Chip and Dale Designs

ABOUT OUR NAME

Several people have speculated about the origins of the name Chip and Dale Designs. No, it was not from those two little mischievous chipmunks from Walt Disney.  That would be a copyright infringement, and I certainly don’t want to fringe on anybody, except possibly my husband. And then only on a Saturday night when no kids are home.

And it is not named after the Chippendale dancers. They do not interest me, although I must admit that I have seen Magic Mike 43 times, including six times on the IMAX big screen. WOO HOO!

The company is actually named after my two adorable wiener dogs who, appropriately, are named Chip and Dale. Now we didn’t choose those names. Those were the names that were on their social security cards when we rescued them from the animal shelter. We had to pay an extra $300 each to get their social security cards, but my husband says the extra dependents are well worth it at tax time. (Just kidding, NSA!)

If you have never owned or been around wiener dogs, I must tell you that it is truly a remarkable experience. They are highly intelligent, playful, talkative, loving, protective and stubborn. They keep us constantly amused and entertained. Chip is a male mini-dachshund and Dale is his sister, though somewhat smaller and balding. (She wears a little babushka that I made for her because she is somewhat self-conscious about her baldness.)

I often come home at night and find a sweet little card on my sewing machine from the two little critters. They do not sign their names but I know the card is from them because it is signed with two little anatomically correct wiener dog stick figures. It is certainly a spirit lifter after hard day of work or sewing.

When I finally plop down on the couch at night I immediately have the two wiener dogs with me; Dale under the quilt I cover my legs with, and Chip snuggled on top of the quilt between my knees. George the Cat settles down on the arm of the couch right next to me, while our other cat Newman perches in his cushion and gives everyone his hardass look.

A note on our cats: Newman is a huge Manx with no tail. Up front he is a normal-sized cat. His back half looks like he has a football lodged in his butt. George is a little tortoise shell cat with six toes. We acquired her one day when I got mad at a company called Car Toys, but that is an entirely different story altogether. George has six toes on her front paws. And she likes to help me sew.  We had a third cat, Cramer who lived to the ripe old age of 17. Cramer was part of the package deal when I married my wonderful, adorable, handsome husband. (My husband reads the blog, if you are wondering.) Cramer had seven toes on his front paws. My husband said that was because he was British.  So, as you can see, we do have a thing for deformed critters. But we love them all the same!

Chip and Dale, the twins as we call them, help me with my quilting. They are quite adept at re-arranging quilt layouts, making sure the fabrics have the proper smell, eating patterns they don’t like,  and occasionally marking things that do not meet there high aesthetic standards.

And that, my friends, is how my pattern company came to be known as Chip and Dale Designs.

Happy sewing!