Foster Kitten Friday - The Travel Kit

As I've written before, since we frequently take our trips last minute we keep a container of our must-haves ready to go. Things like medications, toiletries, first aid supplies, fabric freshener and ziplock bags are in there. When things go on sale (powder, deodorant, toothpaste, whatever) I buy several to fill up the bucket. That way when we are ready to hit the road or sail the seas we just go "shopping" in our bucket. As we haven't been traveling since COVID our bucket is full. But this week I got to go shopping in the bucket. 

For a toothbrush.

Part of being a foster parent to a newborn kitten is to be, well, a parent. You feed them, keep them warm, and clean up what comes out of their bums. But baby kittens get something else from the mama cat. Licks from mama's tongue. With my little Hans Solo being all alone without his mama, and with his siblings having not made it, we use something else to mimic the feel of a tongue on his fur.

My ready-to-travel but can't-travel-yet toothbrush from the bucket.

This week has been a week of bonding over that silly toothbrush. And bonding over food. And over helping him pee and poo (and cleaning up afterwards). It has been a week where his eyes are looking clearer and his vision is getting better. I've learned he's a ham, and I have the pictures to prove it.

Chillin' with the tongue toothbrush.

Yum, yum, yum.

Yes, I have a tongue and I will soon know how to use it.

Is this how you play hide and go seek?

Just call me Ol' Blue Eyes.
Better get a good look because they won't always be that color.

Time to eat? Yes, ma'am!

Where are you going foster mama?

It has been a fun week getting to know this little guy. Next week we may have some exciting news for him, and it doesn't include a travel toothbrush.

Make Your Own Appliquéd and Quilted Christmas Tree Mug Rug with Pocket for the Holidays

Here's another way to make your Christmas holiday coffee, tea, and snack time more fun. This time is Christmas trees mini placemat. You'll be able to make your own appliquéd and quilted Christmas trees snack mat / mug rug / coaster with a pocket for a napkin and cutlery (or a snack) with this fun project. The snack mat measures approximately 8 ½” x 12” and you'll even get the directions on how to make the cute little 7" x 7" reversible cloth napkin! Keep it at home to decorate your table, take it to work to make your lunchtime feel even more festive, send it in your child's lunchbox, or use it for a handmade Christmas gift. 

For this project you will need:

• fabric scraps for the applique
• fabric for the front, back, pocket, and napkin
• cotton batting
• paper-backed fusible web like HeatnBond light
• pencil
• fabric clips or pins
• iron
• sewing machine and matching thread
• basting spray or powder
• scissors, rotary cutter, cutting mat, cutting ruler
• walking foot or free motion foot
• tree templates

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Click to get your copy of the pattern today!

The written pattern contains step-by-step how-to directions, photos, link to the video tutorial, and the printable trees template to make a snack mat measuring approximately 8 ½” x 12” with a 7” x 7” reversible cloth napkin. 

Looking for other holiday mug rugs/snack mats? Check out these other projects!

Or just join us as we make the appliquéd Christmas trees project:

Make a Santa Potholder for Your Christmas Baking - A Cute Christmas Kitchen Sewing Project

Today we're working with a Santa Claus sewing project again. This time it's an appliquéd and quilted Santa potholder! Brighten up your kitchen and make your holiday baking feel more festive by making your very own Kris Kringle potholder, hot pad, or trivet with today's tutorial.

For this project you will need:

• fabric scraps for the applique
• fabric for the front and back
• cotton batting or Insul-Bright
• paper-backed fusible web like HeatnBond light
• pencil
• fabric clips or pins
• iron
• sewing machine and matching thread
• basting spray or powder
• scissors, rotary cutter, cutting mat, cutting ruler
• walking foot or free motion foot
• santa templates

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Click to get your copy of the pattern today!

The written pattern contains step-by-step how-to directions, photos, link to the video tutorial, and the printable Santa template to make a potholder, trivet, or hot pad measuring approximately 9" x 9". Instructions for an optional hanging loop included.

Looking for other holiday potholders? Check out these other projects!

And watch the Santa potholder project tutorial right here:

Make Your Own Fabric Christmas Tree Ornament Drink Coasters for the Holiday - Quick and Easy Project Tutorial

Looking for a quick way to decorate your home for the Christmas holiday season while protecting your furniture from water rings? Make your own homemade Christmas tree ornament fabric drink coasters!  Your table top, home, and your parties and get togethers will be looking festive in minutes with your fabric and this step by step tutorial. 

For this project you will need:

• fabric for the ornaments

• fabric for the ornament top

• cotton batting

• fabric clips or pins

• iron 

• printable round ornament template

• pinking shears or pinking blade

• sewing machine and matching thread

• always helpful for sewing: scissors, rotary cutter, cutting ruler, cutting mat 

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Click to get your copy of the pattern today!

The written pattern contains step-by-step how-to directions, photos, round ornament template, and link to the video tutorial to make a set of four Christmas ornament drink coasters each measuring just over 4½". It's an instant digital download pattern so you can start on your project right away.

Find even more holiday sewing and crafting project patterns in my Etsy shop, DebsDaysDesigns:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DebsDaysDesigns

Looking for more coaster designs? Check out some of the other projects!

Ready to learn how to make the fabric Christmas tree ornament drink coasters? Here ya go!

Make Your Own Large Hot Pad with Fabric Strips Using the Quilt-As-You-Go Sewing Method

Looking for simple ideas to make homemade hot pads and trivets? Learn how to sew a large hot pad from fabric strips and batting using the quilt-as-you-go sewing technique with this step-by-step how-to tutorial. With the finished project measuring 12" x 16" it's great way to protect your table and countertops from your kitchen's big casserole dishes and glass pans. And it's a good project for a beginner, too! 

For this project you will need:

• fabric strips*
• backing fabric*
• cotton batting and/or Insul-Bright 
• pins and Clover Wonder Clips
• iron
• sewing machine and matching thread
• basting spray or powder
• rotary cutter, cutting mat, cutting ruler
• walking foot (optional)

*all fabrics need to be 100% cotton

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Click to get your copy of the written version of the pattern today!

The written pattern contains step-by-step how-to directions, photos, and a link to the video tutorial to make a 12" x 16" quilt-as-you-go hot pad from fabric strips.  It's an instant digital download PDF pattern so you can get started on your project right away.

Looking for something else? Check out some of my other kitchen sewing and crafting projects!

And check out our work with the strip hot pad to see how easy it is for anyone to sew:

Make a Cute Gingerbread House Mug Rug for the Christmas Holiday - Handmade Quilted Snack Mat Project

Here's another way to make your Christmas holiday coffee, tea, and snack time more fun...it's a cute gingerbread house mini placemat. You'll be able to make your own appliquéd and quilted gingerbread house snack mat / mug rug / coaster with a pocket for a napkin and cutlery (or a snack) with this fun project. The snack mat measures approximately 8 ½” x 12” and you'll even get the directions on how to make the cute little 7" x 7" reversible cloth napkin! Keep it at home to decorate your table, take it to work to make your lunchtime feel even more festive, send it in your child's lunchbox, or use it for a handmade Christmas gift. 

For this project you will need:

• fabric scraps for the applique
• fabric for the front, back, pocket, and napkin
• cotton batting
• paper-backed fusible web like HeatnBond light
• pencil
• fabric clips or pins
• iron
• sewing machine and matching thread
• basting spray or powder
• scissors, rotary cutter, cutting mat, cutting ruler
• walking foot or free motion foot
• gingerbread house templates from pattern

Disclosure: Deb's Days is a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to affiliated sites. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you new sewing and crafting content.

Click to get your copy of the pattern today!

The written pattern contains step-by-step how-to directions, photos, link to the video tutorial, and the printable gingerbread template to make a snack mat measuring approximately 8 ½” x 12” with a 7” x 7” reversible cloth napkin. 

Looking for other Christmas holiday mug rugs/snack mats? Check out these other projects!

Or just join us as we make the appliquéd gingerbread house project:

Foster Kitten Friday - On This Date

November 19.

On this date three years ago I was in the Florida Keys. We started our day in Key Largo and had a day of discovery as we made our way to our special lodging on the beach in Islamorada, Florida. It was an amazing day, but when we stopped for lunch and saw this sign after we finished eating, we were a little worried. But everything worked out just fine.

On this date two years ago I was undergoing a pirate drill on a cruise ship off the coast of Saudi Arabia. We were cruising from Rome to Singapore via the Suez Canal. The voyage took us through high-risk areas around the Horn of Africa between the countries of Somalia and Yemen. And even more high-risk areas waters off the coast of Abu Dhabi and Dubai where the Strait of Hormuz meets the Persian Gulf. Sounds scary - and could have been - but we made it through pirate-infested waters just fine. 

Ever see a sunrise off the coast of Saudi Arabia? You have now.
Photo taken exactly two years ago today.

On this date last year I was preparing a blog post about the Wild West. The Wild West kitties, that is. Mama Kate and her four little babes, Annie Oakley, Wild Bill, Calamity Jane - and little Wyatt Earp, the kitten born with no back feet. Here's Wyatt's video from that week, and as you can see, he learned to adapt to the world just fine.

Watch all the episodes of The Adventures of Wyatt Earp, the Foster Kitten with no back feet, here.

Now on this date. As in today.

Hip, hip, hooray! We're back with kitties again. Or at least I thought we were.

These tiny underweight bottle baby kittens arrived in my home this week in desperate need of some loving attention, warm milk in their bellies, and antibiotics in their eyes. They all looked the same, were teeny tiny, and had icky eyes. Was I up to the challenge of another round of Foster Kitten Fridays? Bring it on!

But everything did NOT work out just fine.

They were sick and getting sicker by the minute. One little guy, despite me providing all the loving, warmth, baby kitty formula, and glucose (to keep his blood sugar up), didn't make it through the day. Then on the same night, a second one started to slip. I spent the entire night with the little guy trying to keep him alive. I was sure he wouldn't make it through, but morning came and by some miracle he was still with us. He and his brother headed off to Simply Cats first thing for some fluids, meds, and whatever else was needed to keep them with us. They both responded well to treatment, but then I received the text. 

He didn't make it after all. Another one lost.

His name was Hercules, and Simply Cats
gave me this in remembrance of him.
And yes, that's his paw print.

Which now leads us to today. After extraordinary efforts by the staff at Simply Cats (and the foster coordinator Jordan who took the third one home overnight to tube feed him and keep a close eye on him), I have one single foster kitty in my home.

He made it through.

He's back eating from a bottle.

He's active.

And he's a cutie. 

Crossing fingers and toes that everything will work out just fine for this little fella.