An Ode to Cats, Yarn, and the Tinley Tee

You cannot look at a sleeping cat and feel tense. ~Jane Pauley

The trouble with a kitten is that eventually it becomes a cat. ~Ogden Nash

If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats. ~Lemony Snicket

No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch. ~Leo Dworken (or in my case, felt Christmas tree skirt.)

I had been told that the training procedure with cats was difficult. It's not. Mine had me trained in two days. ~Bill Dana

I've used the Tinley Tee pattern from GYCT Designs before and now again for this flutter sleeve version with long sleeves. It's a great t-shirt pattern because it has lots and lots of sleeve options (although the gray sleeve bands are my own addition). The white is cotton lycra from Joann's and the gray is cotton spandex (I think) from Girl Charlee. The kitty is done with a freezer paper stencil. The yarn is stitched on with a zigzag stitch. I normally make a 2 in width and 4 in length for anything I make Elena. This time tried a straight up 3 and the sleeves were too short so I added the gray bands. Boo for monkey arms. Yay for happy accidents because I love the added color.

This outfit actually began with the skirt. I was bored one day last fall while Elena was napping so I found a long strip of 50-some inch wide corduroy (from Joann's a long while back) and some yarn and plastic gems and played around. I laid the yarn out and pinned it down and zigzag stitched over it and then hand-sewed the gems on. They came off of a shirt a neighbor passed onto me.The skirt has a center back seam and an elastic casing for the waist.

She wore it a few times with a ready to wear top but I wanted to make something to go with it and incorporate more of the gray and some kind of graphic on the front. It has been washed and hung to dry a couple times and the acrylic yarn is holding up perfectly. I wasn't sure if I should put it in the dryer or not and since my lovely 1951 house came with 5 lines of clothesline in the basement, there is no need. That's not sarcasm - I love my house, truly. I mean, how many of you have a bathroom sink like this? Isn't it cute?

And so anyway...

The black and white kitty prop was Elena's idea. She's learning that photos can be fun. Finally.

Posing like a pro.

As I write this at nearly 3 in the afternoon, Elena is drowsing off. I know I shouldn't let her nap at this point if I want her to go to bed at 7:30 and be up in time for school at 8 tomorrow, but I'm thinking I need some creative time for myself. Oh what to do.