Born in the Rockies!

Hi Fellow Quilters,

I was born in the Rockies!  Well, I was actually born in a big valley that sits in the shadow of the Rockies, at the hospital in a little town called Kalispell, Montana.  I learned to tell directions by looking at the mountains that surrounded our home.  (And I confess that, even now, when I need to figure out directions those mountains pop into my brain!)  Our parents and grandparents instilled a love of nature in me that persists to this day.

I’m excited to share our new “Born in the Rockies” quilt pattern with you today.  The animals who are featured in this quilt are (mostly) indigenous to the Rocky Mountains, which form the Continental Divide in much of North America.  Here’s a picture of my finished quilt:

Let’s get started with one of our most famous beasts, the grizzly bear.  This grinning grizzly has found a new fishy friend in the sparkling mountain stream!  The trout is not so sure that she’s comfortable with this whole idea.

“Moose Country” was always one of my favorite spots in Glacier National Park.  There’s a big sign, a pullout for taking pictures, and (occasionally) an actual moose grazing in or near the big pond!  This moose is ready for his close-up; just get a load of that cheesy grin!

If you go for a hike in the Rocky mountains, you might come across one of these cute little guys!  The marmot spends the winter hibernating in a burrow under the snow.  How relaxing!  Summer brings a feast of grasses, seeds, worms, and roots, so the marmot gets fat on the bounty provided by nature.

The mountain bluebird is a colorful addition to the mountain forests.  This little guy is a bug-eating machine, with the ability to spot a caterpillar from about 50 yards.  What a juicy and yummy treat!  Bluebirds nest in cavities of trees, but they will also make a nest in a man-made nest box.  

The chipmunk is a frequent visitor to campgrounds and other places where people gather, providing prime opportunities to beg for tidbits of food.  Who could resist that cute little face?  Some parks have chipmunk food vending machines, so you can feed the little critters a nutritious meal, like this nut.

The cougar goes by a variety of names, including mountain lion, puma, panther, or catamount.  These beautiful creatures are solitary animals, and can leap up to 20 feet in the air to surprise the animals that they catch for food.  Wow!  That’s amazing.

The beaver is a pretty amazing critter!  His front teeth never stop growing, so he keeps them at a reasonable length by gnawing on wood.  Beavers are probably most famous for their engineering abililities- can you say dam?  The beaver family lives in the dam, and caches food in their pond to provide food during the long winter months.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about these wonderful creatures who are “Born in the Rockies”!  If you’d like to purchase any of the individual quilt blocks or the “Born in the Rockies” pattern, click here to browse.

As always, I appreciate you stopping in for a visit!  So, who else was born (or has spent some time) in the Rockies?  Or perhaps there’s another mountain range that calls to you.  I’d love to read your comments.  Please come back next week, when I’ll introduce you to the rest of the “Rockies” critters!  Until then. . .

Happy quilting,

Sharon