I have a thing for chickens. My kitchen in our old house was decorated from top to bottom with chicks and chickens. When we moved here to the new house I decided it was time for a change and went with a "minimal apple theme". The chick decor is still packed in a box but sometime later this summer they'll come out of their box and I am going to hang them in my laundry room. I still like the chicks it's just that after 33 years of a bright yellow kitchen and all those chicks, I thought it was time for a change. It's interesting that I like chicks and chickens for my earliest memory of chickens was not a good encounter.
We lived in the country about 3 miles from my Grandma Goldie and Grandpa Thurman. I figure I must have been about 4 years old and there was a family gathering at the old farmhouse where we lived. I remember sitting in a sandbox (or sandpile/dirtpile) and I was eating whatever was on my plate when the chickens decided to take a liking to me. And that's all I can remember. I think I was scared but if I was, would I have bought or made all those chickens over the years?? Then there was the time I was walking barefoot in the back yard and stepped on a chicken bone (probably left there by our dog) and I ended up at Doc Kiesling's office to have it removed. That was painful enough that, again, you'd think I wouldn't like chickens. But my grandma Goldie had chickens, lots of chickens in a coop out near the barn on their farm. I remember it was always warm in there and smelled slightly awful. However, those fluffy white feathered critters laid great eggs that ended up in cakes and goodies, and then sometimes they became Sunday dinner. Recently I asked my son if he could remember ever having "real" fried chicken and I wasn't talking about the Colonel. He can't recall having it so I promised that later this summer, I will try to cook up some "real" fried chicken like my Grandma Goldie made. I especially like baby chicks because they are so cute, kind of like kittens. Both are soft and cuddly, if not a little squirmy. So that's all there is to my chicken memories but it's because of them that I decided I had to add a chick to the quilt blocks I am making. There will also be a Calico cat, a Gingham dog, a tulip and a rose block along with nine-patch, pinwheel, etc. blocks. I am making three identical quilts - one that will be for me and one that will be for my brother, Doug, and one for my sister, Judy. And now if they should read this they will know what will come their way in a few months. I chose 30's prints because they are the fabrics that remind me so much of the years when we were growing up. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I can see the Ladies Aid group stitching on those quilts in the '50's and the fabrics they were using were scraps from the 30's and 40's and they were just wonderfully colorful!! My quilts I am making will be crazily colorful and I hope they make my brother and sister smile when they see the quilts. I am headed to a retreat in August where I plan to sew all the blocks together but before that I must finish the stitching around each of the appliques. So, with one chick done, I better get to stitching so I can finish the other two so I can stay on schedule! There's more to the story so come back again...............
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