Personal Challenge

In the last four months, I have visited the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg Florida, MOMA in New York City (sigh), the Sackler and Freer Galleries in Washington D.C., the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a separate visit to Van Gogh Up Close at the Philadelphia Museum. During that time I have also walked along beautiful beaches in The Bahamas, visited NASA in Florida, been a tourist in New York City (sigh), and visited Washington D.C. while the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. I have taken nearly 1,000 photos and each one holds the promise of a quilt.

Tonight I decided that I needed to start working on a photo-to-quilt translation. Which photo did I choose? Kandinsky? Dali? Warhol? An exquisite Islamic tile pattern? Palm trees? Cherry blossoms?

No.

I chose a photo of a daffodil in my front yard.

Isn't that a sweet photo? It is a very lonely daffodil under the rock wall along my front steps. I obviously did not stage this photo; I just snapped a shot with my phone as I was walking up the driveway a few weeks ago.

If you want to see some gorgeous photographs by an amazing photographer, check out Nora Scarlett. I was introduced to her work a few months ago and had the pleasure of meeting her last week. Her work is so light and happy; I am enthralled by it. Her show of photographs from the Shawangunk Mountains is opening this weekend and I hope to attend.

Back to my lousy snapshot:

I spent an hour tonight listening to the end of a Lee Child novel and trying to make a fabric and thread photograph. My art skills are not smarter than a fifth grader. Do not expect great things. Seriously, lower your expectations before you scroll down to see the quilt.

Using supplies on hand, I grabbed some brown fabric, green fabric, cotton batting, and four colors of threads (black, multi-green, multi-yellow and multi-orange). I cozied up to my Sweet Sixteen made this 6x8-inch mini quilt:

If I remade this (which I most likely will not), I would use an additional layer of batting and do something different with the grass. And maybe hand-dye the fabrics for the rocks and grass.

It still has to be bound. Any volunteers?

When I showed my husband this little quilt, he gave a one-word comment: "small."

I would love to hear your one-word comment about my little quilt. "Small" has already been taken so choose another word.

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If some of you stopped short at my list of travels in the last few months, please know that I spent more time at home in the last four months than in the eight months before that. The next eight months are looking quite busy as well. The Florida/Bahamas trip was a true vacation. New York City and Washington DC were work related. So were New Jersey, Utah, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey (again). I travel A LOT and sometimes I get to see cool stuff. I am a very blessed woman, indeed.