Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

In my last post, I showed you the start of my first quilt about a happy childhood.  When you last saw her, the girl in the quilt looked very much like a paper doll:  flat and with no features.  Since then, I’ve added black stitching, which has added wonderful definition.

Click any image for a larger view

I really enjoyed adding details with hand stitching, too.  Like the smocking in the dress bodice.

And here’s the finished quilt, only 9″ x 12″.

The label tells the full story:

The Cows Enjoyed Her Singing

When I was in second grade, I walked home alone from the bus stop.  That was about a quarter of a mile up our farm road, past fields and pastures.  As I slowly walked along, I would swing my lunch box, twirl (so my dress would fly out,) and sing. 

One day, as I passed a pasture full of cows, I looked up to see them all lined up at the fence, just looking at me.  Well, it was obvious to me that these cows were simply enthralled with my singing.  So, I put down my lunch box and put on a concert for them.  I sang “Jesus Loves Me,” “You are my Sunshine,” and “I’m a Little Teapot.”  Repeatedly.  They loved it!  They didn’t budge and they couldn’t take their eyes off me!

Apparently, I stayed there a little too long, because eventually my mother drove down the road to see what had happened to me.  When she heard my story, she put a limit on how many songs I should sing on future days.

My ego was in full swing even back then!  I intend to make several more of these childhood story quilts.  Like this one, I will add little loops at the top.  I’m thinking I will bind them together in some sort of book style.

It’s a lot of fun to revisit these memories.  As part of the process, I’ve had several conversations with my mom and my sister as we’ve tried to answer the big questions, like “What kind of shoes did I wear in the second grade?”

What stories have you told with your quilts?

Ellen Lindner