Wow. First place in a quilt show! Tri County Quilt Guild Bi-Annual Show held at the Berry Center in Houston. And it’s my first show ever. Who knew? I mean, who could have guessed? Well, I know God knew! He does have a plan, I’m just not sure how I fit. And I do know that it is by His grace that I was able to create this work of art which won first place in our Texas in Bloom themed quilt show! I almost didn’t even take this quilt to the show. It was so much work and I became discouraged and frustrated more than once. But, when you give yourself up to God’s will, amazing things will happen. So, here’s the story…(since I already have it on the synopsis on the quilt, I’d better put it up on the website!)
Top row, left to right:
In the Civil War Sampler Book, this block is called The Tears of Texas
The Lamp on the table. In West Texas, on the darkest night driving eastward on a lonely highway, one can almost feel lost; pressed down by the thick night. But then, way off in the distance, you see what looks like a candle burning maybe from someone’s window. It is, of course, a flare, part of an oil drilling operation set as a safety precaution against explosion. But it is a reminder that we are not alone. Jesus instructed us all to be the lights in this world to show the way and give comfort to others who feel lost.
It just wouldn’t be Texas without Cowboy Boots
Then of course we have the Lone Star Flag
And finally, the big Texas Star. The template for this block was designed especially for me by Off The Wall Quilts and was featured in on of their Angle Play quilt-alongs. Check their website for Connie’s Texas Star.
Second row, left to right:
The humble Armadillo is an original block, but I made it with a special short, curve-stitching foot I found at the International Quilt show a few years ago.
The Mocking Bird, state bird of Texas. Male or female, they have the biggest variety of songs of all the songbirds in the world. And yes, they can even mimic sounds and songs they hear in their territories.
Are they bats or purple martins? Well, both are important in Texas for controlling mosquitoes. Not many folks realize how many skeeter bugs a martin can consume in a day. Some folks even put up martin boxes for nesting. As for the bats, we have so many that come out of the caves at dusk that it often looks like storm clouds on radar. If you look at street lights, you may see a bat darting around, scooping up bugs. And speaking of caves, Texas has some of the most spectacular caves in the country open for visiting!
The East Texas Piney Woods is the remnants of the vast woodlands that used to span the country from the Virginias to Missouri and into Texas. Historically, lumber was an important industry, but may have faded from sight completely except for conservation and forest management. The old-growth forests are now protected in national parks like Sam Houston National Park near Conroe, the Davey Crocket National Park in East Texas, and more.
Third row, left to right:
Yes, we have a few bears in Texas, but that isn’t what this block is about. Texas oil takes a bear of a man to coax out of the ground and to the refineries.
Oak trees are some of the oldest and biggest trees in Texas. The Big Tree at Goose Island near Rockport is estimated to be over 1,000 years old. Old oaks have long been meeting places, some trees dating back to 500 years or more. The old oaks are joined in majesty by Sycamore, Cypress, and Pecan. **That’s p’cahn, if you please, the Texas State tree.
The Texas Longhorn is one of the symbols of Texas and historically significant as these cattle could actually gain weight on the long trails north to the rail-heads. They are still important to the beef industry, but also live their lives as show animals, pets, riding animals, and pasture adornments.
The flying geese blocks between the horns is a reminder not only of the vast herds of cattle, as well as bison, which used to roam the country. But this block will also remind us that Texas is one of the most important fly-ways for migratory birds such as the Sandhill Crane; a large water bird with a summer nesting area near my former home in Alaska all the way to a bird sanctuary near the Texas Gulf Coast which was developed largely to protect this bird – Armand Bayou. It’s a small world when you’re a bird.
The block is Jacob’s Ladder and it represents NASA, located in the Johnson Space Center Near Texas City. Still leading in space exploration, the center also houses exhibits ranging from the original Gemini/Apolo projects to the Space Shuttle. It is one of the best places to visit in Texas, in my humble opinion.
Texas is in the heart of the Bible Belt and you can’t drive a mile without running into at least one church. Every denomination, and most religious faiths, is represented by their own temple or church, from the humblest wood-frame to the magnificent palace-like buildings found in Galveston.
Fourth row, left to right:
In every corner of Texas, you will find fast fields of agriculture. Important crops include hay, corn and grains of all sorts, cotton, rice, and soy beans. Just about any time of the year, back country roads may be slowed down by one of the big John Deere tractors and implements headed out to work, or maybe chugging back to the barn after a long day. I like to call them the big food-makers, and I don’t mind following slowly along, just appreciating the hard-working farmer sitting up there in that seat.
The Alamo, a former Christan mission, also the site of a massacre on March 6, 1836, led by Santa Anna, which sparked not defeat or surrender, but lit a raging fire in the hearts of Texians to avenge their fallen heroes and bring an end to the Texas revolution and fight for independence. The Mexican army and Santa Anna was defeated just a few weeks later on April 21, 1835 at the Battle of San Jacinto.
Lemon (LeMoyne) Star and the Prairie. Ok, so I just like this little lemon star and had to make on to use up some leftovers from a different block, but then I gave it some thought. The LeMoyne star was named for the men who were influential in the founding of New Orleans, obviously not Texan. But think of the forward thinking, the vision, the ‘No-Fear’ attitude needed for such a venture. I think that represents Texas pretty well. And sitting near the longhorn steer, the Texas Prairie, part of the North American Savanah; a region so rich in everything that it could support a growing nation. And then came the fences….
Come and Take It. A very long history of a slogan with dangerous meaning. From almost 500 years BC, A defiant Spartan King in his last stand against the Persian king Xerxes (same one mentioned in the Bible), to present day in the debate of the 2nd Amendment v gun control. This symbol, for Texians, reminds us of the beginnings of the Texas Revolutionary War for Independence from Mexico. And you can guess why I placed it next to the church.
Texas fishing! Championship bass tournaments, giant river catfish, a cornucopia of fish and seafood from lakes, rivers, and the great Gulf of Mexico. You just ain’t Texas if you ain’t been fishin’. Oh, and the placement of the fish near the church has meaning as well!
Bottom row, left to right:
Not many folks realize Texas has an observatory. McDonald Observatory is located in the dark, Douglas mountains of west Texas, and it is open most of the year for tourists. And just to the south of that, you will find The Marfa Lights! Hmmm, coincidence? But, pretty much due north of the observatory you will find Roswell, New Mexico and Area 51. Now, I’m not really a conspiracy theorist… but…just sayin’.
The Chisolm Trail is likely the most famous, or well-known cattle drive, but it is by far, not the only trail. In the mid-1800s, the demand for beef in the east, coupled with the advancing rail system, and the immense herds of long-horned cattle and men needing work, led to the first cattle drives. Originally, the gigantic rivers of cattle began near the San Antonio area and headed northward toward the rail roads in Kansas. Through flood or drought and even attack from any direction, the herd must get through. When the rail road finally arrived in Fort Worth in the late 1800s, the drive was somewhat shorter, and the rest is history.
Texas State Flower, the Bluebonnet. It’s the first flower of the season. A drive through the Hill country in March or April will be a show like no other with Bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush, and a thousand other flowers lining the highways.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, and other deadly storms visit Texas all too frequently, but resilient Texans band together, rebuild, and keep going strong and proud.
The Gulf of Mexico, rich in fish and seafood, but also an important waterway for shipping and a magnificent place for sailing. Can’t you just hear the Blackpool Bells singing “Shrimp Boats is a Comin” in the album, Songs that Won the War.
Connie Peck 