A Bear in Charlie's Cabin--A Quilt to Honor a Special Man

A Bear in Charlie's Cabin

My husband and I made this quilt in memory of our friend Charlie Pirtle, who passed away in 2008. 

Charlie was a gentle man and a gentleman.  He loved the outdoors.  He loved sharing it with others.  For many years, he taught outdoors skills at the Becoming an Outdoors Woman in New Mexico workshop. 

He was a popular instructor.  He touched many people and many of us are compelled to create tributes to Charlie.  Someone created a geocache near one of Charlie's favorite fishing holes.  Bart Skelton wrote his story about Charlie.  Charlie's obituary tells of the nature of the man. 

The quilt that my husband and I made will be raffled next weekend at the Becoming an Outdoors Woman in New Mexico workshop in Raton, New Mexico.  Funds raised in the raffle go to pay for a scholarship for a student to attend the BOW workshop.  BOW is a program where women can go to learn basic outdoors skills in a non-competitive environment.  Raffle tickets are only $5.  If you would like to support this program and the raffle, please contact Leilani right away at nmoea@comcast.net.  If you are interested in the BOW program, visit the New Mexico website here.

The quilt has a story, too.  Charlie had a cabin in the New Mexico mountains (the log cabin blocks in the quilt).  He also loved to tell stories.  We loved to sit and listen and share some of our own stories.  Charlie told bear (and elk and dog and other) stories (bear paw blocks).  When we taught together at BOW, Charlie always asked the locals about the wildlife at the NRA Whittington Center where BOW in NM is usually held.  Invariably, the news included information about bears at the center and whether they had been trying to get into the cabins there.  Sometimes Charlie told the same story more than once.  Charlie would say something like, "I probably told this story before, but I like to hear it again, so I'll tell you anyway."  We liked hearing it again, too. 

So, when I was reminded of Ricky Tims' quilt called Bear Paws in Bertie Marie's Cabin and Ricky's treadle sewing machine, my husband and I agreed that this would be the right idea for this year's Charlie Pirtle quilt.  Our version cannot hold a candle to Ricky Tims' quilt in terms of design and construction, but our version is meaningful to us as we do our part to honor Charlie. 

Charlie was an old fashioned man.  He did not use a computer and he did not really like cell phones.  He and my husband formed the Rotary Dial Telephone Club.  They were the only members.  At my husband's suggestion, I made the red and black bear paw blocks for this quilt on my grandmother's treadle sewing machine.  My husband and I made the log cabin blocks on our 1950's era Singer Featherweight machines.  I assembled the blocks on the Featherweight.  We both quilted it on our (definitely modern) longarm quilting machine.  In keeping with Charlie's old fashioned-ness, in order to win the Charlie Pirtle scholarship, applicants must write an essay about the outdoors.  It must be hand written (not typed or printed from a computer). 

The back of the quilt shows horses running free.  I think they are some of Charlies' fans, too.