Sunday, February 12, 2006

Button Heart

Another gray day here in Cairo. Sky is white, but I don't see the trees blowing so I don't think it's another khamseen.

Here's a little bit of color. This is one of my little pieces. It's not a thready since it has two layers of fabric with batting in the middle. Not really a crusty either tho. Anyway, this is a small piece - 5" square, if I can call it a square since it's definitely skewed. It's stitched with embroidery floss, inc rayon floss, and has a bugle bead border and lots of buttons sewn in the middle.

I've told you our building has been getting a makeover. Lots of new plaster and paint and marble trim on the balconies. Well they finally finished with our hallway, putting the vent covers back up (some of which will undoubtedly get removed during the summer when the heat build-up for the a/c's is too much).

Yesterday I kept hearing a loud cat meow and I knew it wasn't one of ours. Sounded like the cat was in our a/c. Turns out that when the vent covers went back up on Thursday, one of the building's stray cats was hiding in there. D'oh. Luckily it was the friendliest, most trusting of the strays and after the workmen took the cover back off (along with some of the new plaster) I managed to lure it out and into a cage - poor thing was hungry after two days. Boy was she mad about the cage, but it really was for the best and now she's back in the garden where she belongs.

You'll appreciate this, Siobhan. The stray's name is Brownie. Yup the same name (which I've resisted calling her) as your troublesome sweetie cat. Maybe the name fits her after all.

Besides cat rescue, grocery shopping, and making an excellent beef and barley soup, I spent most of yesterday surfing the internet prepping for our trip. Have to say the weather in Florida is a bit colder than I was expecting, but I guess it's a whole lot better than snow. Least this way my hubby won't spend all his time at the beach so I'll actually get to see him.

7 comments:

Dorothee said...

Hiya, just discovered your blog a few days ago. I really like this heart piece and your wonky houses - I followed a link here from a post on another wonky houses quilt. I think I'll eventually do one myself that I hope to "design" today. I especially like your quilting on the individual ones because they add "another layer of information" like the star and such things.

Greetings from Germany to Cairo,
Dorothee

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh now I LOVE that little heart button thing! That is too adorable! But I always love buttons!

Kairle Oaks said...

Don't you just love using all of those buttons? I cherish the days when my children were little and used to pull out my old Almond Rocca tin filled with buttons. They'd sort those things for hours.

Crazy cat! I still feel panic when I think back to the day when my cat climbed into our heating duct (the 2yo removed the vent) and was stuck for the best part of the day.
Kairle

Holly said...

I love hearing about the sandstorms, food and such - I'm visiting Cairo vicariously through you :) I like what you do with your stitching - creating pictures etc. Very creative!

Hunter said...

Tigger went down behind the couch yesterday and all we could see was a furry butt and a tail. Just when we were reaching in after him he did one of those amazing cat u-turns and came out. I don't think he'll go behind the couch again for a while. LOL.

Congratulations on the rescue and I wish you were coming to Hawaii instead of Florida.

Hugs.
Darilyn

YankeeQuilter said...

I am certain it is in the name...the stray dog that lived in backyard for 3 days driving poor Macbeth crazy ended up being named brownie by her new owners! Brownie (the original) went nose to nose with a St. Bernard last week...all 7 lbs of her hissing and baring her teeth. The St. just took one big paw and flattened her. Fortunately Mac came running to the rescue...knocking me flat on my butt in the middle of the street!

Glad you saved the Egyptian Brownie though!

Sio

Darcie said...

Aaw, Tonya! What a great rescue!

Your button heart is adorable. You are so creative and artistic...always amazing me!