"Quilts are Cat Magnets"

On Saturday, I was pinning sleeves on quilts most of the afternoon. My cat, Boo, was sleeping on the couch. She's an old kitty, I think about 17 years old, and she doesn't move around as well as she once did. Boo paid no attention until I started working on the Mountain Mist New York Beauty.

The quilt was all spread out on the floor with the loose sleeve positioned, and that's when Boo decided to pay me a visit to express her approval. First I felt her rub up against me, and when I turned to look, there she was rolling all over the quilt, purring.

"Why does she like this one best?" I wondered. She hadn't been the least bit interested in any of the other quilts. Did little Boo know it was a Mountain Mist New York Beauty? Did she realize it was a key point in the chronological progression of quilts in my upcoming exhibit at the Benton County Museum? Did she know how hard it was to find this quilt?

I tried to shoo her away, and even picked her up and moved her off the quilt a couple times, but she wasn't about to go away. As soon as I moved her, she'd be right back on the quilt, rolling around and purring. Then I realized why couldn't I get the cat to stay off the quilt. It's something Pepper Cory said a while ago: "Quilts are cat magnets."

So, if you happen to go see the "Beauty Secrets" exhibit at the Benton County Museum and notice a few black cat hairs on the Mountain Mist New York Beauty, now you'll know where they came from.