Designing a New Quilt
For her 80th birthday, my mother-in-law asked for a small quilt to hang on her apartment door. Of course, I was happy to comply! She expressed a desire for something floral, but left all decisions up to me.
I hunted through my large collection of floral photos and decided on Black Eyed Susans as my subject.
Click any image for a larger view
I have several great photos of them.
Next, I played around in Photoshop Elements (on my computer) to create a sketch. I was able to isolate each flower and move them around to my liking. I could also change their size and rotation/direction. This was the first sketch I came up with.
But, then I decided it had too many details for the small scale of this piece, (only 10 x 14.) So, I switched to only two flowers, greatly enlarging them.
MUCH better, I think! I always like it when the subject runs off the edge.
Soon, I was ready to raid my scraps to create the background. As usual, I collaged a lot of different fabrics together. The brightest greens aren’t nearly so vibrant in real life (thankfully,) but I positioned them primarily behind the largest flower, just in case. A little pieced scrap added interest in the top left area.
Next: flower fabrics. Check back for my progress.
Ellen Lindner
P.S. My in-laws’ apartment opens to an interior hallway, so there are no weather worries.
P.P.S. I’ve done two other quilts featuring Black-Eyed Susans: Natural Progression and Blessings Underfoot.
