When I first saw the Farm Girl Vintage books 1 & 2 (by Lori Holt) come out I knew I HAD to make my daddy one. He is a local hobby farmer. Growing up on a farm taught me a lot of things, so it is a big part of my core.
For the quilting design on it I wanted to keep it simple so that the focal point of the quilt stayed on the piecing and blocks. So I chose an Edge-to-Edge (E2E) design Woven Wind from Urban Elementz. I thought it kind of looked like rolling fields on the mountains. Which fit this quilt perfectly to match the fields on the mountain sides I watched my dad plow every year. When the blocks on a quilt are intricate like this I love to keep the quilting simple and be more about adding texture and movement.
I felt that the fabrics that came out with the books were too girly for my daddy. So (years later) I went threw my stash fabrics to pick out certain ones for special elements to make this quilt the best it could be for him! His favorite colors are green and blue. But on top of that I added in special elements making this a one of a kind to him quilt. Let me show you!
See this tractor block? Well he drives Case IH tractors so I made sure the fabrics portrayed those tractor colors to match his tractors. He actually has a vintage tractor that looks way similar!
This dog block is to represent his farm dog Gi'l. She was a chocolate lab he loved and took to the farm daily. She loved riding in the tractors or truck and running all over the fields with him. OK, one more I won't keep you for too much longer!
Last but not least, every Sunday he wears his cowboy boots to church. They are maroon Ostridge boots. So of coarse I HAD to make sure his boots got on the quilt! Last of all his gray dodge truck full or hay bails which we have helped him haul many times. There are many more blocks like these full of meaning.
Last of all I wanted a simple hand written (imperfect) label on the back so with years to come the memories of my loving father will live on. This quilt does bring a lot of emotions up for me but I am so glad I got it done for him and was able to gift it to him this last year.
If you have a special quilt that needs a loving touch, head to my quilt intake form to get started! I would love to work with you for your next project.