Monday, February 11, 2008

A Gizzy Quilt Anniversary

A year ago Mom made a simple request. Gizzy was sick, and she needed green papers to pay the v-e-t. Would anybody be interested in buying a quilt for a cat?

The answer was most emphatically, "Yes."

We had orders for 4 before noon. By the end of the first day, Mom had orders for 14. By the end of the first week, she had orders for 30.

Cat bloggers said she would be “Bizzy for Gizzy” and named the quilts “Gizzy Quilts.”

The quilts were also called Amazing Flying Technicolor Quilts, and they flew all over the US. Gizzy Quilts can also be found in New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Austria and Germany. At this time, counting the Holiday Gizzy quilts, Mom has made and shipped over 150. She had expected to make maybe 5, and dreamed of making 10.

Mom has also made quilts for woofies, PTU’s, laptops and babybeans.
And she has donated several quilts to raise green papers for good causes, from DKM’s AIDS Walk to Monty Q’s Babybean medical expenses. We'll soon be doing a Gizzy Quilt Raffle to help Churchill.

All those quilts take a lot of fabric. At first, Mom used fabric from her own stash, but that ran out pretty quick. She received packages of fabric from several beans. Much of that was used for backings, but all of it was used. Mom has ordered over 200 yards of fabric from eQuilter in the last year, and over 52 yards of fleece.

She has made quilts of every color: blues, purples, greens, yellows, reds, pinks, browns, even black. Mom has satisfied requests for quilts with dragons, butterflies, fish, and tomatoes. Some beans want to make sure the quilt looks very good with their cat. Lookit this picture Beezer sent to prove he would look good with the quilt he wanted:The best part is reading stories of how cats love their quilts. Speedy drags his around. Daisy bunny kicks hers.
You can see pictures of cats and read their stories at the Bizzy for Gizzy blog. You can also watch the slideshow of all the quilts Mom has made so far.

I am very happy to be in the middle of this. It's fun to help Mom make quilts for cats, and to do my job to make sure they are purrfect. I like listening to the stories of all the cats and their quilts.

Thanks to everybody for keeping us Bizzy for Gizzy. I am sure Gizzy would be very proud.
Gosh, we miss him.

30 comments:

michico*Adan*Lego-小芥*阿丹*樂高 said...

I hope Gizzy will be recover soon!!

Anonymous said...

Gizzy sure was a special boy. He did a lot of good in his life, although he probably didn't know it. My two kitties both really love their Gizzy quilts and sleep on them all day and all night (they're cats, that's what they do). I'll be moving back to Maryland in April, and the kitties who live there will be jealous that they don't have their own Gizzy quilts. Maybe they'll get their own eventually. There are... 13 kitties there!

Zippy, Sadie, Speedy and M'Gee said...

We still love our Gizzy's, and yes, Speedy still moves his to where ever he decides he's going to sleep.

Poppy Q said...

That was a great post about Bizzy for Gizzy quilts - I can't believe it has been a year!!

I loves mine and it sits on the chair in the lounge ready for a quick snooze.

I is glad you and your mom are still busy keeping cats an beans happy. What a sooper way to remember Gizzy.

Poppy q and mum

Parker said...

Wow, a year already? I know we are awfully proud and happy to have our Gizzys!
Awww, Gizzy, what a good cat...

Astrid (…and the kitties too) said...

We didn't get to know Gizzy but we sure love the Gizzy Quilts your mom maded for us.

They helped us a lot during all the moving stuff last year and we wouldn't want to be a day without thems!

The baby boy (who is 4 1/2 month by now) loves his to pieces and wouldn't go to bed at night without his quilt. Sometimes his mommy even has troubles to get it ready to use again when she has to wash it :)
It's just extra perfect! hmmms maybe we'll need a new baby gizzy soon that's what his mommy told momma last time they spoke ;)

purrs. K&O and momma Astrid

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

I love my Gizzy quilt, and Merlin liked our holiday one, so I'm sure he'll love his too! My quilt is my favourite place to lie in the summer, when the sun shines through the window. :)

The Gizzy quilts are so beautiful, I'm not surprised your mom has made so many! Your mom is very talented.

Of course you still miss Gizzy, but he will live on forever with all of those who have Gizzy quilts.

Honey P. Sunshine said...

mommie just washed my quilt so it is all ready for the spring sunshine naps

Black Cat said...

The quilts are really beautiful and your Mom is very clever. It's a wonder her fingers aren't worn to the bone after making so many! Gizzy must be very proud as he watches over you both from the Bridge:) xxx

Unknown said...

Millie,
that is so great about all the quilts. We didn't realize it was so many!

Telling the story behind the Gizzy Quilts made our mom get a little leaky eyed.

Daisy said...

It is really amazing how the Gizzy quilts have turned into such a phenomenon! Gizzy left a true legacy.

ps: I still like to bunny-kick mine!

Angel Junior, Orion and Sammy said...

I can't believe it has been a year! I love my Gizzy quilt just as much now as I did when it first arrived!

Anonymous said...

English Daisy loved her quilt, and when we sadly lost her in November, we left it on the sofa not just to remind us of her, but because it is so beautiful. Now it gets a different use - if any of our visitors ask to "cuddle a guinea pig" we put Daisy's quilt on their lap before giving them the guinea pig - it protects their clothing from g.p. fur, and also gives the piggy a secure foot-hold on the lap.

Tybalt said...

What a wonderful story! Millie, your mom is incredible. I'm sorry I never got to know Gizzy, but just look at the incredible legacy he has left behind! I'm all leaky-eyed now. Purrrs!

Mark's Mews (Marley, Lori, Loki, and Binq) said...

We found yer blog too late to know Gizzy, but we have enjoyed knowing ABOUT him since. He would be so proud to know he inspired such a great love of Gizzy quilts an that so MANY kitties have loved theirs.

We both love our individual ones so much. Ayla is thrilled that she is gonna get one of HER own...

PB 'n J said...

We never knew Gizzy, but we're sure he'd be proud!

Our Mommy is saving up for us to each get our own Gizzy quilts, we are so excited!

Karen said...

I never knew Gizzy but My mom remembers him well. And she is supried it has been a whole year on the gizzy quilts. he was such a handsome boy

Fat Eric said...

Gizzy was a furry special boy and look at his legacy of Gizzy quilts! I love my Gizzy quilt too and it had to come all the way to me in London. And my cousins in Montana like theirs too.
Congratulations on making all those quilts!

Unknown said...

Has it been a year? Wow, you are right Gizzy would be proud.

I LOVE my Gizzy Quilt. I like to curl up on it and my newest trick is to run really fast at it and sit on it and it slides really fast across the wood floors - I like that alot.

Just Ducky said...

Wow has it already been a year! Your mum has done a wonderful job on all of the many quilts she has done.

SophieKitty said...

Congratulations on your success. It is really nice tribute that man-cat we all got to know and love. And that is a most handsome picture. Wherever Gizzy is across the Bridge, he is purring.

Milton said...

I *still* looks good on mine Gizzy Quilt!
A friend of mine mombean sez that a custom hand made quilt for me put her one step closer to 'crazy cat lady'.
---Beezer

Thank you for sharing Gizzy with us, he was a special kitty. I can see his beauty in every quilt.
---Beezer's mombean

Motor Home Cats said...

Gizzy sure had a big heart - his love is spread all over the world. What an amazing legacy he left for all of us. We love our Gizzy too.

Tiki, Tavi, Cody and Camie

Jan Price said...

You'll always miss Gizzy and Jasmine.

Thanks for telling us about Churchill.

jans funny farm

The Wanderer said...

wow, those quilts has ended up everywhere!! And we agree, Gizzy wood be very proud!

Mickey's Musings said...

WOW!!That time went by so fast!! 150 quilts!!!!! Amazing :)
I think Gizzy would be proud too!
He lives on in those quilts and they continue to help cats!
Purrs Mickey

ANGEL ABBYGRACE said...

Millie

Gizzy is looking down over efurryone and smiling....

Purrs
Abby

Artsy Catsy said...

Oh, we loved reading the full story of how Gizzy Quilts came to be! I bet Gizzy is one proud angel kitty!

Rocky

Toffee K. Ripple Fuzzypants & Feline American Angels said...

Thanks to the Gizzy Quilt project, Gizzy has been immortalized in the best way possible: Bits of his love are all over the world and are enjoyed daily. Thanks, Lynne!
DMM

Anonymous said...

I can't believe it has been a year already! This began as a super idea for a great cause and has continued as a tribute, a way to help others and as a way to heal. Gizzy would definitely be proud.

Now, if only my mom would get off the puter so I could upload my pics, we'd be all set. Sheesh. It's not like she hasn't had them for months already!!

=^..^= Ollie