BERNINA Introduces the Quilts for Furry Friends Facebook Contest to Help Support the Kennel Quilt Initiative

AURORA, IL--(Marketwired - Feb 15, 2016) - BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, is pleased to announce its Quilt for Furry Friends Facebook contest. The contest was created to bring awareness to The Quilt Pattern Magazine's (TQPM) Kennel Quilt Team by encouraging people to sew Kennel Quilts for pets in shelters. Participants can win a 2016 BERNINA 350 Special Edition Best Friend (B 350 SE Best Friend) by creating a Kennel Quilt, and then posting a photo of a furry friend with their quilt to the BERNINA Facebook page. BERNINA will also donate $30,000 from a portion of the B 350 SE Best Friend sales to the Petfinder Foundation. 

The Quilts for Furry Friends Facebook contest began on February 1, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. CDT and ends on March 1, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. To enter participants must create a kennel quilt for a shelter pet and post a photo of a furry friend with their quilt on the BERNINA Facebook page with hashtags #BERNINA4FurryFriends and #contest. Participants will then be provided with a link to a microsite with a form to complete. After participants have entered they can go to the site to vote for their favorite Furry Friends on March 1-15. The Facebook page also encourages participants to donate their quilts at a local BERNINA Dealer. For more information, or to enter the Quilts for Furry Friends Facebook contest visit https://www.facebook.com/berninausa/app/938878262871673/.

The B 350 SE Best Friend features an exclusive paw print faceplate. It is also equipped with eight full shank presser feet, of which includes the BERNINA Walking Foot #50 and the BERNINA Free-motion Quilting Foot #29, a slide-on extension table to quickly increase the work area, and the BERNINA Free Hand System (FHS), which is a knee-operated lever that raises the presser foot, lowers the feed dogs and releases the thread tension at the same time. For more information, visit http://www.bernina.com/en-US/Products-US/BERNINA-products/Sewing-Quilting-and-Embroidery/BERNINA-3-Series/BERNINA-350-Special-Edition.

The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM) Kennel Quilt Team, which began in 2012 as an effort to help animal shelters affected by Hurricane Sandy, is a volunteer organization which assists when disasters strike. BERNINA of America supports the TQPM Kennel Quilt Team by promoting kennel quilt sewing at BERNINA Dealers. To date, more than 3,300 Kennel Quilts have been distributed to shelters in 13 states.

The Petfinder Foundation is a public charity that works to prevent the euthanasia of adoptable pets by assisting animal shelters and rescue groups across North America. Founded in 2003, the Petfinder Foundation has donated more than $20 million in cash and product grants to help organizations save the lives of pets in need. 

About BERNINA
Founded in Switzerland more than 100 years ago, BERNINA is the world's premier manufacturer with a proven reputation for offering quality state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers, and embroidery software. BERNINA's leadership is marked by an impressive number of ambassadors, industry leaders, influencers and bloggers, who chose to partner with the company. BERNINA products are sold in the United States through a network of over 400 fully trained independent dealerships that also offer support and education. Select BERNINA and bernette machines, and BERNINA software can also be purchased through BERNINA's eCommerce site shop.bernina.com. BERNINA products are designed for beginning to advanced sewists and priced to meet a variety of budgets, with new products being introduced every year. You can follow BERNINA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/berninausa, Instagram: @BERNINAUSA, and Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WeAllSew, and read BERNINA's WeAllSew blog at www.weallsew.com. To learn more about BERNINA and to find a Dealer, visit www.bernina.com or call (630)978-2500.