"In Memoiram"
My Dad planted and grew thousands of daffodils. They grew along the edge of the woods on the estate where he worked. They grew along the fence in our yard and along the foundation of the house and garage and they even grew wild in the woods near our house probably courtesy of the resident squirrels who were always digging someplace in the yard.
In the spring Dad would bring home five gallon pails filled with daffodils and Mom would put them in vases and in everything that could even remotely be considered a vase, and we'd have them all over the house.
Unfortunately, for some reason daffodils don't do well in my yard, probably courtesy of the resident squirrels who are many here in the North Country.
People frequently ask me, "How did you do that?"
I took a photo behind my Dad's house and, using that as a reference, painted a watercolor picture of the daffodils.
The background of this 12" x 12" quilt is white canvas, the "uprights" are commercial cotton and cotton I'd painted that was in my stash.
I covered the first three layers with silk organza.
The angel is from a photo I took in a South American cemetery where there were the most gorgeous statues most of which were made in the 1800's. The angel photo was printed on soil separator cloth which is a polyester filter cloth used in a leach field (yes, part of a septic system). I learned of this gloriously sheer "fabric" from a workshop with Laura Cater Woods. The angel photo is adhered to the quilt with gel medium. The "fence" uprights are adhered with gel medium as well.
I scanned the watercolor painting and printed it on cotton, and touched up the color with watercolors, and stitched it down with clear nylon thread.
There's some basic quilting stitching in there, too, done with white rayon thread.
When my Dad lived with us before he passed away, he was excited when the quilt I made picturing his cellar stairs went to Houston for the Quilt Festival and then traveled around the country. I know he'd have liked having a picture of one of his daffodils on a website and would like the idea that someone might buy it.
I'm hoping that someone out there sees the daffodil in this quilt as a symbol of spring and a symbol of hope.
For me they're also a reminder of my Dad.
People frequently ask me, "How did you do that?"
I took a photo behind my Dad's house and, using that as a reference, painted a watercolor picture of the daffodils.
The background of this 12" x 12" quilt is white canvas, the "uprights" are commercial cotton and cotton I'd painted that was in my stash.
I covered the first three layers with silk organza.
The angel is from a photo I took in a South American cemetery where there were the most gorgeous statues most of which were made in the 1800's. The angel photo was printed on soil separator cloth which is a polyester filter cloth used in a leach field (yes, part of a septic system). I learned of this gloriously sheer "fabric" from a workshop with Laura Cater Woods. The angel photo is adhered to the quilt with gel medium. The "fence" uprights are adhered with gel medium as well.
I scanned the watercolor painting and printed it on cotton, and touched up the color with watercolors, and stitched it down with clear nylon thread.
There's some basic quilting stitching in there, too, done with white rayon thread.
When my Dad lived with us before he passed away, he was excited when the quilt I made picturing his cellar stairs went to Houston for the Quilt Festival and then traveled around the country. I know he'd have liked having a picture of one of his daffodils on a website and would like the idea that someone might buy it.
I'm hoping that someone out there sees the daffodil in this quilt as a symbol of spring and a symbol of hope.
For me they're also a reminder of my Dad.
