Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Andrea's Neighbor: My Neighbor's House, Just Another Cookie-Cutter?


11" x 14" Gallery Wrapped
silk screened, commercial cotton, machine stitched


My next door neighbor's modified Queen Anne style house was probably built around 1900.  It is a sweet house with many unique architectural details, which has unfortunately been neglected over the past 10 or 12 years.  The house was sold a few weeks ago to I believe, a building contractor.  I have been wondering since the purchase if the new owner will restore the house or tear it down and build "just another cookie-cutter" style house.
My original idea was to have the silk screened grey houses in the background and then screen a line drawing image of the actual house on to a sheer grey organza and fuse on top of the cookie-cutter house forms.  I found this approach depressingly "grey" and as we have had such a horrible winter, decided that what I needed to do was add color, which just thinking about made me smile!  Out came my "Kaffe" collection, and the fun began.  I then decided to simplify the design as I was really liking the combination of screened forms behind the Kaffe houses, so the line drawing element was eliminated altogether.  Even though the premise of the quilt is a sad one, I am pleased with the outcome.

 line drawing on tracing paper

14 comments:

  1. I have seen and admired that house since the first time I came over to yours.
    I like when something is remembered - like what you did to honor the little house.

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  2. Good choice - I like the finished piece the best! And who wouldn't want to live in a neighborhood of Kaffe colored houses??!!?? You could have called your first one 50 shades of gray too!

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  3. Andrea this is so graphic and fun!
    Lovely work

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  4. Just love your houses. The colors are so cheery. It was a long winter.

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  5. I love this graphic quilt - a neighborhood I would love to visit - it is very striking

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  6. Hi Andrea ! I love your quilt, and love the explanation on how the quilt evolved! Your superior use of graphic design and screening methods intrigue and fascinate me..... Can hardly wait to work with you in Nantucket next month :-D

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    1. Yes, so looking forward to our Nantucket "adventures" also!

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  7. Love this, Andrea! I think you made a good decision with your final version. I think you know what a fan of Kaffe Fassett I am, so I love it that you used his fabrics for the charming houses. Greetings to you and all our Mavens from Charleston; we are off to NC this morning!

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  8. Beautiful, awesome artistry! Great color, fabrics, use of space, perspective and theme interpretation. This quilt is fabulous! I think I said that, LOL

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  9. Love this beautiful quilt. I am learning about screen printing and loving it, but I am never precise in my trials. Would love to learn more from you.
    I have loved Kaffe's use of color since my knitting days. I always think of him as my color mentor.

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    1. I'm planning on bringing a car load of "stuff" (silk screen ) for us to play with next month, which should be a lot of fun.

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  10. Your quilt is SO beautiful and imparts such JOY! I love the Kaffe houses and the very clever quilting. I, too, am looking forward to learning about silk screening! See you soon!

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  11. This is a favorite of mine this time. Such a perfect representation of the theme. The colorful houses superimposed on top of the gray ones adds a beautiful dimension. Beautiful!

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