'American Quilts' a must see

I saw the "American Quilts: Selections from the Winterthur Collection," currently on display at the Milwaukee Art Museum, over the weekend and the quilts were inspiring.

There are more than 40 quilts in the exhibit and many were made by women in their early 20s as bridal quilts, which just goes to show you that quilting isn't just for little old ladies. These works of art were perfectly pieced and quilted with the tiniest of stitches.

The women were quite frugal, not just because the quilts were often pieced from worn clothing, but because they didn't waste even the tiniest scrap. I saw one lone star quilt where the maker had pieced two scraps together of the same fabric to make one diamond.

I also had to laugh at one of the quilts displayed rather prominently. There was hardly a matching point on the quilt, yet because it has survived to this day and contains so many different examples of fabric from the period, it is cherished. So there is hope for all our quilts with imperfections.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 6, 2010. If you're planning a trip near or to the Milwaukee, Wis., area, I strongly suggest you stop by and see the masterpieces for yourself.

Quilted dog bed tutorial

I work as a newspaper reporter for my day job and I put together a how-to video for the paper's website on the quilted dog bed. You can play the video above, and read the complete instructions and supply list here.

I'm planning something big...

I'm working on something big for www.stephaniesoebbing.etsy.com.

The only clue I'll give you for now is that my plans require me to dig through the attic for props to photograph some new items with.

Keep a lookout for the big reveal sometime next week.

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.

The dog matches my scrap quilt

I've been working on a scrap quilt made in creams and browns. As I finished the last of the 25 squares last night, my dog, Lady, thought she'd test it out.

I had to laugh as her buff/rust coloring made her almost blend in with the quilt. At least I won't have to worry about her dog hair showing up on it.