Family Connections

I share two new pieces that illustrate my theme for the year, Unity and Wonder. I’ve been thinking about joy and connection to the greater world and looking at the delicate, imperfect, precious space found and appreciated in the now. We share these moments with fellow humans as well as the interconnected worlds of plants and animals.

The first art quilt is called Joy Team. It is 29 X 36 inches. Below is the quilt followed by the reference photo that was my inspiration.

Joy Team, 29 X 36 inches, 2026

Reference photo for Joy Team

I removed the cement block and some of the trees. I altered the blue of the sky and the form of the clouds to better repeat the curve of the path. I created a fanciful background that loosely follows the outline of the playground equipment and trees in the reference photo. I did this using two medium pale fabrics of grey and green, scribbling some oil pastel marks, and adding a layer of partial flower and pinwheel doo-dads. (A doo-dad is my ‘technical’ term meaning a small element cut from a larger grouping in a fabric’s design.) I am embracing the use of doo-dads! I was also pleased with how well the fabric of the one big tree worked with the mood of being uplifted. I changed the color of some of the clothing. I added two subtle details that I think add to the meaning of this artwork. First; behind the jumping figures and rope handlers, there are 7 small black squares added with quilting. These represent the rhythm of the rope and jumping. Second; in the lower right corner I had to cobble together various scraps of green grass fabric because I was nearly out of that fabric in my stash. I could have chosen to disguise this imperfect section, treating it as a mistake. Instead, I decided to make it more obvious, using contrasting color for the applique stitching and adding more shapes to this patchwork area. We choose our lovely patchwork of family, adopted family, and friends. We share in joy and harmony.

The next artwork is Family, 21 X 31. Below is the quilt followed by the reference photo.

Family, 21 X 31, 2026

Reference photo for Family.

I removed the couches, feet, and hat. That gave me more empty space to play with. Yeah! I wanted to create a piece that shows a cozy family in concert with water and earth. The blue and brown background fabrics were determined first, followed by choices for the figures. As I selected fabrics I began to see this piece as busy, with all the wonderful plant and animal doo-dads I wanted to incorporate. Sea horses, berries, cherries, bumble bees, leaves, flowers, and butterflies. Maybe it would be too busy? Since my theme for the year is Unity and Wonder, I was compelled to use many bits to show the greater family of living things. Using the same fabrics for pale hair and clothing on four figures helped to calm down the piece. The choice of using brown hair and blue clothing also calm down - balance out the overall look. So in the end it is perhaps not too busy. Feel free to comment on this matter.

The following images are of other art quilts and the reference photos for each. In every example I have removed distractions and made lots of changes.

Seeing Eye to Eye, 10 X 14, 2018

reference photo for Seeing Eye to Eye

Hanging Out

reference photo for Hanging Out

Purple Dress, 40 X 26 inches, 2006

reference photo for Purple Dress

This is the spot for sharing a recipe, something I do at the end of each blog post. I have just given this easy humble salad the descriptive name of Cottage Confetti. Combine the colorful vegetables of diced radish, red bell pepper, and cucumber. Add olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Serve with a large dollop of cottage cheese. Optional toppings - chopped green onion, chive, cilantro, dill, or parseley.