When we got the challenge, I started thinking back to my childhood. Ledra (pronounced Lee-drah, rhymes with Lisa, Lee-sah), is my twin sister and is in every memory I have from childhood, so I started looking through my dad's album of our baby pictures. I found this picture of the two of us hanging out the window of our old white Pontiac. We are probably about two and a half. The old white Pontiac is actually a 1959 Pontiac Catalina Four Door Sedan and my parents brought us home from the hospital in her. The family took many trips in her, fitting copious amounts of paraphernalia in the trunk, until she was sold in the late 60's.
From that picture, I started "reminiscing" about all the things that happened in that old car. There is the time, when we stopped along the route to Grandma Blume's house to find a bathroom. Daddy got out of the car and went in to ask if they had one (yes, you youngsters out there, bathrooms weren't in all gas stations way back when). Ledra got out of the car and went to find one herself. Since Daddy didn't realize it, he got back in the car and drove off down the road. It wasn't until he was a couple blocks away and looked in the rearview mirror and saw Ledra running down the road after the car that he realized she wasn't in it!
At first I tried enlarging the picture and making a portrait like my first challenge. Since the original picture is very small, I couldn't get it large enough and retain enough clearness to use my regular technique (although, I still haven't given up on that idea…I just have to figure out how to do it!) I wasted about a month with that route. Then one morning, I woke up to a blog from our own Lynn Krawczyk advertising her new thermofax screen business. That was just what I needed. So I sent a scan of the picture and she sent me a screen (thank you, Lynn!). I also wanted a map in the background so I sent off to Spoonflower a digital map to print on fabric for the background. By the time I got it here, it was just this past Monday, but everything came together quickly after that. I screened the image, printed out the list of memories, fused it on the background, stamped the name of the quilt, quilted it, faced it, beaded it, and melted crayons on it! Materials: Self designed 100% cotton fabric, acrylic screen paint, ink, crayons (melted, of course!)
What a wonderful time I had reliving those old memories. My 86 year old dad got a kick out of it and laughed at the memories, too.
What a wonderful and beautiful story! Goodness, as I read your story, I was right there with you. All the effort you made to get things just right really paid off.. in spades! It is beautiful!. An heirloom keepsake... what does your sister think of it? Did you do two?
ReplyDeleteI am thinking there will be more of these in your future....
It looks great! I'm so happy the screen worked well!!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's fabulous! And hearing how you made it gave it such extra meaning. I'll probably be studying this one for quite some time, Lisa....there's a lot to look at. I only wish I could click on the photo and enlarge it. I'd love to see the list of memories.
ReplyDeleteSue
I love the picture of the two of you. It looks like something out of a magazine from that time period. Perfect for your piece. Just makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! The story you wrote is represented perfectly in your piece. Love it!
ReplyDeleteLisa, great! Love the layers, like our memories.
ReplyDeleteYour explaination of you process made me think Wow!...that's the best part of these challenges...how can we get from what we see in our "mind's eye" to a finished piece.
Uh, what a story! Glad about the happy end.
ReplyDeleteIf I look at the quilt and read your text, I see it like in a film. Good job.
Heidi
Great story Lisa! Love the quilt!
ReplyDeleteYou nailed this one! The picture is perfect and you executed it so well. After the picture, my favorite part is melted crayons. Perfect. And I love how your Dad reacted. Pleasure.
ReplyDelete