Out To Pasture

Posted on June 13, 2013 by prairiemoonquilts in Animals, Give-Aways, My Patterns

I haven’t introduced a new pattern for quite some time. I’ve had lots of stuff going on, and have been too distracted to sit down and write. And now, I’m gonna have several in a row. Which only proves, I guess, that at some point, if you just keep plugging along, something does actually get finished now and then!

I designed this little quilt back in 2009, in honor of my old mare, Bette. Bette was my very first horse that was all my own. She taught me a lot about riding.OutToPasture

She was pregnant when I bought her, and gave me a fine colt in September of 2006. My Cowboy immediately dubbed him PeeWee because he was the smallest one in the pasture at the time. (Definitely not so any more!)Bettebaby

Bette was perfect for me because she was so level-headed and calm and quiet. She just did her thing, and let you know when you weren’t doing things right. In her prime, Bette was a prize-winning Reining horse, and some of her offspring have gone on to be prize-winners (no, NOT PeeWee), and one of her offspring even lived in Germany!

She had a special funny way of turning her head around to look at me, and she’s passed that trait on to PeeWee — makes me laugh every time.

Bette was a patient sort, and would let anyone go for a ride. Whenever anyone with kids came to visit, Bette was the horse we put them on.ConnorCarter

She even let the cats ride — Lilly liked the back seat where it was warm and soft!Lilly & Bette3

Most of the time she was either like this . . .Bettenapping

. . . or like this . . .Bette1

Pretty much doing whatever she wanted in her retirement.

Bette passed away last fall at the ripe old age of 28. While it broke my heart, I was also glad that she didn’t have to go through another hard winter with her arthritis. And I’m comforted by the fact that My Cowboy and I gave her a great life in her last years, and did all we could to take care of her and keep her comfortable. And PeeWee was with her till the end.

And I have my memories, and my pictures, and PeeWee, and . . . I’m having her hair made into a bracelet that will have her name engraved on it.

The “Out To Pasture” pattern was originally introduced as part of a larger project that is no longer being published, so I decided to bring it back as an individual pattern, both in printed and PDF format, so it’s still available when people ask.

You can make it as a 22″ x 24″ wall quilt like shown, or use it as a portion of a larger quilt. Or square it up and make it into a pillow. There are lots of possibilities.

Both versions of the pattern are available in my Etsy Shop right now.

17 responses to “Out To Pasture”

  1. Johnna Bixenman says:

    I LOVE your work! I hope I win! Thanks!!

  2. linda knight says:

    Nice pattern. I have some cowboy grandchildren who would love this.

  3. Laurie P says:

    I love the story. What a wonderful horse. I love the pattern, my daughter loves horses so this would be a great quilt for her. Thank you for a wonderful giveaway.

  4. What a touching story, Shelly. I love what you are having done with her hair. My first horse of my own was Sweet Pea, also because he was a little shrimp. Also a beautiful bay, but with a white star on his forehead. He also had a way of turning his head to look back at me that just cracked me up. I wonder if they have some of the same bloodline in them! (Sweet Pea’s dad was Silent Signal, and he has some Gotta Go Chocolate in his bloodline.) My BIL still has horses. This would be a fun one to make for him. Thanks for the chance! Hang in there. Can’t wait to see your other new patterns.

  5. Janet D. says:

    Love the pattern and the story of Bette.

  6. Rosalee says:

    What a beautiful story and horse! I love horses and kitties! My granddaughter is currently staying with her aunt who has horses, and she would love this pattern made into a quilt for her room! Your pattern is even more precious because of the story, thanks for a chance to win it! Great work!

  7. What an awesome sillouette and you named the pattern perfectly Shelley!

  8. Donna McGraw says:

    I love horses and have passed this love of them to my granddaughter. I would love to win the pattern to make q quilt for her.
    It is so funny how deeply we get attached to our animals and how they affect our lives with the love we getback from them. They are all unique.

  9. Cindy says:

    That’s an awesome pattern Shelly!!!! However, you do now realize that Pee Wee, Bonnie and Chip are expecting patterns made in their honor too!!!!!!

  10. Melanie Thurnau says:

    Love the story and the quilt. Horses are a special gift. 🙂

  11. Betsy Albertson says:

    Shelly, I so love the story of Bette the mare. Sounds like she was so good and gentle, not always easy to come by. You have really captured Bette in this pattern. Thanks for the chance at winning a copy.

  12. Susan says:

    I’m not a horse person, but I do like your design.

  13. Scarlett says:

    I love this story, Shelly! I too had a special horse, Jason. I wish he was still around, he died when we were around 21. He was so gentle, yet so big and powerful. You could keep him in with a shoestring – if he could see it, he wouldn’t cross it.
    Love the pattern and would love to win it.

  14. Rose Marie says:

    Shelly knows that I really am sorta afraid of horses and don’t want to be up close. I do admire them from afar though and love a good horse movie. I liked Bette and loved hearing all the stories about her pregnancy and the birth of PeeWee and on and on. I knew her when she didn’t have a blog to appear on!!

  15. Susan says:

    I’m so sorry you lost Bette but I’m glad you have Peewee 🙂 I have my first horse, Skippy, who will be my only horse since he’s is 19 and I’ll be too old to ride by the time he goes, I hope. Amazing the bond that develops between a horse and their rider. I love your pattern! Thank you for the opportunity to win it!

  16. Linda Kowalski says:

    Great pattern I have a friend who would love a wall hanging of this pattern.

  17. Ranch Wife says:

    What a great pattern and what a beautiful way to honor Bette’s memory! Horses like that are worth their weight in gold. We saved Poncho’s hair too and hope to have 2 bracelets made. We had him for 20 years. Lots of good memories.

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