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Almost six
years ago, I became a grandmother to a beautiful baby girl
named Madison Mae Austin. God provides grandchildren to
help us remember our youth. My special time with Madi
includes sitting outdoors, swinging and singing cowboy songs.
One song became her favorite: "My Pony Boy."
My father sang that song to me when I was young. While
teaching Madi, I realized I only knew the chorus. I found
a very special book, For A Cowboy Has To Sing by Jim Bob
Tinsley, Brevard, NC, at our local library. this book had
all the words to the song.
After borrowing the book several times, I decided
to purchase a copy for myself. I contacted the publisher
and sadly learned that the book was out of print. This led
me to the World Wide Web. Many searches later, I located
the author, Jim Bob Tinsley.
Not expecting much, I wrote Jim Bob asking of I
could purchase a copy of his wonderful book. A short time
later the book arrived autographed. That was the start of
a very special relationship with him and later with his wife,
Dottie Tinsley.
Jim Bob Tinsley was a career educator who loved
to collect, perform and preserve western music and memorabilia.
He sang with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Winston Churchill.
His treasured collections are displayed at
The Jim Bob Tinsley Museum & Research Center in Brevard,
North Carolina.
In October of 2003, I came up with a project to
raise funds for the museum, a non-profit organization. The
idea was to make a quilt with some article of cowboy attire and
conduct a local raffle. In writing her annual Christmas
letter, Dottie Tinsley asked her cowboy friends to donate the
shirt off their backs to the project.
I really had no idea who would receive this
request. The first shirt to arrive was from Jim Bob in
November of 2003. Shortly thereafter, on January 18, 2004,
Jim Bob passed away in his sleep. The quilt project was
set aside.
A couple of months later, Dottie called and said
to me; "Let's get going on that quilt again." So the
journey continued.
I went to a few concerts that some western
artists were performing in the area and just introduced myself
as the "quilt lady." Boy did I get some looks!
Dottie knew that I was going to meet some of these artists and
she would tell me things that only they would know. This
assured the artist that I wasn't some crazy lady trying to get
their clothes off.
While I was waiting for more shirts to arrive, I
started thinking about a block design. I had a pattern for
a Christmas stocking, in the shape of a cowboy boot, made with
quilt pieces. I wondered what other cowboy themed block
designs were available. |
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Back to the internet I went and looked up the
designer of the Christmas stocking. I found Janet Ludwig of
Chickadee Charms Design Company in Story, Wyoming. She had
a quilt pattern with cowboy hats and boots. I bought the
pattern and finally decided to go with a 12-inch block.
In June of 2004, before I started sewing the
blocks, my husband and I drove from Janesville, Wisconsin to
Brevard, North Carolina. We met with the Board of Directors
of the museum. I presented the project plan, including the
quilt design, and received Board approval.
This visit was the first time that I met Dottie
in person. It was both a happy and sad visit because we had
never met Jim Bob in person. The museum provided a glimpse
into the life of Jim Bob and one of his favorite subjects,
western memorabilia.
After returning from North Carolina, I took each
shirt apart very carefully. Some of them were very old,
worn and fragile. I kept all of the stitching threads from
the shirts and put them into a glass jar and gave it to Dottie.
That jar now resides in the Jim Bob Tinsley Museum.
The thirty-third (33rd) and final shirt arrived
in August 2004. In early November, I finally had all the
blocks sewn together and the quilt face completed. It was
at that time I realized the quilting process needed the help of a
professional.
January 2005, my husband Rick, the quilt and I
flew to Tehachapi, California for the machine quilting process.
Our friend Grace Hoya, formerly of Janesville, Wisconsin,
assisted me with the quilting. the final binding step was
completed by hand upon returning home. The quilt measures
seven feet wide by 12 1/2 feet long.
Another important ingredient of this project was
necessary to prove authentication. Each donor provided a
photo of themselves with their donated shirt. when the
quilt is offered for sale (auctioned), a photo booklet will go
with the quilt along with a short biography of each donor.
I've enjoyed meeting many wonderful people and
expect to meet many more as the quilt travels during 2005-2006.
I hope you enjoyed my adventures with the "Threads of a Cowboy"
quilt.
This site contains more information and
photographs dealing with this quilt. Feel free to browse
around and thanks for letting me share my story.
Sincerely,
Crystal Austin
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