BONUS QUILT - ANDY IN THE BERRY PATCH

BONUS WALL HANGING (17 in. long x 21 in. wide)

QUILTER:  SUSANN TRANDEM

Susann Trandem wrote:  Lydia Ross had the photo since it was her dog, Andy and Ann Curran used the photo for a note card.  I offered to make the quilt because I love doing Airedale quilts.  

The Airedale was an adaptation of a pattern drawn by Sue Olsen of Dog GoneQuilts.  I have all her Airedale patterns plus several she drew for other bonus quilts.  I can draw leaves.  I took lots of pictures as I worked which helped with perspective and color but I have none of them.  I do not even have a picture of the finished quilt.  This is something I never do; I do not know what happened to have me delete them all. I love the fusing and free motion quilting that Sue teaches.  After this quilt was completed I made a second one, 9x12 for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  This one may be available on line for bidding or for sale at the Houston quilt show this fall.  My husband died of Alzheimer's May 2012 and I have supported their effort to fund research by making several quilts, 4 were quilts of Airedales.

I live in Santa Barbara with Cooper, our rescued Airedale and his two little sisters Annie and Millie, who are Goldendoodles.

And Lydia Ross wrote:  Andy was a rescue that was an owner-surrender due to a divorce and a job that kept the human away for very long stretches of time.  They did what was best for the dog, they called rescue.  He was groomed and neutered and then came to live with me when he was 15 months old.  He was a tall and lanky boy. After spending time running and playing, he filled out and was 85 lbs and 27 inches tall.  He loved everybody, dog, cat and was just a happy big lug of a dog.  He loved to go in the berry patch and just sit there and eat all the ripe berries--he would hide his face under the leaves, as if that made it so I couldn't see him. haha

He never met a couch he didn't like. Andy was a fun loving boy that loved large logs and sticks. He tossed them around like toothpicks.  I was devastated when he died at age 5.  I only had him for 3 years, but he made me smile every one of those days.

And here is the real Andy, the inspiration for this lovely wall hanging in his berry patch and on his couch!

Andy "hiding" in the berries

Tuckered out after eating all those berries!

The winner of Incentive #1, the beautiful Sandra Merwin print "Spirit of the Dale", is Barbara Fruchtman of Huntington, NY.  Congratulations, Barbara, and thank you for supporting National Airedale Rescue!