Starting out 2015 with "Dogs I have known"

Blog 36

Happy New Year Everyone!  2015 has arrived bringing very cold weather.  While out with the dog we saw a blue heron WALKING on a nearby pond rather than wading in it.  Poor guy won't find fish to eat that way.  I think he was surprised by the cold snap too.

COLD, CRISP and CLEAR.  It was as though you could see forever from our front porch. The view of  Mt. Baker was breathtaking!

We packed away the Christmas decorations and I took down the Christmas Wall hanging I had up in the Living room - the red work, pattern by Crab apple Hill, "Over the Hill and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go". 

I'm going to change the wall hanging in the living room every month this year.  I picked out a favorite of mine to put up.  I call it "Dogs I have known".  It has four rows of four Scottie dogs representing the 16 dogs that either We have had, My children have had or my Grandchild has.  None of  them were Scotties but they were all kinds of dogs and all loved very much!  Sixteen was the perfect number, when the Family acquires more, I will add them to the back until I make a new quilt.

I used material I bought when I worked in a quilt store.  It is called "Authentic", I had fallen in love with it.  I have made a few other quilts from the same fabric and still have some left.  Like I've told you before, I have a STASH!

Each "Dog" is made differently.  I either used different fabric for the dog or the background. Each has a collar made of assorted ribbons and trims.  And each dog has a dog tag with his or her name on it. You can probably tell this is a really sentimental quilt, made with love and many thoughts about the dogs we have had or have now.  I believe some of the "LOVE" was sewn into the quilt and became obvious, because the quilt received "Viewer's Choice" at the TMQ quilt show. 

Prairie points and buttons were added around the inner border and up'd the cuteness of the quilt.  My friend Paula quilted it for me, knowing how much it means to me.  Her work was exquisite and added the perfect touch to "Dogs I have known".   She is a Dog lover too.