Dusty Trails

 I've had this panel for a long time. Probably about 10 years. I'm not really a fan of panels because I'm always at a loss of how to use them, but through the years, a few seem to have found their way into my stash.

While I was hunting for a particular fabric for a gnome 😊, I found  this and decided it was time to get it into a quilt somehow.

I was able to cut them down to 6.5" and then I started brainstorming and I soon settled on an economy block. I pulled a variety of coordinating fabrics from my stash (my favorite part!)

And pushed other projects aside in order to make these. They will finish at 12" and I have enough for 30 blocks. I've just made 4 so far, but once I get it everything cut, it shouldn't take long. Yes. I think this will do very nicely

I keep gifting my western quilts so this one will be a welcome addition to have on hand.

Family Tradition Quilt

For those of you finding your way here for the first time through Amy's Quilt Festival, welcome! The quilt I entered in the festival has a story and I wanted to share the reason I had to make it with y'all. We ranch in the southwestern desert and ranching is a way of life for us. Its not only what we do, but it is who we are and the kids have always been a part of everything we do.

I had to document our girl flanking calves.

She's been holding calves in the branding pen for a long time:

The kids learned the ropes at an early age

                            

And they learned well

They grew up in the saddle

And spent many a day learning the fundamentals of horsemanship

and of one ornery mule:

Teaching the kids the family business and working together as a family has been  one of the greatest blessings through the years:

                            

So when my friend, Shelly, of Prairie Moon Quilts, designed this quilt and shared it over at Riley Blake , I began rifling through my stash immediately:

                       
It was a given that I was going to make it. It could not be more perfect! I spent a bit of time getting the letters cut out for the applique during the NFR:

                          

I loved every minute I worked on it and I had a vision for what I thought might work for the quilting. I rarely take a quilt to Jackie with a vision. I hand them over to her and tell her to do as she pleases and every single time, she chooses the perfect design. However, this time I asked her about quilting a barbed wire pattern.

 I had a picture of the sashing in a quilt I had seen at a quilt show years ago that I showed to her and she sketched it out on a sticky note. She and her daughter, Sandy, who is a teacher, and a quilter,  worked up a plan together after we met and when I picked up the quilt a few weeks ago, I was so tickled with the outcome that I may have gotten a little teary eyed. Look at this fabulous quilted barbed wire!

 Sandy quilted the perfect design in the stars as well and the combination, just puts an already perfect quilt over the top.

                                            

I chose a denim blue I had in my stash for the backing and a red denim for the binding. The brown thread was the perfect choice and looks wonderful on the back too.

The quilt measures 70 x 80 and I'm over the moon about how it turned out:

And no quilt photo shoot is complete without a little wind in these parts:                                  

                               

Shelly, thank you for designing the perfect quilt for us!

I'm entering this quilt in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival. Its always such a great source of inspiration so pop on over there and enjoy the show. Thank you for stopping in for a visit and thank you for letting me share a little piece of our life at the end of the dirt road.