Every Christmas I give my mother-in-law something handmade. This year I gave her the Lovebirds Wreath. The first year I came into the family I gave her this folksy Happy Chicken Quilt.
It is sewn from a combination of new quilting fabrics and material from old clothing. One thing I just love about making things is that when I look at them years later I can remember so vividly where I was as I was working on the item. I sewed much of this in the Caribou Coffee shop where I first met my husband back in Illinois.
It’s just a fun little quilt. I don’t know how easy it is to tell from the pictures, but the quilting lines double as rays of streaming sunlight, accented by golden glass beads.
I used a snap for the chicken’s eye.
Here is a detail of the embroidered feet.
This detail and the little appliqued flowers and circles scattered over the ground came from one of my favorite dresses.
To accompany the gift I had made this little Sculpey clay ornament of a rooster, hen and chicks on wire that Susan displays along with the quilt.
It’s been a long time since I dabbled in making little folk pictorial quilts. They were a lot of fun, and I miss making them. Maybe I need to re-evaluate my project to-do list and see if I shouldn’t fit quilting back into my life somehow.
So many things I want to try… so little time…
How do you prioritize your sewing/crafting to-do list?
Thanks for reading!
Karen
Here’s where I’m linking up.
Friday:
Simply Designing, Whipperberry, Happy Hour Projects, kojodesigns,
Joyful Stamper, Making Lemonade Blog, Thirty Handmade Days,
Release Me Creations, Naptime Crafters, Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous,
Shabby Nest, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, French Country Cottage,
The Charm of Home, The Grant Life, At the Picket Fence, Fingerprints on the Fridge,
Stuff and Nonsense, One Art Mama, 2805
Saturday:
The Gingerbread Blog, Too Much Time On My Hands,
Six Sisters Stuff, Serenity You, Be Different Act Normal
Sunday:
LambAround, Homemaker on a Dime, I {heart} Naptime, Flamingo Toes,
Petite Hermine, My 1929 Charmer Blog
Monday:
{aka}/ design, Get Outta My Head Please, Mad in Crafts, Skip to My Lou,
The Gunny Sack, Sew Can Do, Singing Three Little Birds, Etcetorize, Dittle Dattle,
C.R.A.F.T., diy home sweet home, Craft-O Maniac, Sew Chatty, Artful Rising,
Sarahndipities , Just Winging It, Everything Under the Moon
Tuesday:
At Home With K, Not Just a Housewife, Hope Studios, Funky Polkadot Giraffe,
Kammy’s Korner, The Kurtz Corner, I’m Topsy Turvy, Tip Junkie,
Raising 4 Princesses, The Creative Itch Boutique, Shwin and Shwin
Wednesday:
Sew Much Ado, Frugally Sustainable, The Shady Porch, Tea Rose Home, Lil’ Luna,
Sweet Peas & Bumble Bees, Mom On Timeout, Someday Crafts, Passionately Artistic
Thursday:
Mom On Timeout, Somewhat Simple, Thrifty Decorating, Bear Rabbit Bear,
The Crafty Blogstalker, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Fun to Craft, House of Hepworths,
Sorta Crunchy, Delightful Order, Saved by Love Creations, A Glimpse Inside,
Between U & Me, Happy Hour Projects, Anything Goes Linky Party,
ReStitch Me said,
December 30, 2011 at 5:28 am
Love,love,love the quilt! I have always been a sucker for folk art. Very nice and your Mom-in-law is lucky to have such a talented daughter-in-law!
folkhavenkaren said,
December 30, 2011 at 7:26 am
Thank you! 🙂
bloggymom said,
December 30, 2011 at 7:40 am
Cute quilt. I am meeting lots of wonderful quilters lately.
folkhavenkaren said,
December 30, 2011 at 7:58 am
Thanks for dropping by! I enjoyed seeing the quilt-in-progress on your blog. 🙂
Aimee from ItsOverflowing said,
December 30, 2011 at 8:13 am
Absolutely DARLING!!! XO, Aimee from ItsOverflowing.com
folkhavenkaren said,
December 30, 2011 at 8:21 am
I’m glad you like it! Thanks for your visit and comment. 🙂
maria said,
December 30, 2011 at 8:19 am
I’m in love with the “little Sculpey clay ornament”. When I was in the States I did my kitchen in roosters. I brought a few special pieces with me to Jamaica. Did you make that yourself? Oh, and the snowflakes drifting across your blog is so calming and beautiful. Have a lovely day, Maria
folkhavenkaren said,
December 30, 2011 at 8:27 am
I did make it. It was actually incredibly easy and fun to do. I like the snowflakes too. I think they will stop fairly soon, it’s just a little thing WordPress offered for over the holidays. I grew up in the New York and Illinois, so I’ve enjoyed having a bit of Christmas snow on my blog ’cause there is none outside my Southern CA window!
Christine said,
December 30, 2011 at 11:42 am
That is so adorable, Karen. I love it!..Christine
folkhavenkaren said,
December 30, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Thanks, Christine!
folkhavenkaren said,
December 31, 2011 at 3:31 pm
Thanks, Christine! I sure enjoyed seeing your little angel when I dropped by your blog! Enjoy that baby 🙂 but you don’t need me to tell you that!
angie said,
December 30, 2011 at 6:43 pm
my mom the chicken collector would love this and I think it is super cute as well
come see me at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
buggalcrafts said,
December 30, 2011 at 7:03 pm
I WISH I could sew – don’t tell me how easy it is – it is one of the few crafty things I simply can not do. And I don’t think my fabric glueing skills are up to this! If it can’t be glued, then forget about it. I LOVE chickens and this is such a special gift. I know it was much LOVED!
folkhavenkaren said,
December 30, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Thanks for your sweet comment! She does really love the quilt, and tells me every year when we visit. I think we all have certain things that just remain eternally too difficult, no matter how easy other people find them. Me… I hope to one day learn to knit, but haven’t had much success yet.
Pat said,
December 31, 2011 at 11:06 am
Happy New Year. I hope yours is full of joy, peace, love and creativity!
“Threadbare and Worn”… « MKG- Memories-Keepsakes-Gifts said,
December 31, 2011 at 11:57 am
[…] Happy Chicken Quilt (folkhaven.wordpress.com) […]
Christine said,
December 31, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Thank you so much for your lovely comment about my grandbaby. I hope you are having a fun New Year’s celebration…Christine
Maysem said,
January 1, 2012 at 7:54 am
That is a beautiful quilt! I love love folksy crafts. The details are amazing (so creative with the snap for the eye!), and I love that you included old clothing into it. I’m sure your MIL loved it…who wouldn’t?! Does she know the Caribou story…that just makes it the more special:)
I agree with you about being so much to do and so little time. I have a huge to do list which includes wanting to learn new things. It is really hard to prioritize!
Hope you had a wonderful New Year’s celebration and enjoy the first day of the new year!
kim@too much time said,
January 1, 2012 at 11:29 am
I l,ove this quilt! So cute:)I would LOVE for you to link up at my party going on right now!
http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2011/12/get-schooled-saturday-4.html
Tisha @ Delectable Home said,
January 1, 2012 at 11:54 am
Thank you for your comment on my snowflake branch. Let’s just say it took A LOT less time to make than your amazing quilt 🙂 I love your question, “How do you prioritize…?” My list is always long and my time seems so short. I’ll be anxious for any more thoughts on the subject.
Bonnie said,
January 1, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Very cute! Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog! I hope you’ll become a follower so we can keep in touch! 🙂
-Bonnie @ Revolutionaries
http://bonniegetchell.blogspot.com
Honey said,
January 2, 2012 at 7:56 pm
Cute quilt!
Thank you for for sharing at Potpourri Friday. I wish you a healthy, prosperous and sparkling New Year!
folkhavenkaren said,
January 2, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Thanks for the compliment, the well wishes and for hosting a great linky party! May 2012 bring you many blessings!
Sandy Ang said,
January 3, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Seeing your project really makes me want to learn to quilt. Happy New Year !
folkhavenkaren said,
January 3, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Doing a fun little quilt is a great way to learn without becoming overwhelmed by a months-long project that takes over the house. Thank you for your comment. A wonderful New Year to you too!
slyneedle said,
January 3, 2012 at 3:37 pm
I really like your Chicken Quilt. What a sweet gift to give.
Have a wonderful 2012.
–Denise at Sly Needle
folkhavenkaren said,
January 3, 2012 at 4:10 pm
Thank you, Denise! I enjoyed following the link to your blog. You are quite the seamstress!
Kammy's Korner said,
January 4, 2012 at 5:15 am
Wish I knew how to do that! It’s darling!
folkhavenkaren said,
January 4, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Thanks, Kammy! Actually, there really aren’t any rules. It’s like drawing with cloth. Just put down what strikes your fancy and stitch away. I think that’s why I enjoy this sort of project so much. There are plenty of tutorials out there for needle turned applique to get you started.
Sherry said,
January 4, 2012 at 2:50 pm
That’s super cute! Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
Sherry
amy said,
January 4, 2012 at 4:39 pm
I’m always so impressed by handmade quilting projects. I do so many different kinds of art but quilting totally intimidates me. You did a great job on this! Thanks for sharing at Shine On Fridays!!
Betty said,
January 5, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Love this! But then again, I have a thing for chickens. I especially love the sculpey chickens . Too cute!
folkhavenkaren said,
January 5, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Thanks, Betty! Are you one of those people who collects chicken related decor? It’s funny how chicken stuff runs the gamut from cute, to funny, to even elegant. I hope to one day have a small flock to get fresh eggs from. I don’t think the condo association would look kindly upon that as long as we live here though. So I get my chicken fix this way!
Courtney said,
January 5, 2012 at 2:29 pm
SUPER CUTE- THANKS FOR LINKING UP AT FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY 🙂
folkhavenkaren said,
January 5, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Thank you, Courtney! Thank you for hosting the link party 🙂
Tonia @ The Gunny Sack said,
January 6, 2012 at 10:13 pm
What an adorable quilt! I love that the chickens are textured!
folkhavenkaren said,
January 6, 2012 at 10:18 pm
That was my favorite corduroy shirt for a long time. I was so sad when it wore out, but now it lives on in little pieces in many different projects.
Linda said,
February 5, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Beautiful little quilt. Nicely done.
folkhavenkaren said,
February 5, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Thank you very much! I stopped by your blog and really enjoyed your post about the word cloud. I tried leaving you a comment there but couldn’t get past the Captcha.