Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a little Valentine's Day sample I worked on years ago - the Queen of Hearts. Now this is pretty sloppy, but it was my experimentation into all things cowboy boots - - - er, well, cowgirl boots!!!
We had a Western themed party to attend a few years back and awards were being given to best dressed. What's a cowgirl outfit without boots, right? I did some research on line and fell in love with the workmanship of cowboy / girl boots - - - it's like wearing an applique quilt on your foot - with a price tag to match!!!
I decided rather than shelling out the hundreds of dollars for the boots I fell in love with that I would create a cowgirl inspired vest - - - please keep in mind - this was a costume, nothing you'd catch me wearing out to the grocery store or dinner. How I wish better judgment would have prevailed and prevented me from putting that image of the scary cowgirl on the back of the vest - - - oh, well!
What I did love about the vest were the cowboy boot motifs I played with to corral the scary cowgirl. I used bold solid fabrics and accented the motifs with lots of satin stitching and specialty stitches in contrasting colors. What fun!!
Some reverse applique,
And, flame-like border work.
The front of the vest featured a cowboy / girl boot barkcloth I found on line - super colorful.
It wasn't a vintage barkcloth, but with boot images this good, who cares.
I had so much fun making this vest that I vowed I would revisit the applique art of cowboy boots in my quilting down the road, but time, and distraction, has been my enemy. The vest served the purpose for the party - first prize for best dressed, but now hangs forgotten in my closet. No more - - - I'm gonna dismantle the gal and turn her into a market bag for the start of the spring farmer's markets - she should really turn some heads!
FYI - - - Pub and Kitchen in Philly - - - fantastic!!!