Sewing My Way Through Life

The last you heard from me I was in the middle of trying to get little foster kitties healthy and ready for adoption. From when I got the three boys as one day old kitties way back on May 7 until the time they left my home, it was a rough go for all of us. For them it was a life of oral antibiotics, antibiotic ointments, three separate rounds of oral anti-fungal medications, and never getting to leave the isolation room (AKA my bathroom). For me it was a whirlwind of multiple changes of clothes a day, boxes and boxes of disposable gloves, gallons of bleach, and containers of laundry detergent. When we finally got the ringworm at bay, they headed to Simply Cats' adoption floor. Unfortunately, two of the three have still not been adopted. So they sit - and play and run and climb - at Simply Cats as they continue to wait for a loving forever home. A bit of a bummer situation.

Only one thing to do to keep my mind off those kinds of things I have no control over...

Sew. Well, sew and write. And goodness, have I been doing a lot of both!

As for sewing, the popularity of the vaccination card holders I've been making has exceeded anything I could have ever imagined. As of today, I have sewn - and sold - 1,283 of them. Wow.

Sew, sew, and sew some more!

If you're interested in getting your own vaccination card cover, I have 100+ fabrics available over several listings:

• Dozens of fabrics here
• Dozens more here
• Animal fabrics
• Cats and dogs
• Pinks and purples are here
• Blues are here
• Kids and teens novelty fabrics are here
• Slim holders are here

It has been fulfilling being able to provide something to support the health and safety of individuals and the community.

I also have been writing sewing patterns. Lots and lots of patterns. I have several styles of vaccination card holder sewing patterns (notice a theme here?) but right now the most popular is this one right here:

But I'm not just all about vaccine card holders. I've also written:

• Kitchen sewing patterns
• Holiday sewing patterns
• Kids and kittens sewing patterns
• Summer sewing patterns
• Travel accessory sewing patterns
• Bookmark sewing patterns

I'm publishing new patterns weekly so I've been a busy gal. I also have a quilt shop picking up my patterns and selling them along with beautiful fabrics. Check out The Quilt Cow's Party in Your PJ's Facebook Lives on Wednesday evenings. So fun! They even have some other live shopping parties throughout the week. For me it's been fun to watch someone else working with my patterns.

Clearly this attempt-at-retirement thing isn't working for me!

All of the Work and None of the Fun - Foster Kitten Friday

One of the biggest benefits to being a foster parent to bottle baby kitties is they think you're their mama. They love on you and snuggle with you and follow you wherever you go. You have a constant companion and a constant source of entertainment. 

But not so with these little fellas.

With the boys still in the isolation room (also know as my bathroom) I don't get to see them all that much. With their ringworm - and since they aren't bottle babies anymore - the contact I have with them is limited. Feed them, clean their litter and blankets and tub and floors, and give them a bit of loving. Each time I step in there I have to change my clothes, get gloves on, and have bleach water on hand and washing machine at the ready. It's a lot of work without a lot of payoff for the foster parent.

But the payoff for the kitties will be huge. They'll be ringworm free (hopefully) and ready to go into their forever home someday. They are just so darn cute someone will be thrilled to snap them up.

Just like most weeks, I'm only taking my phone in (and sterilizing it afterwards of course) one day a week to get some photos. Today's pictures are pretty representative of what I see every day when I'm in there.

Face full of food? Yep.

Trying to find a way out again? Yep.

Boxes are the best play toy.

Foster mama just can't keep my white fur white!
But I'm still a cutie, right?