This lovely small quilt got finished at 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 15, and was the last iteration of several "Harmony" themes I had running around in my head. If you could see my studio right now, you'd see all the pieces / parts of the other versions ! I didn't intentionally wait 'til the last minute...but life challenges were abundant, not the least of which was getting the studio finished ! Cabinet makers, painters, and installers were in and out for a long period of time; I had great difficulty finding any of my materials and products; and just sitting down for quiet periods of 'think' time were best found in the wee hours of the morning.
From the very first moment I received the "Harmony" challenge, the song "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony..." began to haunt me. I kept hearing the New Seekers singing that song, and remembered the huge Coca-Cola ad campaign that made the "Harmony Song" an international icon. We found the lyrics, and I used Transfer Artist Paper (TAP) to get the words 'off my computer and on to the fabric.' (Be advised: products do deteriorate with age [and moving from Alaska to Texas, and being in storage for almost 2 years!] Successfully transferring what appears to be very simple took several attempts, and my printer took a beating.)
e-motion quilting, so here's a close up of the overall quilting I did on "Harmony." I used Madeira 30 wt. variegated rayon (one of my most favorite threads to use). The colors in this particular thread are cream, light pink, and a very soft blue, and are perfect for using with the hand-dyed fabric that reminded me of the sky at sunrise. [The hand-dyed fabric came from former Alaskan, Bonnie Bucknam (Handwerks) who now lives in Washington state. Bonnie's fabrics are always fabulous and top of the line !] Getting back to the quilting, I always use Madeira monofilament in my bobbins - love it, love it, love it! [Be aware... you might need to tighten your bobbin tension when using monofilament... it's a 60 wt. very fine thread !]
The final picture is of the back of this little quilt. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 affected all our world and have become pivotal points in our lives. With the recent 10 year anniversary of 9-11-01, I still shudder with emotion at what happened to our country and to our world. The backing fabric for my "Harmony" quilt made me think of time and space, the disaster, the healing, and the promise of tomorrow for all of us. Music being what it is.... "I'd like to teach the world to sing....in Perfect Harmony." Amen. Alleluia !
Ah ha! I've been looking for yours all day, Kathy! And the wait was worth it. This is lovely. As you look through all of the quilts and read the comments, you will begin to smile as you see how many of us gave serious thought to using this song. Some persisted with it, and the variety of quilts that have thus sprung from that song is truly mind-blowing. Your quilting and the thread choices are stunning. And I love it that you did "back art" on the back of your quilt! I had thought to do that myself, but, alas, ran out of time.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to know that about your thread. I have a lot of it that came w my embroidery machine and I must get to using it. Also, I am now inspired to be more daring to try all that free motion quilting. I like the colors and space in your piece.
ReplyDeleteWonderful job, Kathy! Your free motion quilting is stitched to perfection! I would love to have a lesson from you!!! Thanks, too, for sharing the clever background with us.
ReplyDeleteKathy, glad you were able to have some quiet time to do this sweet quilt. Amid chaos you pulled out this great quilt and I can't wait to see what your next quilt will be when you have your studio all set up. Wonderful thought put into the backing too. Did you get that fabric in Alaska?
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you managed to get anything done with your world so topsy turvy. That advertizing campaign has to be one of the most successful ever - can't get the melody out of my head but I always think of it associated with Coca Cola. Thanks for the tips on storing supplies - I need to quit hoarding and start creating and the mono-filament - I love your fabrics
ReplyDeleteWow this is brilliant! That same song again but what a different interpretation. I love text on any piece of work & your background colouring is a perfect foil for lots of words. Your free machine quilting is also excellent & it's very interesting to hear about the exact thread you used.
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