New Beginnings Sunday

Wendy Starn's tale of the many kitties in her life that inspire not only her heart but her artwork as well:


In early 2000, we acquired litter mates Boris and Natasha. While not strays, they were the babies of a stray kitten adopted by friends. Sadly, Natasha died of feline cancer in 2006.






Meanwhile, in 2005, a stray mama cat and her just-weaned kitten showed up on our back porch. We sat outside and talked to him as he gradually got closer and eventually let us touch him. Once mama found Moose a good home, she disappeared. Outdoors, he pretends to be feral, but when he comes inside, he's a teddy bear.






In August of 2008, my son found a tiny kitten under the hood of the car, covered in grease and fleas. He cleaned her up and she won his heart, as well as the scorn of our other two cats. Boris the black cat is determined to be Alpha male, and is also proud of his prowess at catching (catnip) mice, while Moose the orange cat is the mighty hunter of lizards and bugs (and a few real mice) who’s afraid of everything. Oslo the kitten sleeps in the dirty laundry, dreaming, no doubt, of how best to annoy her big brothers.



And here they are in my quilt, Cornered! (2009). All are based on my photos, and constructed of fused fabric with threadpainted fur.

Boris the black cat

Moose the orange cat

Oslo the kitten

You can see the full view of Cornered! here.







New Beginnings Sunday is a weekly series featuring the story of a rescued pet and the ways in which the life of the animal and person has changed. This series will run through the end of 2009 in conjunction with Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit’s fundraising efforts for Bernie Berlin’s animal shelter, “A Place to Bark.”

**If you have a story that you would like to share, please email it along with a picture or two of your pet to BreakingTraditions@earthlink.net

2009 Participation Prize Showcase

For those who are new to the exhibit, a Participation Prize is just that - something you have a chance to win simply by participating in the exhibit.

Prizes are donated and everyone's name goes into a hat and the winners are randomly drawn. This is one of the things that makes this exhibit such a joy to organize and be a part of. It feels as if we have all become one big happy family.


The photo above shows the wonderful Fabric and Embellishment kits that were put together with the generous donations from Carol Ann Waugh, Edna J. Patterson-Petty and Peggy Trickler.

There are five opportunities to win one of these fabulous packs!

There are many more prizes being offered this year. They will continue to be showcased on the blog in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned! (Also, all the prizes shown on the blog can be found in a link list on the right hand sidebar under the title Check Out the Prize Opportunities for 2009!)

New Beginnings Sunday

Shoshana Edwards' tale of the little lady who lights up her life:


I never thought I would be a dog person, even though I have always loved dogs. We always had cats. However, recently both of our cats died within a month of each other, and for the first time in my life I found myself without an animal in the house.

The call came in the early evening about three weeks ago. Would we be willing to take Bailey. She is a dachshund who had been given to a friend of ours by a rescue organization. She had proven too much for our friend, who is extremely mobility limited and has a very tiny income.

When Bailey first came into our lives she was listless, had difficulty moving, and cried out in pain or fear whenever someone tried to pick her up. As soon as we could we took her to the vet, where we learned that she had serious dental problems. Surgery and a huge bill later, she was without 17 of her teeth, and abscesses had been removed.

Already, three weeks later, Bailey is running, jumping, leaping and loving life. Not only does she not yelp at being lifted; she wants up all the time. She has totally bonded with us and appears to have many years left of happy play. Now we are looking for a second dachshund to give her a lifetime friend -- a rescue, of course.




New Beginnings Sunday is a weekly series featuring the story of a rescued pet and the ways in which the life of the animal and person has changed. This series will run through the end of 2009 in conjunction with Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit’s fundraising efforts for Bernie Berlin’s animal shelter, “A Place to Bark.”

**If you have a story that you would like to share, please email it along with a picture or two of your pet to BreakingTraditions@earthlink.net

New Beginnings Sunday

Johnni Mae Schell's rescue tale of the lovely Lucy Lou:


My husband and I moved to Hardin County, Tennessee in 2007. I have been amazed at how many stray dogs there are in this area. Some of them in fact do have a home and are 'cared for' and fed - but their owners just let them roam free.

We have 3 jack russells - I just love this breed! On one of my walks last summer with my smallest jack, Skittles, I saw a broken coat jack russell standing in the front yard of an empty house. I spoke to her with a friendly voice and she RAN to me - then followed us home, no more than 3 feet from my side at any time.

She was full of fleas and ticks so we dosed her with Frontline and let her spend the night on the back porch. By this time we had named her Lucy Lou.

The following day I scouted the neighborhood for an owner - but no luck I am happy to say. We could easily tell by how she reacted to any quick motion that she had been abused and smacked around.

We took her to our vet - got her vaccinated and medicine for ear mites. The vet figured she was about a year old and in good health otherwise.

Unfortunately we could not keep her. We found that owning 3 jacks is not a lot more work than 2 - but for some reason, adding that 4th jack, the work load suddenly quadruples. And Lucy Lou was becoming possessive of me - pushing the others out.

But this story has a happy ending - by posting notices about her in town, we did find her a home where she is loved and cared for as a member of the family.




New Beginnings Sunday is a weekly series featuring the story of a rescued pet and the ways in which the life of the animal and person has changed. This series will run through the end of 2009 in conjunction with Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit’s fundraising efforts for Bernie Berlin’s animal shelter, “A Place to Bark.”

**If you have a story that you would like to share, please email it along with a picture or two of your pet to BreakingTraditions@earthlink.net

New Beginnings Sunday

Lynda Thompson's tale of Catie, the kitty that loves to sing along with water:

I got Catie from our vet in Texas when she was a little kitten. I had told our vet to call me when someone dropped off a litter that wasn't wanted at his office. This kitten was the runt of a litter and she didn't look very good health-wise. She was white and a long hair and I had hoped for a Maine Coon. The vet wasn't sure what she was.

We took care of her and our son trained her with tricks he had seen on the Russian cat circus on TV. She's a very smart cat, a little too smart at times with her antics. She was a good cat but had a double personality, she could turn on you in a second. After our older Maine Coon died, she was in her own element and has been very loving. It turns out she is an unusual white Maine Coon. She loves to hear water (dishwasher, shower, etc.) and she will sit and sing a high melodious song, sometimes chasing her tail. That's the only time we hear her at all (she doesn't meow) and the only time she chases her tail. She loves to play. She hates to go anywhere so she hates the vet.

She is a lot of fun. She has an uncanny ability to know when I'm not feeling well and comes to see me and get in my lap. One time she came running at me and jumped in my lap and I later had an episode with my health. It was like she knew something was wrong with me.



New Beginnings Sunday is a weekly series featuring the story of a rescued pet and the ways in which the life of the animal and person has changed. This series will run through the end of 2009 in conjunction with Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit’s fundraising efforts for Bernie Berlin’s animal shelter, “A Place to Bark.”

**If you have a story that you would like to share, please email it along with a picture or two of your pet to BreakingTraditions@earthlink.net

2009 Sneak Peek

Here is the second Sneak Peek for the 2009 Exhibit!

This is "Faithful Pup" by Jeanelle McCall. Her artist statement is a quote that embodies the emotions of every pet owner:

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be your's, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." -Unknown

Stay tuned for previews of more work as they come in!

New Beginnings Sunday

A tale of the Mini Pinscher with big heart that unexpectedly landed in Kat Campau's life:


I was a reluctant dog owner. My dog, Buddy, came to me from my son, Zach. He adopted Buddy from a Mini Pinscher rescue group. They lived happily for two years, until Zach got a third floor apartment. This was difficult to manage for sanitary purposes. So he asked me to take care of Buddy while he searched for a new home.

Its been almost six years now. Since Buddy came to live with us, my husband is more cheerful. He gets down on the floor and talks baby talk to the dog. He cuddles the dog while surfing the internet. He takes Buddy to the bank, so he can get a treat from the teller. He bathes the dog every week to stave off my allergies. He covers Buddy with a quilt, because he's a cave dog.

Buddy keeps me warm while watching TV, in our chilly family room. He hops on my lap at the same time my seat hits the cushion. He follows me into every room, and sits at the stairway crying for me to stop sewing. Buddy is blind now, and can't smell anymore. But he listens carefully to hear his treat hit the floor, and swoops in circles until he finds it. He always lets me know when a car pulls into the drive. I like having him around.





New Beginnings Sunday is a weekly series featuring the story of a rescued pet and the ways in which the life of the animal and person has changed. This series will run through the end of 2009 in conjunction with Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit’s fundraising efforts for Bernie Berlin’s animal shelter, “A Place to Bark.”

**If you have a story that you would like to share, please email it along with a picture or two of your pet to BreakingTraditions@earthlink.net