Early on in my research I came across a Scottish proverb, first recorded in 1628, that said "if wishes were horses, beggars would ride". For some reason the proverb stuck in my head and I kept coming back to it as the basis of my challenge quilt.
So, here is my "Beggars would ride" quilt for this quarter's challenge.
The "Beggars Badges" being tossed from the horse are made from tea light holders and a soft drink can, which were embossed and then die-cut. Beggars Badges did exist in Scotland around the time of the proverb, and there are apparently three examples in Glasgow Museums from Rothesay, which is not too far from home. I was delighted to be able to make that local connection for this quilt.
When I pulled the fabric for this quilt I wanted the colour graduation to represent the progression from town to country that access to a horse would provide. It was a very grey day when I photographed the completed quilt so the photo above is a more true representation of the colours in the final quilt.
The quilting too changes from the almost square grid of cobblestones (seen behind the Beggars Badges) to the fan shaped rolling hills above.
My original intention was to have several, smaller horses galloping across the quilt but I decided that one rearing horse figure had more impact, especially on the back of the quilt that you can see here. The horse is hand-dyed silk appliqued and then raw edge stitched. The mane is machine stitched using three shades of grey thread and the tail is couched grey embroidery cotton and textured embroidery threads.
This Endeavourers Challenge has once again been a joy to take part in. I never know at the start of each quarter quite where the challenge will take me, but I always enjoy the journey! Thanks to Catherine and Janine for organising yet another great challenge.
Head on over to Celtic Thistle Stitches to read more about the making of this quilt
