PQ 9.5: A Stitch in Time

I have long said that if my dad had been born 100 years earlier we would have been on a wagon train going West.  After a childhood of imagining that revisionist history, I eventually came to the conclusion that I would make a terrible pioneer.  I cannot keep track of my needles! 

If you think about it, a needle is a very important tool.  In a world where you have to make almost everything you need to take care of your tools.  Some things you can make or repair, a new handle for the axe, a new edge on the plowshare.  A good blacksmith can make nails and forks.  But needles?  Needles are another story.   I haven't researched how needles were made pre-Industrial Revolution.  There were stages between sharpening bone and post Industrial Revolution machine production.   Even historic needles are fine. From reading diaries of the women who traveled the Oregon Trail I've learned that a needle was a precious commodity. 

And I am notorious for losing my needles.  I try not to lose them in carpets and furniture and am successful for the most part but where they actually go?  I have no idea.  And so I would make a terrible pioneer.  My clothes would be ragged and the canvas on my tent would be un-patched.  It would not be pretty.

So my stitch in time quilt is a nod to those brave women who packed their precious things in a covered wagon and headed west, needle in hand, to face a vast unknown landscape.

The image is of the interior of a covered wagon.  Notice the fancy chair, spinning wheel, butter churn and what looks to be boxes of silverware and likely other tools.  I love the pretty dresses hanging on the pegs. 

The picture is printed on fabric and is embellished with embroidery floss.  The binding is a ruffle (new technique for me) made of a modern calico fabric.  It measures approximately 8 x 10 inches.  This quilt continues my Western Expansion theme for the Project Quilting challenges this year.

You can read more about Project Quilting and check out all the amazing quilts made this week on Kim Lapacek's Blog. 

 

The #TravelingChicken Story

WaggonsWest first started making chickens many years ago as a decoration for Easter.  She loaned the first batch to the youth group for their pancake breakfast.  Much to her dismay, the Mr proceeded to give every last one of them away after the meal was complete.  Of course, that meant that the kids expected to get a chicken every year.  And that meant that ole WW had to make chickens.  Lots of chickens. 

 
Spud 3, is the arbiter of all things aesthetic.  (Yes, he has that good of an eye.)  He thought the little chickens were OK but he really wanted a BIG one.  Made of cammo.  So WW dug into the stash and pulled out some fleece, enlarged the pattern and made a big chicken.  More and more chickens were made and donated and gifted and thrown at a brother or two.  Many ended up roosting in a certain room. 

It wasn't until Spud 1 was cherry picking the WaggonsWest stash for his table in the dealer room at Archon that the chickens hit the big time.  He and the Kineticraft crew decided to throw in some chickens for giggles and grins. Let's just say that they were a bit of hit and the saga of the traveling chickens began.

It seems our unruly little chickens become the model traveling companion once separated from the flock. They are friendly, tiny and pack well.  They travel light and offer just the right amount of listening power to support any weary traveler.  And they are photogenic.  They have been seen at breweries, chocolate shops, JFK, Nepal and elsewhere.  Rumor has it that one went to Guyana but the pictures never made it out.  Perhaps some day we will hear that story.  You can check out #travelingchicken for yourself and once you have one of these fine feathered friends you can add your own photos to the mix!

Traveling chickens are made out of quilting scraps, remnants and some upcycled clothing.  Because of that each one has its own personality.  We will have many to choose from at the Strange Folk Festival.  Be sure to check for the BBQ chickens, because as always, we make what amuses us!  Look for us in #falconforest on the second floor.

#strangefolkfestival  #chicken #birdsofafeather