August Cow on Vacation in Australia - Design Board Monday

Well this morning around 2 am, my little foster kitten Kali, decided it was time to get up and play.  With that, I was now wide awake.  What should I do???  Well pick out the fabrics for August Cow, of course!  Over the weekend I had completed the design - well on paper at least and was eager to get after sending this cow on vacation.

As you can see August Cow wanted to be a globe trotter, so she made for the beautiful beaches of Brisbane, Australia.  There she could enjoy the gorgeous sun and fun before heading back to the meadow of home.

I was recently asked how I complete a calendar cow.  Usually, I sit and brainstorm out ideas of what that month means to my family and I.  Then I look at free images on the web depicting the subject matter but also the emotion of the month.  I'll choose two or three and either trace them or sketch them out.  I then use a WW II era overhead projector to size the image onto the standard 16" block.  I trace it out and edit the design as I see fit.  Once that is done usually I let the design sit a while while I think on fabrics and colors.  The design might go through a final edit before the whole process is done.  By no means is that first sketch a master pattern.  I usually use it as a beginning point.  I then use a rough edge applique process to get the final block.

I'm not sure if August Cow is quite finish - but its a good start - I still may add something in the bottom right hand corner - hhhhhhmmmmmmmmm or not.

For more inspirational design boards - visit Judy's Patchwork times.