Sunday, October 15, 2017

Alice's Quilt: Reaching Up and Holding the Moon



“Reach” was a challenging challenge word for me!  I considered “reaching a goal” and also that wonderful song by Diana Ross, “Reach Out and Touch.”  But somehow images inspired by those didn’t translate into a quilt for me.

During the recent eclipse of the sun by our moon,  I started to pay special attention to that amazing moon.  And the recent harvest moons have been breathtakingly beautiful!  Then I remembered something someone once told me.  If, when the moon is full, you go outside, close one eye, and position your hands just so, you can reach up and “hold the moon in your hands.”

That notion inspired my quilt.  I found an excellent free clip-art image of cupped hands. After printing it, I traced it onto flesh-colored fabric.  Then I cut my moon out of mottled gold batik.

I couldn’t find a dark blue, night-sky-looking fabric in my stash, so I decided to paint some PDF fabric for the background.  Once the fabric dried, I sandwiched it with batting and, for the backing, a wonderful commercial print of planets. The cupped hands and the moon are fused and appliquéd by machine onto the background.  I added some gently curving lines of quilting.  This 12”x12” quilt was bound conventionally with more of the background fabric.   The planet-fabric backing is pictured below.




10 comments:

  1. I love this Alice - it is simple and striking and executed so beautifully

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  2. How fun to hold the moon in your hands! The painted background is perfect to showcase the moon and hands. Soothing and serene.

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  3. Wow...I didn't even think of the eclipse or harvest moon. Your hands are perfect. When you don't have the perfect sky...paint one! I've done that. Simple but very expressive!!!

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  4. This is terrific! I always tried to reach the moon when I was a little girl. I thought of the book - 'Goodnight Moon'. I love that you painted the sky. Thank you for bringing those memories back to me.

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  5. Simple but oh so nice Alice! Love the painted background fabric. I have never tried reaching out to hold the moon in my hands, but love this unique interpretation. Well done!

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  6. This is perfect. Love your image.

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  7. Very nice composition. It is graphic and realistic while depicting a fantasy. Well done!

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  8. Alice ... I LOVE this quilt ! As others have commented, your hands are perfect ! And the moon looks exactly like some of the beautiful Harvest Moons we've loved looking at recently. That you painted your background fabric - Super ! And your planetary backing fabric.... perfectly wonderful :-D Don't you just love it when you have EXACTLY the PERFECT piece of fabric exactly when you need it ! ! ! Great job !

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  9. Thank heavens for celestial inspiration! (pun intended). Super clever idea and you did a great interpretation. that subtle background painting was spot on. I loved this.

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  10. Even though you were more "challenged" than you wanted to be with this theme, I think you came up with a unique solution and executed it quite wonderfully.

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