Cowgirl QuiltLike many of my quilts, the cowgirl quilt was an odyssey. I never finish quickly because they have to “feel right”, and because there’s always so many other things to do (like knitting, making Christmas presents, working on my website, cooking). I may work on one sporadically, but there’s always just one in the works. So when it’s done, I feel complete and totally satisfied in my accomplishment. (Since I still consider myself to be a beginner quilter, every quilt completed is a big event in my home!)
I just fell in love with the quilts that had a western theme. Usually though, the western theme fabric consisted of cowboys and broncos. I wanted a cowgirl quilt. So, I started a search for cowgirl fabric and when I had enough, got inspired by a quilt pattern book by Earlene Fowler. She’s a novelist that writes murder mystery books that take place in San Luis Obispo, CA. Her books all have a quilt name and theme, and her main character is a modern cowgirl. 
I never copy a quilt exactly, just kind of use the ideas and appliqué shapes and go from there. I had purchased a printed set of old-fashioned cowgirls. Taking my favorite one, I started building the quilt around the print, adding squares and borders. Then I did some motifs: running horses, horseshoes, stars, etc. I was having fun, but once the top was pieced, it sat. Don’t know why, because I love the quilting part, and really wanted it to get done. But it didn’t please me, for some reason. It needed something. Months later, a box of pictures belonging to my mom (who passed away about 5 years ago), turned up at a friends house. When I got the box, I decided to go through it. And there was a picture of my mom dressed in a cowgirl costume! I couldn’t believe it – my mom was a teenager in the 1930’s, and they just didn’t wear jeans and cowgirl hats then. But somehow, she had the cowgirl urge too.
That’s why the quilt is entitled: “My mom as Cowgirl” . It is a unique tribute to my mom, and how similar we truly are.
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