Raffle quilt for K9 Kindness Rescue

I love my dogs. I have three of my own and a foster dog from K9 Kindness Rescue, Inc.

A few months ago K9 Kindness took in Rosie, a heartworm positive dog that was pregnant. Her delivery was very difficult and costly because of the heartworm, but because of K9 Kindness, Rosie and her pups are doing well and some have found forever homes.

When I heard about Rosie, I decided to make a raffle quilt for K9 Kindness Rescue to help pay for her veterinary costs which were about $1,000. The quilt guild I belong to makes raffle quilts for big events and they always make good fundraisers. Folks who wouldn't normally spend hundreds of dollars on a quilt are more than willing to spend a couple bucks for a chance to win one, especially when the money goes to a good cause.

In less than two weeks, the quilt has raised close to $250, so I'm crossing my fingers that we'll reach the $1000 goal by the drawing in June.

Now here are some fun facts about the quilt. The Hidden Pinwheel pattern is of my own design and was inspired by a vintage quilt I saw. The blocks are set on point for effect. The first border is made with mitered corners and the second one is made from more than 100 hundred of flying geese circling the quilt.

The bright teals and turquoise fabrics remind me of a beach vacation every time I look at them. The quilt is quilted with variegated teal and white thread with designs inside every triangle. The backing is made from snugly flannel fabric for extra softness and warmth.

The quilt measures 56 inches by 84 inches and is large enough for a twin-sized bed. Although this size also makes a great couch throw because you can cover up with it completely while watching TV.

The drawing for the raffle quilt is June 11, 2011, at the rescue's Dog Dayz of summer Beach Pawty and Dog Wash at the PETCO in Moline, IL. You do not need to be present to win.

I'll be at PETCO in Moline with the quilt and raffle tickets at a K9 Kindness Adoption event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. We're working on some other locations to display the quilt at. You can also purchase tickets at StephanieSoebbing.Etsy.com. They are six for $5 or $1 each.

Pinwheel quilted dog bed

Since we've moved to our new home, the dogs haven't appreciated the wood floor in the bedroom so I made them a quilted dog bed so they'd have something soft to sleep on.

I used a charm pack to create pinwheels, sewed a pillow case back and stuffed it with a waterproof dog bed liner filled with cedar chip pet bedding. Not only is it comfy, but cedar is a natural flea and bug repellent.


And since the dogs don't care how good my quilting is, I used the opportunity to practice my free motion quilting.


I think Einstein approves of the results.

Think Spring table runners finished and for sale

I finished my Think Spring Table Runners. They are each made using a charm pack from the Moda Blush fabric line, so all the colors are matched by the fabric company to work together.


There is one in red, pink and brown that I quilted with a stipple pattern.


And the second is blue and brown quilted with diagonal lines.

Each measure 14-inches by 32-inches and are for sale for $28.50 on www.stephaniesoebbing.etsy.com.

I'm celebrating my birthday with quilting

Tomorrow is my birthday. Most people have a party or a couple drinks, and while I will probably do the latter in the evening, I'm going to spend most of my day in a quilting class.

One of my local quilt shops is holding a free motion quilting class. I'm a quilt in the ditch or in diagonal lines kind of girl. Anything more complex and I have to do it by hand, which takes forever. So I'm really excited to learn this new technique.

My birthday pass time kind of reminds me of the character Vinnie, in "Cross Country Quilters," by Jennifer Chiaverini. She always spends the week of her birthday at quilt camp. The only difference is Vinnie is in her 80s, I'm turning 25.

A few of my 20-something quilting friends will also be at the class though, so at least it won't be like the other classes I've attended where I'm the only one younger than 40 in attendance.