My cats never bother my quilting until I put the batting on. Batting is like catnip to them. Fortunately they don't scratch it, just lay on it. They seem to think I made it just for them. I could never give a quilt to anyone with an allergy. Sometimes I think I should put a warning label on all my quilts.

That's so funny!!! Yeah, my cats like anything involved in quilting and batting is no exception!! :D
Welcome to the board!

I don't buy quilts (unless they're antiques) but as a person with severe animal allergies that might not be a bad idea. Or at least tell them. You also might try kenneling the cats long enough to get your quilts sandwiched.

Unless you are aware of the allergies of everyone in the house where your quilt is going, that might not be a bad idea.

When I am not actually working on something, the 'parts' are covered with pieces of dropcloth plastic that I have cut up. My cats will not lie on cold, stiff, noisy plastic no matter what's underneath it. :-D

Luckily my sewing studio is in the basement and my dogs won't go down the stairs; which is fine with me because I don't want their hair floating around. I have allergies, luckily not to animals, but find that people who do still are troubled with the dander just floating around, so it is really best to not let pets into or near your sewing area. When clients come to my house I gate the dogs in my bedroom but people with allergies have still had problems because they are walking through the house to get to my sewing area. People without animals are often offended to find animal hair on them or things they have.

http://ifitshipitshere.blogspot.com/...of-people.html
hahaha

Cat hair is not an allergen.

People are allergic to the protein found in dander, and the saliva of cats and dogs.

After your gift quilts are made wash them, dry them, package them up in plastic or remove them from the house. No need for a warning label. This is not a nut or shellfish. lol I have lived with severe allergies all my life (bad enough to take shots), I also live in a house with two cats and two dogs. They are bathed once a week in baby shampoo and Downy. I am allergic to birds but sleep on a feather pillow too. I know I must have a death wish huh!

I own a cat and always wash the quilt before gifting it, but also tell the recipient that the cat hairs are free. I don't think even with washing that all the cat hairs are gone.

You're very lucky that your allergies have adjusted to your lifestyle. If I laid down on a feather pillow for 15 minutes I couldn't breathe. And when I accidentally purchased some quilting blocks with cat hair on them I got really sick. Not thinking about it being cat hair, I thought it was just some weird fiber. I kepted picking it off and throwing it away as my eyes got itchy, red and watery, my nose started running and my throat got scratchy. By the time I realized what it was and got rid of the really bad blocks, it was too late. My eyelids had swelled up, my nose had plugged up, I could barely talk and even my lips had swelled. Hair or dander, I don't know, I just know I don't want to be around it. :D

I have the same problem with cigarette smoke. I have had people give me fabric that smelled of smoke. I just had to throw it out. Washing won't completely get rid of it.

Well I have 3 cats, 2 dogs and 2 smokers in the house. My quilts are doomed before they're even started.

Those fabric softener balls that you put in the dryer help to get rid of the hair. You know the blue ones with the little spikes. My little dog sheds like crazy and I have less hair on my clean clothes when I use them.

When I get fabric that smells of smoke I wash it with detergent, baking soda(lots) and vinegar, then wash it once again with only detergent. That's worked for me, but I also shower and change clothes after I put it in the washer. If it's really bad I let it get started with the vinegar and b. soda then shut if off for about 1/2 an hour and let it soak. When I bought close to 150 yds this spring on a garage sale it reeked of smoke. I took a lot of showers.

he,he,he.one good reason my three cats aren't allowed in my sewing room.

My 2 little ones will they love anything that is plastic!! :thumbup: :lol:

Hello and Welcome to the board!! How many cats do you have!! Ms. Shawn :mrgreen: :thumbup:

Every time I participate in a swap or sale - I advise/warn the possible recipient that I have/had cat(s).

There are some cats I tolerate really well with minimal distress - and others that if I just touch them, I get the itchy eyes, runny nose, can't breathe thing.

Have pets. They aren't the problem. Laundry detergent or fabric softner with fragrance bothers me. I use all unscented products. I wish that people with purfume would come with a warning label.

I am soooo allergic to cats that your thread topic made me sneeze. No kidding!

Looks like the only way to combat this is to ban them from your sewing room? :roll:

If your cats shed everyplace they lay down, it could be their diet. I have a white cat and very seldom do I have cat hair on anything. I asked my vet about excessive shedding and the new intern vet who was in the office told me to change the cat's diet. The food she recommended was Blue. I brush my cat every day using a Furminator and have noticed a big decrease in hair that is brushed out since I changed his food. Cats will shed and sweat automatically when stressed. I switched my dog's food to Blue and have noticed a big difference in her coat, eyes, and her shedding problem is not a problem anymore. Pets do not need grain or filler in their diet.

I won't let my cat in my sewing room or the longarm room anymore. I just couldn't stand seeing that fuzzy, fine black hair on everything. I still see it on some things but as I work through my older fabric I hope it will be gone!

She doesn't like it, of course. Just yesterday when I came out of the sewing room she was waiting at the door and tried to make a dash around me into the room. I was able to block her, almost stepping on her and falling myself. :)

I had DH put a screen door on my sewing room doorway. It keeps pets out when I have blocks and batting spread out. Simple screen doors are inexpensive and adds a lot of interest to a room. My DD put one in the baby's door way to keep her cat out of the baby's room.

Loved it Rainy Day.

It is not the hair that people are allergic to, it is the dander on the skin of the animal.

I have 4 cats, but they're not allowed in my sewing room, my home office, or the bedroom (that's where my Juki and quilt frame are). It drives them crazy to be "locked out", but I sometimes sell my handmade items, and I refuse to send out anything that might have cat hair on it.

Although I did accidentally ship a customer an "L" bracket once ... :lol: No idea how it got into the package, but she was nice enough to ship it back! We both had a good giggle over it. :oops: :mrgreen:

Our local hospital is now totally smoke free and if you do smoke, it must be so many feet away from the hospital.
It might even be a good idea to have it perfume free - which I guess would be impossible, but there are people who are allergic to perfumes.

Well, you know the old saying "Love me, love my dog." Well it could be "Love my quilts, love the dog hair."

My sister wants to know if those dog jackets would collect fleas.
Dodee

I am a dog owner and have allergies but only a very mild one to dogs. I've discovered that good old borax that we of an older generation added to soap flakes to wash diapers, works like a charm to rid the doggie odor from her bedding. I've also found it to be effective on cigarette smoke odor as well. It's cheap and found in the laundry soap aisle. It doesn't leave any odor at all including the cheap perfume scent found in so many laundry products that make me sneeze and would offend me even without the sneeze.

I have seen purses made from cat hair but not cloths from dogs. I am really sorry but I think it is kinda gross to wear animal fur. But then again I have mild cat and dog hair allergies.

I agree. I love cats but my husband is so allergic, his eyes swell up and weep. And his airways begin to close (he has severe asthma). It's awful. We have 2 outdoor only cats. If I pick one up to and cuddle with her outside I come in strip down to my underwear leaving it in the laundry room and streak(not a pretty sight LOL) upstairs to find some clothes and wash any body parts that touched the kitty.

My cat thinks she has to lay on whatever quilt I am hand sewing the binding on. After I am finished, I hang it in my large doorway and vacuum it like crazy. Have also used Pledge's Fabria Sweeper for Pet Hair.

Tissue paper patterns get MY cats all worked up. I try to unfold them quietly, but they are both there, ready to SHRED!!!

I use Oxy Clean or whatever it is called in all my laundry. It removes the doggy odor from my sheets and blankets from the Great Dane sleeping with me. It removes smoke odor too.

I use those sticky sheet rollers & it gets the cat hair and lint off my quilts.

Oh, yeah, the tissue paper patterns. I dont even TRY to use them anymore unless I put kitties in the basement while I use them!

My quilts are all given to family members and they all have cats and dogs so I don't worry. The RRs that enter my home are kept in plastic bags til I work on them. All my fabric is washed right before using and I keep the cats locked up til I'm done.

I have dogs(I'm allergic to them), okay with them as they are bathed weekly and the house is mopped and vacuumed daily.
Whoever came up with the idea that heavily perfumed products equate freshness..... I have to have everything fragrance free or I have asthma problems.
I totally agree about perfumes and the ppl who bathe in it.

I too have issues with perfume. Have to sit in the back of the church in case someone comes in with perfume and I have to leave due to a coughing episode. Can't go into a department store where the perfume counter is. I don't have problems with most of the newer detergents. I can't use Tide.