Tracks and quilting

I noticed on a walk today, these kind of running stitches across the snow, in patterns that reminded me of quilting




And found the Canada goose family who were busy inscribing their footprints. In case you thought I was some great track detective.



Which made me wonder if the early quilters were inspired by goose tracks in the snow to do their quilting with running stitches in patterns.

There are traditional quilt designs with goose in their name, but they usually refer to the flight of geese. But these really made me wonder about the origins of parts of that artform.

It's good to know that Canada geese are creating interesting designs, in the intervals of pooping all over our parks, and eating local crops. Some misguided soul declared them a protected species some years ago, and we now have flocks of thousands of them resident all year round, very happily reproducing at a rate of knots. And now and then a farmyard goose runs away to join them.

One of my petcare clients lost their farm goose that way -- saw him flying with the Canada geese, and eventually taking off in a V formation with them. Not that they go far. I used to see him now and then just a couple of miles from home, happily pursuing family life in his new group.

So I guess that's another thing to credit them with: accepting other species into their flock. We could probably learn a thing or two from them.