It is pitiful how my memory keeps receding as the years go by. I had a memory test at my doctor's office and I am down to 57 on a scale of 1 to 100. It is a wonder I know where I am half the time. But the doctor says that is very acceptable at 72, so I try not to worry. However, I went through the TCQC records and have discovered 34 quilts that I have not shown on this Blog. Thirty-four! I find that amazing. So, I will be reaching back, sometimes into the last century, to feature those quilts I have neglected. I purchased this quilt in January 2009.
"Watermelon Chickens" Ruth B. McDowell 2008 58"W x 31.5"L
Machine pieced and quilted. Commercial cotton fabrics from everywhere.
Ruth's statement about this quilt: "These hens took on a life of their own when I started rummaging through my fabric stash. A wild array of old and new fabric, from all over the world. Possibly a new breed of calico chicken. I love the watermelon fabric (which I've had for years) that I used for much of the background. It was surprisingly difficult to decide exactly where on the print to cut each piece."
Such a vast array of fabrics - prints and batiks, from Africa, Australia, Japan, Indonesia.
Only Ruth would look at Kaffe Fasset's Swiss Chard fabric and think "Chicken tail feathers!"
The feet are sturdy, but detailed, and have the texture of chicken feet.
This quilt attracted me for many reasons, especially that it is so very, very Ruth McDowellish. Also going back to my childhood when my maternal grandmother raised chickens and always tossed scraps in the chicken yard. They loved watermelon, as did I. The watermelon fabric also brings back memories of the years during WWII that my sister and I spent in California with our paternal grandmother. Fabric was rationed and difficult to find, so when it was available our grandmother and aunt purchased what they could. They found a partial bolt of watermelon fabric, very much like what Ruth used as the background in this quilt, and we all had watermelon dresses or camp shirts - Little G'ma, Aunt Vernice, Ellamarie, Delmay, Gail and our dolls! I remember a picture (black and white, of course) of us in our new dresses. Maybe I will come across it one day.
8 comments:
What a great memory, Del. Hope you find the photo!
That is indeed "so very, very Ruth McDowellish. . ."
You do collect the best of the best.
I love your childhood story about your watermelon fabric (or as it was called then "material").
I love this piece. I love how Ruth interprets nature. It is recognizable, but her use of fabrics and piecing style makes her pieces so whimsical.
This is wonderfully loose and silly and delightful -- thanks for showing it, Del. And your story of chickens and watermelons startled me. I grew up with chickens, but not watermelons (too far north, I suspect, or maybe the family thought they were too decadent). So I never knew chickens like watermelon. Now I do. Gee, the things I learn from your blog.
Many thanks, on a number of counts.
Thank you for posting these photos. I don't know that I could ever pick a favorite Ruth McDowell quilt, but if I could, this would be in the top three. It's perfectly perfect! How fortunate you are to own it.
Ruth's interpretation of chicken feathers is genius. Since my daughter raises chickens, I've had an idea for a chicken quilt in the back of my mind, but this quilt blows me away.
What perfect aliveness! The chickens look like they are having a ball and the color and texture in their feathers show the diversity in chicken-ness. Thanks for sharing this great piece.
Thanks for sharing. It's a lovely quilt.
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