turkey feathers: UTAH

Yep, fall is shaping up nicely 'round here, and the cooler weather makes me want to pick up my stitching again. Here we have the 17th block for the State Flower Quilt project: the Sego Lily (Calochortus nuttalli). It's a delicate little flower and this block was a bit of a challenge because the main petals are primarily white, sometimes creamy yellow, pinkish, or can have a lilac tinge, which is where I decided to go with this. Not much choice really with having a white background. Sunny yellow and bright green adds a swash of color to keep it from being too bland. I think it works. I like it.

Sego_lily
Sego Lily is sometimes called the 'Mariposa Lily', and is an ornamental with three tulip-like petals that grow from a bulb in dry areas, in open pine forests and on hillsides between 5,000--8,000 feet in altitude, blooming from May - July. It was approved as the official state flower of Utah by Gov. William Spry on March 18, 1911. The story goes, that Kate C. Snow, President of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, in a letter to George E. Shankle, written from Salt Lake City, April 17, 1930; told that sometime between 1840 - 1851 when food became scarce in Utah due to a crop-devouring plague of crickets, families were put on rations and during that time they learned to dig up and eat the soft, bulbous root of the Sego Lily which attributed to their survival. (The three-sectioned seed pods can also be eaten and taste similar to spring peas.) The memory of this, as much as the natural beauty of the native flower, were compelling reasons for it to be selected (years later) as the floral emblem to represent the state. Sometimes you just never know where treasure may be found.

DMC Colors: outline lighter main petals #3743; satin stitch center petals #304; stem & leaf #907; lazy-daisy centers #727; back-stitch letters #645. Use 4 strands for all; 3 strands for small lettering.

NOTES: Images should be 4 x 4 to fit a 6.5" quilt block. This allows for a 1/4" seam allowance and a finished block measuring 6 x 6. If anyone is having trouble getting the right size block due to changes on Flickr; click on the pattern image to open flickr--for size options select the ACTIONS tab; select VIEW ALL SIZES from the drop-down menu; select MEDIUM 640 (640 x 556) for the 6-inch block size; now print or save to a file. If you are visiting my blog for the first time, and/or just starting this project--you can download the original stitch guide and color chart here as a PDF for a quick reference:

STATE FLOWER QUILT

Happy_stitching