Wednesday Work-in-Progress

I don't think I have done a Wednesday Work-in-Progress post in a long time.  Here is the Mary Cassatt color study that I did in Pamela Allen's latest online class.  It is based on Portrait of Mlle. C. Lydia Cassatt, the artist's sister.

This piece was cut freehand from fabrics pulled from my stash to try to capture the colors in the palette of the original painting.  I have finished hand-stitching all the pieces to a piece of batting, and next will be machine-quilting.

This piece was just supposed to be a study, but I liked it so well that I am going to finish it.  The original is an impressionist painting, with a rather lonely-looking woman sitting in a voluminous coat on a park bench.  She blends into the background, and there is so much light reflected in the painting although the palette is dark.  To try to achieve the same effect, I have used some hand-dyed fabric, wrong side of printed fabric, variegated threads, and it may end up getting some paint applied as well once it is quilted.

I think my lady looks a little happier than Lydia does in her portrait.