Friday, May 6, 2011

First Friday Freebie #19

Spring has definitely arrived in Nova Scotia and with the warmer weather, my thoughts and interests have lured me to the outdoors doing yard work and planting new perennial gardens.  I must admit that gardening is another of my many passions.

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Having said that, my somewhat soiled hands like to be kept busy in the evenings as well and I did manage to complete this month’s First Friday Freebie with time to spare.  Indulge me by reading about how this design came to fruition.

We have three barns on our property and although we’ve lived in the country before, it never entered our minds to have any animals other than our Westie, Mac…or perhaps a cat somewhere in the future.  One of our new friends who lives nearby and who farms as a hobby was over visiting a while ago and Mr. Painted Quilt took him on a tour of our property which included the barns.  Evidently there is an area set up in one of them as a chicken coop and all that needs doing to the coop area is a bit of cleaning out of ‘stuff’ that was dumped there by the previous owners.  Who knew?

It just so happens that Craig raises laying hens and has almost convinced us to set up the coop to accommodate 6 laying hens and a rooster that he would donate to the cause.  Although we haven’t entirely committed ourselves to this new venture, it is a great way to get the barn cleaned out.  *wink*   And so, the idea for this month’s FFF was hatched born.

SAM_1363

“Cocks Crow In The Morn” is a hand appliquéd and hand quilted wool-on-cotton wall hanging.  The rooster and stars are rendered in wool and are appliquéd using the blanket stitch but you can easily substitute cotton in place of the wool and either  machine or hand appliqué as an alternative.

To download the PDF file which includes the photo, line drawings and instructions, please click HERE.

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I will try my utmost to continue my FFF’s during the summer months but the outdoors is really beckoning me.  One way or the other, I will keep you informed.

Kaarenheartname

50 comments:

Cattinka said...

What a nice little spring quilt! Too bad I can´t download it once again. I got to figure out what is wrong.
KATRIN W.

Elinor said...

Oh, I love this rooster, Kaaren ! But, isn't it a French rooster ?! ;-)))
Thanks a lot for sharing this pattern... and all the others ! :-)
Hugs from France,
Sylvie

Valspierssews said...

What a handsome rooster and I can highly recommend home grown eggs. Thanks very much for the pattern.

Siobhán said...

What a beautiful quilt! Thanks, Kaaren! I'll be interested to see if you do give in and add some chickens to your new life in Nova Scotia!

Amanda said...

This is lovely, just what I need for my newly renovated kitchen. If only we could buy such lovely wool fabric in the UK.

julieQ said...

What a gorgeous quilt, Kaaren....I love it! Enjoy your garden...and the springtime!!

Betsy said...

Thank you Kaaren. It is too cute.

Jenny's Place Online said...

What a great design...definitely one to 'crow' about...lol...Thank you :) Kaaren, I don't know the whole story, but I too had trouble a while back downloading files from a blog, and I found clicking the little arrow and changing the format of the file solved the problem. I possibly haven't used the right terminology, but hopefully understandable and worth a try :) Happy crafting, Jenny

Maria said...

Thank you Kaaren for the lovely Rooster Pattern.

DebbieM said...

I love your rooster quilt. Before I moved to our new home, I was a chicken and rooster collector. I've given that up after collecting for more than 15 years. I just got so tired of them and the only thing people would give me for my birthday, Christmas, etc. was roosters!! Now I'm into Pinecones and rustic decor. I'm a Postmaster and just yesterday we had a shipment of baby chicks. I love this time of year because we get to see the many different colors and breeds of chicks, even had some turkeys and a customer told me yesterday we are getting ducks in this morning, can't wait to see them!! They are so darn cute when they are little. Good luck in your chicken endeavor, if you decide to pursue it!! Sounds like fun to me and great eggs too!!!

KaHolly said...

Thanks, Kaaren. He's just lovely! I'm slowly making my way back up the E. Coast to my Cape Breton abode. Am in Central Maine and ready to return, only to find out they stopped the bus service from (Bangor) Maine to Canada in February!! That's quite a slap in the face! It reminds me of an old addage I've heard since childhood in the old, Maine accent, "Can't get theah from heah." Ha, ha!! So, move over Dorothy and lelnd me your shoes. I have to click my heels together to get 'home'..~karen

Sandy said...

So cute. We are retired dairy farmers and have raised so many different animals over the years. We haven't had chickens in about 5 years...took a short break from the daily chores but we again have beef cows, ducks, turkeys and last week for my husbands birthday I gave him 12 baby chicks. Fresh egg are the best. Thank you again for sharing your creativity.

Shari said...

Wow. Chickens. And a Rooster. That crows. A lot.Fresh eggs though. Lots to think about. I will just be happy with a quilted rooster. Thank you once again for a lovely pattern.

Robin at The Primitive Hutch said...

Thanks Kaaren for sharing your handsome rooster pattern.
Have a great weekend.
Prim Blessings
Robin

hope said...

Thank you so much Kaaren. You are sooo talented! I have almost completed the first block of the Raggedy Ann quilt and am so enjoying it. Hugs from Kentucky. Hope (hopemitch@yahoo.com)

Julie said...

wow!
unbelievably, amazingly gobsmacked i am. loving the 'inspiration' behind this design of yours. and you finished it just in time for friday!

gosh - the fun i could have with THIS particular FFF!... and i do mean FUN!

Darlene said...

Oh, he's a handsome fellow!!! :-)

Lori said...

That is adorable! How fun to think about having chickens! And fresh eggs!!

paulette said...

Hi Kaaren!
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful Rooster!! He is magnificent! You are having WAY too much fun in your new digs! I have loved watching each room come to life with all your wonderful quilts proudly displayed!! You really have carved out a little piece of paradise there on the East Coast!! Enjoy!!
Paulette

~Laurie~ said...

Hello Kaaren! And hello FFF! I think that we would all agree that you deserve to take a little summer vacation for FFF - you've been so generous to all of us for so long! This pattern is adorable - another wonderful gift from you!!

About the chickens - I tended chickens for a few years and LOVED it! There is nothing like fresh eggs. My 2 cents of advice - keep only a few chickens - daily eggs add up very quickly AND I would never have a rooster again! My roosters were loud and mean - they would always chase me!! LOL! Really - roosters are not necessary in my book! Looking forward to hearing what y'all decide!!

Needled Mom said...

I love the FFF!!! We raised chickens for many years and now get our eggs from our son who has them. I like getting them that way better, but we do miss "the girls."

Sandi said...

What a delightful piece Kaaren.

You've outdone yourself once again with your imagination and creativity.

I look forward to making this piece soon.

Thanks very much!

Robin C said...

Hi Kaaren,

I love the rooster and think it would be awesome to have chickens. I buy local eggs and there really is no comparison to store bought. And I can't wait to see your gardens. I'm a plant lover too and really love to see what others do.

Have a great weekend.

Jackie said...

Thank you Kaaren.
I always enjoy the process and stories of how a design come together. Thanks for shaing the story behind the scene.
Jackie.

Deb said...

Kaaren,

How talented you are, the rooster is adorable. Have fun this summer taking care of all your property.

Candace said...

I'm so amazed that you have been able to keep up with your FFF since the move, Kaaren! Well done! I love the rooster as well as the story! We thought about a semi-urban chicken coop, too - I can't wait to see if you take the plunge - oh, the wonders of fresh eggs (and ready made fertilizer for the perennials)!
Cheers!

Theresa said...

Oooo~~~ This is awesome!!!! Thanks for sharing~~~

edyB said...

Love the rooster, Kaaren! Thanks so much for sharing.
I,too, am having a difficult time keeping up with my stitching projects when the sun is calling!
My garden needs planting!

Sandra said...

Go ahead, get the chickens!! just think of the fresh eggs~that you can barter~ for wool! Really, you might be able to barter some of the eggs for something....plants for your garden, wool for your projects, fabric for your quilts.

Karin på Ösäter said...

I promise you, You will love your hens and the rooster, it´s so much fun and enjoy to have them, my youngest take care of them every day (almost) and it´s lovely to hear them in the yard when you sit and have a brake from the garden.
Thank you for a lovely pattern.
Hugs from Sweden
Karin på Ösäter

Deb said...

Kaaren I love to get your FFF all your patterns are just fantastic.
but remember everyone does need a vacation no matter what they do. If you need the summer off to love your new home and neighbourhood please do enjoy your new adventure. You have given us enough to tied us over till at least Sept.
Hugs and more

Patty said...

Love it!

Sheila said...

Thanks for being so generous and sharing this patten with us, I love roosters! Have a great weekend!

Allie said...

Three barns! Oh hon, take those chickens - the taste of fresh eggs is so much better than store-bought! And think of the fun Mac would have. *G* I LOVE this darling rooster quilt, thank you so much for your generosity! And I love the story behind it!

susiloci said...

Que bonito!!! Maravilloso!!!

Abby and Stephanie said...

Fresh eggs each morning...perfect! I hear chicken poop is great fertilizer too. :o) Beautiful FFF.

Amy R said...

Kaaren - I have several friends who raise chickens and they will lay the best tasting eggs you'll ever eat! You can control what they are fed and exposed to~ All the best to you on this venture, and thanks so much for the FFF! They are a treat for sure whenever they are revealed!

Unknown said...

Thank you for this beautiful pattern Kaaren!!

Bunny said...

Oh what fun are having and I love roosters thanks. Iwiill download it when I get back to my laptop. I am playing with my new I pad 2 LoL

Shakerwood said...

Thanks, Kaaren! He is just adorable!

SheilaC said...

Thank you for the great rooster!!!

And Happy Mothers Day!

Hope to get caught up with you soon :)

SheilaC

ann said...

Thanks Kaaren for the Rooster. I agree about being outside. I took a class on chickens Just wanted to know more. Fresh eggs are the greatest.

Anonymous said...

I like the rooster. Thank you for sharing

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh how adorable is this! I have to make this for my friend in Australia. When I was visiting I got to feed the chickens and collect the eggs! I loved it. This is so cute I know she will love it!

SewCalGal said...

Glad to hear spring has finally arrived for you. Lovely rooster design!

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

JessicaSews said...

Wonderful pattern, Kaaren! Thank you for sharing! Friends shared a sampling of farm eggs with us, it was my first time eating a Peacock egg! ...the egg colors were so pretty!!

Enjoy Spring!
Presently, we are experiencing early morning T-Showers.

Sabine said...

For some reason I keep getting trouble with 4shared :-(
Can never view the page and when I google the link and click at cache I can see it, but still ca't download it :-(

MyCretanlife said...

Hi Kaaren, Love the rooster. I have managed to download it. I see Cattinka is having problems downloading just like me. The only way I can get my pc to download it is to go onto my husbands side and download it from there and then email it to my side. Does that make sense?

Wonky Girl said...

Beware the free rooster. We went thru two until finding a sweet Silky roo. He does not attack us like the others before him. If you can find a Silky roo you will be happy. Also he does not crow too loud nor does he overmate the hens and leave them barebacked. Lot's to learn about chickens!
Thank you for the rooster download. I think I will actually make this one.

vernagrace said...

Thank you so much for the rooster pattern, and I do hope you are well soon. I hope the Atlantic coast hasn't been too much for you (hehe)
I live a couple of hours away, 1 province away, up the coast.

You're in my prayers, and get well soon.