[color=darkblue]Hello everyone. I notice some of you have pictures of children and pets who are obviously a big part of your lives--no much more than that. They are your life.

As you can see from my picture to the left, I have two adorable kittens: Abbie (about 13 months old), and Buddy (about 8 months old). Buddy eats everything from the food I give him, Abbie's food, fabric, lint--just about anything he can get into his mouth. We live in a 2 bedroom condo, and my husband has requested that I do not do anysewing until we can move to a larger home where I can have a sewing room. His fear? Either of them, but especially Buddy eating strings that could be fatal, chewing on fabric pieces that could be fatal, but [/url]especially sewing pins, that would definitely be FATAL.

I purchased a magnetic pin dish/holder to use instead of the beautiful wood pin dish my grandfather made for me on his lathe 100 years ago (well, maybe not quite that long).

But does anyone have any suggestions for keeping strings, fabric pieces, and straight pins off the floor? Also does anyone have any other suggestions for sewing around pets and crawling children?[i]

I am disabled and have multiple doctor's visits every week and have found sewing and creating my own color combinations to be very therapeutic. But I haven't been able to sew in about 2 years. I really want to make another quilt lik this one.

Your work is so beautiful, it would be a shame for you not to quilt.

The only thing I can think to suggest is not use pins at all, I rarely use them for quilting. And for the little bits of fabric and thread that gets snipped off, keep a brown paper lunch bag taped to the side of your sewing table and get in the habit of putting everything in there.

Or maybe a kittie muzzle :?

Very Very nice :!: :!: :!:
lovely work, great color choices.

moreland, they're all so lovely!!! The one with the fused pink hearts is my favorite!! Hope you keep sharing your wonderful creations with us!

lansawlady, i sure wish i had some suggestions for you. fortunately, my girls are old enough that they are my solution to strings and bits of fabric, they love to crawl under my feet and keep it picked up for me. Even bought the 4 yr old her very own mini-cannister vac for her birthday, at her request, so she can help mommy sew. I sure hope you get some useful tips here. your quilt is so lovely here's hoping that you get your wish of making another very very soon!!

Those are great quilts Moreland! :thumbup: Thanks for sharing them with us all. :mrgreen:


I recently learned this one: take a piece of that blue painter's tape, maybe 5" long, fold it sticky side out & put it on the side of your sewing machine. Then you can just stick the strings right to it, until it's full! Painter's tape is low tack, so it won't leave any residue on the machine.
You could keep a spray bottle of water handy too, & squirt 'em if they get near the pins!
I know all cats aren't the same, but I know of at least 8 cats that belong to quilters, and they are all still hale & hearty! My cat is at home alone all day while I'm at work, my sewing room is pretty much the whole house, and she's 16-1/2 years old now. Nothing is closed up, I use regular pin cushions & there are as many threads as cat hair around the house! LOL In fact, you can see a pic of the mess here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/15/1371.page
Actually, one of her favorite spots is the chair at my sewing machine....

What a beautiful combination of colors and block layout. I love it! :)

I have on a number of occasions used painters tape instead of pins to keep the fabric laying flatter. Maybe that might work for you?
Maybe a sewing case or tackle box that you could keep close by you for your sewing notions that may hurt your kitty while you are sewing, that your kitty could not get in.
Also I wonder if eating small pieces of strings would hurt your cat, I know of many cats and dogs that eat long pieces of grass and the worst thing that happens is that they may vomit, but they eat the grass because they are not feeling well to begin with. Maybe ask a vet about this to see if it is a problem?
As for little fabric pieces I keep a lint brush handy to clean up little bits off of my mat and table, and my sewing desk when I trim my pieces.
I hope that you get enough solutions so that you can get back to quilting, I know that it is a sanity saver for a lot of us :-)

Moreland, your work is fabulous!! I just love it.

Ian______, I keep an old paint roller back wrapped with masking tape to roll over my sewing area. It picks up all the stray threads and moves or picks up the pins so I can see them. Your kittens are so young, you'll find a way to train them to enjoy and play with the threads but not eat them. It will take time.

Happy Quilting to both of you,
Sharon

I had a cat that used to eat thread, it's dangerous because it can get tangled up in their intestines. The first time I caught my cat, I had to rush him to the vet for emergency surgery. Sadly a year later he got hold of some thread and we lost him, I didn't realize until it was too late. Some cats seem to have a fetish for thread, my cat I have now likes to lay on my sewing table sleeping while I sew, every so often he wakes up and checks out what I'm making then goes back to sleep.... :)

Thankyou for all of your comments. I know it will take some adjusting, especially for the felines! But I have to keep my eye on Buddy. He will eat anything and everything he can get his teeth into. But from these comments and some I got before, I think it is doable.