Friday, March 15, 2013

Judy S.- Communication Operator


I thought of many things, but Lily Tomlin as the operator on “Laugh In” kept popping up in my mind’s eye. She was a working woman, strong, but feminine. Nobody makes you laugh like Lily Tomlin. 
I always appreciated the real operators that helped us when we needed information or to connect us to the right party. They were always so nice and helpful. Machines just don’t give you that nice feeling that they are there to help you when you need it.
I know these look like 2 different quilts in the photo's, but they truly are the same. Lighting was indoors and outdoors, so I chose the best I had of the parts that I wanted to share.
My biggest fear in creating this piece, was not being able to make her face look right. Remember how I only did the back of my head on “Element”? I decided to take the challenge of doing a face and I think it worked out fine. 
I enjoyed quilting the blouse and skirt. I wore clothes like that and sewed them too, so I knew what they needed to look like. 
The plug in spots on the switchboard are made from tiny snaps. The rotary part of the phone was made by winding and squishing beading wire. Lily always had a big chunky bracelet which I made by stitching beads on her wrist. This is the first piece I think I actually did handwork on!
You can goggle “One Ringy Dingy” and find youtube video’s of Lily Tomlin. I did give the switchboard a company name. It is One Telephoney.

10 comments:

  1. Love it, love it, love it. Is this the party to whom I am speaking? Great idea, great quilt. My other favorite character she did was Edith Ann, and that's the truth.

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  2. I loved one ringy dingy lady too!! What a humourous quilt. Your details are so well depicted!! You must have had so much fun making this. Nice work!!

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  3. This quilt brought back so many happy memories and so many big laughs! As soon as I saw your quilt, without even reading about it, I recognized Lily! You did such a great job. Love her clothes, all the details. You have really out-done yourself, Judy, on this fun and clever quilt! Love the company's name, too!

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  4. Thanks for the detail photo! Your idea of using mini snaps for the plug in receptacles was so clever. I commend you on facing your fears because Lily is readily identifiable not only in her face and posture, but her clothing, accessories and hairstyle as well. This is a darling quilt.

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  5. Way cool Judy and I love her face, attitude and your stitching and embellishments that brought this to life.

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  6. Oh, this is great Judy. I saw it very, very briefly this morning on my iPad before it went black ( battery needed to be recharged ), but my first thought was of Lily Tomlin and I was so pleased when I found out that it WAS Lily Tomlin. Everything about this quilt, from the beaded bracelet to the switchboard snaps to the One Telephoney Co. is just plain fun!

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  7. what a fun subject to depict - awesome Judy - glad you told be about this site - some wonderful quilt art P

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  8. Ten Ringy Dingy's to you!!!! Fabulous execution and wonderful humor. What a diverse group of quilts this month. So fun

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  9. Hi Judy - Great quilt ! Your use of unexpected materials for the component parts was ingenious. I never would have thought of snaps and beading wire ! Looking forward to seeing this in person ... perhaps at the Waco Quilt Guild meeting next Monday !

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  10. Oh Judy, I just LOVE this! And, your lady looks just like Lily Tomlin. I've seen her in person twice, and she is also one of my favorite comedians. This is such a fun little quilt. EXCELLENT JOB!

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