The ADT Quilting Bee

Quilt 1999




The 1999 Quilt is the one that started at all. The brainchild of Lesley Mattuchio, it "grew like Mopsy." No one is surprised that Airedale owners have lots of imagination, but who knew they would be such talented stitchers or that such an independent, headstrong group would be able to get it together to make a quilt, over the Internet! But, our love of Airedales keeps us working together to raise funds for those in trouble.
Andrea Denninger, who was the energetic and talented webmaster for the 1999 Quilt, has generously allowed us to share the story of the 1999 Quilt on this page:

In January 1999, Lesley Mattuchio wrote: "There was discussion on ADT-L about a pattern from an old Better Homes and Gardens  that one of the members was looking for, as it had an ADT on it. Sooooo, the wheels started turning (slowly) and the smoke started to come out my ears as my brain got rollin' and I suggested we make a quilt with everyone who wants to partake creating their own square with their own original design of an ADT. Each could sign his/her square by embroidering or some other way their dog(s)' name(s) on the square.

"Someone who knows what they are doing could put the whole thing together and we would have a quilt similar to the famous AIDS quilt only for our homeless, loveless, unwanted, dejected ADTs. I figured we could either auction it off on EBay or at Montgomery this October or (and I like this idea better) we could sell raffle tickets to all the listers on both lists and also sell them at Montgomery and hold the drawing publicly there. I want to try to get as much Rescue dollar as we can. Also the raffle would give a lot of people who do not have the fiscal means to bid at auction a chance to win the quilt.

"This is going to be a true labor of love that many can contribute to. So please ANYone who wants to help out we NEED you. We have a separate list called the ADT QUILTING BEE LIST on egroups and if you would like to be added to this list please let me know. I personally would love to see a quilt that is like a sampler of all kinds of media. Let everyone use what they like best . . . like some could be a cross stitch ADT, some could be crewel embroidery, or how about a beaded ADT, or an ADT scene done in material paints. Maybe even fake black and tan fur ADTs . . . these are just thrown out from my imagination and I know not what I say in terms of the actual doing of it as I don't sew, but I may take a stab at this!

"So far we have Geri Lowe (an award-winning quilter), Linda Cunningham , Christie Williams (two experienced quilters) and Abbe Stashower as the Project Leaders. The QUILTING BEE LIST was established so we could all talk amongst ourselves about this project and help each other out for those of us who don't know what we are doing and need advice and suggestions and virtually need to be lead by the hand (ME of course) can talk without clogging up the regular ADT lists with material talk!

"So what do you all say?????? Please help out on this monumental, landmark project that is going to be just AWESOME and will hopefully raise a whole truckful of money for our Forgotten Airedales and help turn them into Found Airedales. Thanks!"


The winner of the 1999 Quilt was Stephanie Erickson of Palmyra, VA. She is the owner of Doug the Airedale and a rescue Greyhound named Molly. She delivered her first born, a son, a month before the Montgomery Specialty. Stephanie lived in the area were the quilt was being kept by Geri Lowe until the raffle. Knowing she was pregnant and not being able to go to Montgomery to see the quilt she asked to see it and take pictures.
Geri relates: "Stephanie and her husband showed up, we hung the quilt, moved all the furniture and took pictures with Doug and Teddy at either end. Her departing words were "that's the closest I will ever be to that quilt.". Little did she know that she would win! When I called to notify her of the win she was not home! It was the first weekend out of the house since the baby was born. Everyone at Montgomery was disappointed because they wanted to find out her reaction. Suzanne Hampton, the president of ATCA asked me what her reaction was every time I saw her. So it was truly an Airedale Community project."

Visit other quilts created by the Airedale Quilting Bee
1999 - The Beginning
2000 - Airedalennium
2001 - Airedale Antics and Faire Seasons
2002 - Friends for Life
2003 - Home at Last
(Week of the Airedale)
2003 - Annette's House
2004 - Airelifted
2005 - Howlidays
2005 - Postcard from the Edge
2005 - Face Off
2006 - Friends
2007 - Vers-Airedale-ity for Week of the Airedale
2007 - "Cirque du Sol'Aire" Quilt
2008 - A Day in the Life of an Airedale

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