It's Christmas in my mailbox

I'm the lead designer for the Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees this year.

For those of you who aren't in the Quad-Cities, the Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for Quad-City Arts in which artists design Christmas trees, stockings, wreaths, hearths and entire rooms with Christmas decorations of their own creation. Then the Christmas decorations are auctioned off to benefit arts programing in the Quad-Cities.

Part of my duties include making a Christmas tree skirt. Quilting By-You, LLC., is the benefactor for the tree, and co-owner Charlene Thode suggested Judy Niemeyer's Christmas Celebration Tree Skirt pattern. I loved it and today it arrived in my mailbox.

I'm so excited to dig into all these paper pieced points and curved seams. I know, I'm a gluten for punishment.

Blue ribbon quilts from the fair

I went to the Mississippi Valley Fair this week and spent some time looking at the quilts entered for judging. There were some beautiful quilts and for the first time, I felt like my skills are pretty comparable with some of the ones on display.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm good enough to win a blue ribbon. But I'm definitely good enough to enter and not feel embarrassment when my quilt is hung next to the other entries. So next year my goal is to enter a quilt in the fair. We'll see how I do.

The fair is going on through Sunday in Davenport. Check it out if you want to see the quilts in person.

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.

Pillowcases for Japan's animals

I'm a huge dog lover. I have three cocker spaniels of my home and I also have a foster dog that will stay with us until she finds a forever home. 

So when the earthquake hit Japan, I wanted to do something for the animals affected by the devastation. I've made several novelty pillowcases that I'm selling to raise money for World Vets, an organization that is helping to rescue companion animals displaced during Japan's earthquake and keep them in no-kill shelters until they can be reunited with their owners.

I'm donating 50 percent of the pillowcase purchase price to World Vets relief efforts in Japan. Click here to see the selection.

Or if you'd like to donate directly to World Vets, click here.

Gnomes, dogs and sewing

If you're wondering why I'm talking about gnomes and dogs on a quilting blog, I'll explain.

I have a friend who love gnomes. She has a cute little set in her house. So when I found Michael Miller's Gnoming Around fabric collection I had to let her know about it. Soon a plan was hatched to make gnome pillowcases. And this is the result.

I've also been hard at work on a quilt that I'm donating to K9 Kindness Rescue, Inc., to raise money to help homeless dogs. I got the top done at a quilt retreat I went on last weekend and started to quilt it. I've included a sneak peak in the photo at the top of the blog.

What are you working on?