daffodils and kitty cats - quilt for baby elise

according to usps, this arrived a week ago... so fingers crossed it really did and this isn't one elephant sized spoiler post!
i've known leah for years.  essentially just as long as i've known amy, as they were two of the three people i became really close friends with upon moving schools and starting 6th grade.  through the years since high school, it's been a little bit of here, there and everywhere, but the three of us as well as our fourth franklin friend sara have occasionally met up and caught up like the good ol' days.  well, leah was a super secret keeper, and it wasn't until nearly the end of her pregnancy that i knew anything about it (thanks to instagram!)  i decided i wanted to make something for leah, as she's always commented on my quilty posts, wishing that she would get something someday.  well here's to you, leah!  leah had a baby girl this past march, and after some super stealthy ness, i came up with this little quilt for her baby girl elise.
leah has always been an animal lover, so using the catvent pattern yet again was of course, perfect.  one day, leah posted on facebook about how excited she was about elise's birth flower being daffodils, as it was also her favorite flower.  boom.  these cats needed to be in a daffodil field.  also, pink and yellow look fantastic together.  i've super liked that combo since i made the quilt for baby natalie last year.  it was a little iffy using white on a baby blanket, knowing how babies can be... but once it was all completed, i couldn't imagine using any other color that would make these kitties pop out like they do.
just like the cats are mixed up prints, the daffodils are also one of six different prints.  they have more geometric shape prints on them, while the pink prints on the kittens are all flower related.  well... there's one that looks like bugs, but i guess that's somewhat related to the theme, right?
i assembled all these cat blocks while i was in colorado earlier this month, and then began to get everything sewn together when i arrived home.  i also got to experiment with my new walking foot for this quilt.  there was only a minor oops, but things have since been perfected (so i think) and moved forward.  the backing fabric was something i found on ebay.  i like to go there for super random finds, and after a thousand different searches for pink and yellow fabric, i found this cute vintage piece with pink and yellow cats on it.  the best part was that it was JUST enough for this.  didn't have to do any wonky piecing or anything to make it work.  love it!
i really like the fun-ness of a scrappy border, and with all the patchwork-ness of the kitties, it absolutely had to happen.
still my favorite block. so of course, the pink version had to have a special appearance.
here's a close up of the super cute back fabric. and not only was it super cute, but it was also super soft.
and of course, the glorious "tagged to send" photo.  before sending it off, i included a few pairs of beaded socks for the little one to enjoy as well.  hopefully this kitty quilt made it to it's destination safely, as i secretly got leah's address from amy, and also didn't tell her she was getting mail.  i wanted it to be a super surprise.  guess we'll find out, right?  and just for kicks, here is 7th/8th grade emily & leah.  we were legit volleyball stars...
i may be over hyping our skills.  but seriously, check out leah's awesome mickey shorts.  i'm still a little jealous 13 years later...