Tricia's Open Window
When I heard the theme OPEN I was really stumped. I thought about open fields, open sky's etc. I just couldn't settle on anything to create a quilt. After talking the theme over with my husband, I thought about an open window. I remembered an open window in a summer cottage. I went looking thru all my photos. I found the summer cottage but wasn't convinced that I wanted to create that image. Then I stubbled on this photo of our black cat, Moss. The photo is from our house in Nantucket. Moss loves to sit in the windows.
I have recently been working on thread paintings of a few dogs. I printed the photo onto broadcloth and started to thread paint Moss. It was much harder to thread paint a black cat! There are very few variations in his fur. It's even hard to see the cats body shapes. I stitched a few details in the background. I then appliquéd flowers in the flower box that hangs outside the window. I free motion stitched the centers of all the flowers.
Hi Tricia. You are brave to begin thread painting. I keep saying that I need to give it a go - but keep procrastinating. Love your open window with your cat, Moss. Total black must indeed be very hard to do with threads the only medium. I can picture Moss sitting in the window taking in the outside world. Well done!
ReplyDeleteI love the perspective of this piece!! So well executed. Moss looks so real sitting there in the open window enjoying the smells of outdoors. I agree about black animals being hard to portray. I have a black lab I want to make a collage of and I am afraid to begin. The only thing you can discern in photos are her eyes, teeth and tongue!! Particularly love the lilies!!
ReplyDeleteThis is the perfect quilt to portray Open! I saw it first on Face Book and was overwhelmed by its beauty. I love Moss and I love the setting. And the flowers are simply gorgeous! Congratulations on a clever and beautiful little art quilt!
ReplyDeleteTricia, I didn't even think of open fields or open sky. Open door and open heart came up, but I felt like I had done those. Obviously there were more "open" idea's than I thought. Your window with Moss sitting in it is perfect! The colors you used for the flowers give depth so that you feel like you are taking a little peek into Moss's world.
ReplyDeleteSuch fun to see Moss staring in a quilt! I love the textural contrasts of the thread painting and appliqué flowers on the printed photo. This brought back such good memories of the MM Nantucket retreat!
ReplyDeleteOh Tricia - What an awesome quilt !
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading your narrative, I was also thinking about my two dogs who love to sit on the top of our couch and look out through the big windows at the cars, truck, bicycles, etc. going by; and, of course they bark at everything they see!
Here in Texas, we don't dare leave our windows open ....Just too many BIG BUGS
(especially those mosquitoes !) that would rein terror in our homes. It has been said that the Texas Mosquitoes are so big, "Ya could round 'em up and put saddles on 'em !
It’s our old friend Mr Moss! He looks open to having visitors, especially if he gets to taste the lobster!
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