The quilt that took over two decades.

Photo by Mr. Snapper. Derp by Buster.

I've always loved Dalmatians. This quilt was conceived from that love of Dalmatians. (More Dalmatian tales in November.) I had two Dalmatians back in the mid-nineties: Holly and Piper. I started buying fabric to make a Dalmatian quilt. I even managed to make appliqués and start a few squares back in '97. (One of those squares is at my right knee.)

Years passed. I moved two states, discovering I still had this project when I was still pursuing acting in Hollywood. I added a little bit of Dalmatian fabric I'd found and forgot all about the project.

When Doodlebug was dealing with unexplained anemia back in '14, we made appliquéd pillows to raise funds for her treatment. (I really love my dogs. She was on medications that cost over $400 a month near the end.) We had some spares after she passed, and I decided I'd add them to the squares of my someday quilt. She was part Dalmatian (or so I was told), so it would fit. I packed away the pieces and forgot about the project until we moved.

In 2017 I was reminded of the quilt project, deciding I'd get to it in my free time. I didn't bury the components in the back of the closet, but I stayed pretty busy, keeping me away from the quilt.

Buster needed treatment for an oral tumor, so we created special appliqués to use the same fundraising strategy as we did for Doodle. (That ridiculous blep exists because we could fund the diagnosis and surgery that removed half his lower jaw earlier this year.) I had some spares.

My costume commission queue cleared, and I decided to grind out a quilt. I pieced together old and new fabric. We used a John Lennon designed baby receiving blanket for the center square-- the same blanket we used to cover our past three puppies when they were tiny. Mr. Snapper designed an appliqué of Coca on her back for the center.

It's finally finished. It's warm and huge. Mostly, it's finished. It tells the story of my sewing skills and my dog history. It was amazing for clearing out my mental cobwebs.

It's also pretty fun in photos.