Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Quilt Reveal: "Happy Home"

When we were at the beach last weekend, I gave Dave and Emily the gift I made for their fourth anniversary...a small art quilt named "Happy Home."


This is a small piece that was actually my Lesson One composition from the Pamela Allen online art class, "About Style," that I completed in February. I used the palette from this painting by Matisse.


The Dessert: A Harmony in Red, Henri Matisse, 1908

I found that I love pulling fabrics and colors using a painting or artwork that makes me happy. I found the great red-orange fabric for the house in my stash. It even had scrollwork motifs similar to the curvy flourishes in the painting.

The week that I was finishing this project, Dave and Emily got their little puppy, Roo. I added him to the front porch at the last minute. Any little doggie shape with big pointy ears works for a Roo dog!

I did work from a photograph for this piece, but everything was cut freehand with scissors and no pattern. The pieces were first appliqued to a piece of batting using embroidery floss or Perle cotton. Then I added a second batting and backing, and quilted it first on the Gammill and then on my domestic sewing machine for more details.

Because of the black outline quilting, there is almost a second picture on the reverse side.

I still have a warm glow about the great weekend at the beach. On the way home, we enjoyed all the spring blossoming trees and flowers. This great daffodil garden was at a rest stop on I-40 near Warsaw, NC.

The only bad part was when we got home, and I found out my father had just been admitted to the hospital with a touch of pneumonia. My brother John works very close by, and was able to stay with him until he was settled for the night. Hopefully he will be discharged soon, as he was responding very well to treatment.

7 comments:

Vicki W said...

I bet they were thrilled to receive Happy Home! It's lovely!

Glad you Dad is doing better too.

sharon said...

Love your quilt, what great composition! I like the way you did the back equally as much as the top! Very nice!Sharonj

Karen S said...

What a wonderful little quilt! Pulling fabrics for something new makes me happy too.

Cathie said...

Jeanne this is so precious! I love it - and I just adore little Roo. Prayers for your daddy - do hope he is 100% by the time you read this.

Elizabeth said...

Oh Happy Home is such a wondeful treasure!!! I bet that they were over the Moon!!!! Glad to hear that you ahd such a wonderful weekend! I ahd a great class with Margo Duke and I got the glorious fabrics that you sent to me!! thank you so very much!!!

Unknown said...

what a great quilt...I love how you pulled the colors from the Matisse painting.....the little dog is just awesome too...I think art quilts are the best! Yours is awesome!!!

Lynn Majidimehr said...

Love your Happy Home quilt! I bet you're enjoying Pam's class - I finally finished the portrait that I started in her Think Like an Artist class for our local quilt guild's show.