As promised, I am back to talk more about the commissioned quilt for Neil Diamond and Kathryn. The center of the quilt contains two paths that converge in a diamond shaped photo of the couple together in marriage. Each path contains photos that relate to special events that touched on each of their lives separately and some photos as a couple.
When I left off with my telling of the story of this quilt I had an approved sketch. I had a month to complete the quilt and ship it so it would arrive in time for the Diamond wedding. I felt the importance and relevance of this project all the way through the process. The concept behind the quilt was to portray their journey and it was truly a journey for me as well.
Never underestimate the connections forged by using Facebook. One of my high school classmates and I were reconnected on Facebook during this year. We hadn’t been in touch in over 30 years! Anyway, she saw my quilt art and really liked it. Coincidentally, she was looking for a unique gift to bring as a wedding gift for her good friend, Neil Diamond,… the famous singer.
It’s done! Bound, sewn and delivered. I hope it’s a finalist. It was really fun to do.
I tried to bring out the three-dimensional quality of the scene. I wanted you, the viewer, to understand that you and a cat are looking at a fridge with lots of stuff on the shelves.
The closeup view shows the cat and her long white whiskers peering and sniffing at the contents of the fridge. 
I used cotton fabric, cotton thread, some synthetic fabric, some stabilizer and tulle. (The door is meant to be a little fuzzy because of the plastic shelving, which I made with tulle.)
The batting is Warm and Natural, cotton batting. The final size is 8.5″ x 11″.
Did I mention I plan to enter this miniature quilt into a challenge? It’s due next week. Quilting Arts Magazine is running the “Greatest Pet Peeve” Reader Challenge”. I thought it would be fun, since I live in a “cat house” and there are more than a few feline antics to choose from. I debated whether a cat in the fridge would be more amusing than a cat drinking from a coffee mug. My faithful audience, aka my family, told me that the cat in the fridge was clearly the choice!
So, here are the next stages I’ve worked up of my cat-scape. The first is before quilting. I’ve made real strides to show the depth into the fridge.
The second shot is after quilting. I chose not to do an enormous amount of thread painting, because I wanted the items in the fridge to be recognizable. They are not artistic images; they are bottles of juice, containers of milk and pots.
I’d be glad to hear what you think! Do you see the three-dimensional quality of this work? Our fridge really looks this way. You can’t see the back!
Here is the next step in my fridge landscape. I’ve traced the scene and I’m filling in the blanks under the tracing.
It’s starting to shape up. More to come.
I can’t resist doing this new landscape quilt. Who says a landscape has to be trees and grass? Why not an everyday view, like inside your fridge? Well some in our family think that is better than the outdoors. Here is proof. So, this is the inspiration. More to come as I progress. Since we are known as a “cat house” it seems just right. More to come…
I mailed my Crab photos today. Maybe The Crab will be selected. Thanks to all who commented for your insight and help. January 21, 2011 the magazine will announce the finalists.
Now, on to the next project…
Cindy
The thread painting is done and the quilting is completed. The binding is bound and… I finished the crab!!!!
I will soon be sending off my photos. I hope my work is considered. We shall see… later in January.
Ok, so the crab is in the shadows and the sun, but who took away the rocks? This time I went for grass and rocks. Here is the current result.
I can show this without the rocks as well. Here goes.
Which one???
I still need to deal with the top, left corner. Looking forward to your thoughts.