Babe the Blue Ox - Art Every Day Month - Day 20

For the 20th day of Art Every Day Month, I made another quilt square for the Minnesota state quilt that I've been working on this month. This square features Babe the Blue Ox who was Paul Bunyan's companion.

According to Wikipedia, "Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue Ox."

Wikipedia continued, "Babe the Blue Ox, Bunyan's companion, was a massive creature with exceptional strength .... Among other subjects, a myth about the formation of Great Lakes was centered around Babe: Paul Bunyan needed to create a watering hole large enough for Babe to drink from.

The blue fabric is attached to the white background

by the blanket-stitch. The backstitch is used to add details

(e.g., outline of the ear, definition of the legs, horns).

"There are also stories telling that the 10,000 Lakes of Minnesota were formed from the footprints of Paul and Babe while they wandered blindly in a deep blizzard. Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett were said to give Babe to Paul Bunyan, because they were all 'woodsey' pioneer types."

Paul Bunyan has dozens of towns vying to be considered his home - not only in Minnesota, but across the United States. Kelliher, Minnesota, is the home of Paul Bunyan Memorial Park, which contains a site purporting to be Paul Bunyan's grave.

The most famous statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox are in Bemidji, Minnesota as part of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.