Saturday, January 06, 2007

Everybody Has Blue Days


The Blue Day Book
by Bradley Trevor Greive
"Everybody has blue days."

This is a small book that was given to me by my daughter-in-law after my mother died. It has a lot of good thoughts in it! I pulled blue fabrics while wondering how I could express the value/contrast theme and blue days in a quilt.

Then life interrupted. I had to pick up Miz Paws, my kitten who is usually in the middle of my quilting. Instead she was getting "the big snip" to celebrate her coming of age. As I read the post-operative instructions one line sparked the quilt:

"Your cat may hallucinate..."

Everything came together then. I found a perfect cat silhouette in my PrintMaster 16 clip art. My blue stash yielded a great batik that could represent hallucinations. Although they don't show well in the photo, the words "blue" and "days" are quilted throughout the sky. "Everybody has blue days" is quilted on the bottom. Size is 14" x 22".

I'm considering adding some puff paint, beads, glitter, and other embellishments to the hallucinations ... what do you think? Comments are most welcome!

-- Joanna Strohn in Tucson
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5 comments:

  1. Betty Donahue1/6/07, 11:31 AM

    Hi Joanna--
    It is beautiful the way it is but beads and embellishments would give it even more spark.
    Love the cat.
    Betty

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan1/6/07, 4:19 PM

    I love it! The fabrics are so good together. Even the cat has a bluish tint in the fabric. What a great quilt. The embellishments can only add to it, but if you don't, it still will be a great little quilt.
    Jan

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  3. Roberta Ranney1/7/07, 11:10 AM

    Hi Joanna - This is a charming piece just as it is. The batik fabric is great for kitty hallucinations. There are many ways you could add more if you want to. I can see funny little mice floating in the sky or dancing on the foreground. Bits and pieces of gleam and glitter could add to the cat's moment of insanity using angelina or glitter or some iron on crystals.

    I think the monochromatic color scheme is very effective so I don't think I would add other colors just, perhaps, some sparkly stuff.

    Love the blue cat -

    Roberta

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  4. Marlene1/8/07, 11:27 PM

    Joanna....what a great interpretation. Now, if we could only get your cat to spill the beans on the hallucinations....yes, I would add sparkles and other "cat-like" images that I think your cat would see....

    Nice work.

    marlene

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cynthia Ann Morgan1/10/07, 12:41 AM

    Hi Joanna,
    Being a cat lover myself, I am immediately drawn to this piece. That and it's very well done with dramatic contrast and interesting psychedelic fabrics.

    Great job! I won't show it to my cats or they will want some of whatever that cat is on

    Cynthia

    ReplyDelete

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