For the Love of Bovines
by Patricia Cummings
Cow motifs and anything "country" are both in vogue right now in Argentina, or so I am told by my friend who is a native inhabitant there. In the past few months, I have come to realize how very important cows are to Argentina's history and economy, and how much all quilters and needleworkers like creating cow images.
This is the first piece of needlework that Gloria sent me. She loves counted cross-stitch and so made the tiny one shown as a gift for me.
The doll cow for recycling plastic bags (in the bottom), that was a gift from Gloria, also, has found a permanent home in my kitchen. A smile comes to the faces of all who see the cow, and is an example of wonderful folk art style workmanship, superbly done. Gloria could barely keep up with orders from co-workers at her school at Christmas, seeking these cow dolls for gifts.
Inspired by these cow gifts, I decided to return the favor. Remembering a Piecemaker's pattern for a miniature cow wall quilt with log cabin borders, I created a small quilt for Gloria. After all, a few good cows deserve another. This pattern, like all of Piecemaker's designs, are terrifically fun to do, and I really like the results. I chose to finish it with both machine quilting and hand quilting.
On November 12, 2002, we received a new cow from Gloria, this one she said was purely non-functional, just a new cow to grace our kitchen.
An additional article about Gloria:
The Most Beautiful Quilter in All of Argentina
P.S. Photos of real cows exist on other files on this website including at least one of the Remick Museum files. Having grown up in a farm community, I like cows!