This Official Quilt Story of
"Pug O’ My Heart"
Stitched with love by: Andrea Barrett, North Carolina
Andrea Barrett has been a member of Pug Rescue of North Carolina since 2002 at which time when she took in to foster a rescued pug named Ollie, into her home. She has placed several other dogs for PRONC since then. Andrea is also an accomplished quilter and president of her quilt group.
Combining her two loves seems a natural progression, but the “Pug O’ My Heart” quilt was born out of an afterthought. Originally, Andrea intended to make covers for the dog beds of her two pugs, Ollie and Zoe. And she wanted to use pug-themed fabric.
But finding fabric with pugs on it was a task. Luckily, her quilt group was well aware of her wish and during a quilter’s trip this summer to a fabric warehouse store, a sharp-eyed friend found the fabric and hastened to Andrea’s side with it. The search was over. But the plan for bedcovers had not changed.
Earlier this summer Andrea found a pattern for a pug quilt block. “I knew that (PRONC) raffles off different types of things for their October fund-raiser”, she said. Considering that along with the pug fabric found by her friend, she decided to make a quilt for PRONC instead.
Another search for just the right fabric turned up the bright yellow and black print fabric used in the border. “I was looking for fabric with just dog paw prints, but this one has “bow-wow”, “woof-woof” and “arf-arf” on it too.” Andrea points out.
The quilt has pieced quilt block at the center which depicts a pug and the block is surrounded by heart-shaped blocks framing the faces of pugs “fussy-cut” from the pug fabric. Andrea named the quilt “Pug O’ My Heart” as a play on words to the song “Peg O’ My Heart” and because of the heart-shaped blocks.
Members of her quilt club oohed and ahhed over the quilt whenever Andrea revealed it (in various stages of completion) during the group’s regular show-and-tell sessions. “I thought it was cute,” she said, “And I was of two minds (about entering it in an upcoming quilt show), but it is such a novelty.”
Judges from the 26th Annual Quilt show hosted by the Onslow County Museum in Jacksonville, North Carolina agreed, and awarded it a 3rd place ribbon for the lap quilt/machined pieced category.
Andrea and her quilt as it was displayed at the Onslow Museum winning 3rd place
