I became very interested in the possibility of using
photographs
in quilts and found a very good source to get the photos for the first
three made (unfortunately, these people are no longer doing this type
of
work). Each of the quilts here was intended to commemorate a special
occasion
and incorporates photos transferred to fabric.
Nicole's
Graduation Quilt
This was the first of the photo quilts I made. It was made in 1992 for
my elder daughter's high school graduation and includes her graduation
photos (one on the back), a baby picture, and a cheerleading photo. The
wall hanging was intended as a surprise, but you know how that goes!
It's
about 42" square and was machine pieced and hand quilted.
Allison's
Graduation Quilt
This second one was for my younger daughter's high school graduation in
1994. It includes two graduation photos, a baby picture, and her photo
as a member of the cross country team. This one couldn't be a surprise,
so my daughter helped pick the fabrics. It's 54" square and was also
machine
pieced and hand quilted.
Megan's Wedding
A very small (about 14 1/4" square) wall hanging, this was made for our
niece's wedding in 1996. This one also was the first I made using
QuiltPro
software to design and lay out the project. What fun! I machine pieced
and hand quilted this one, too.
Eddie's Wedding
Our nephew was married on June 22,
2002 --
practically in the midst of the enormous forest fires raging in the
White
Mountains of Arizona. Still, many of our family were able to get there
for the happy occasion, and I took the opportunity to make this little
(22 1/2" square) wall hanging as a memento and to welcome our new
niece-in-law
to the family. This was the first time I'd printed a photo onto fabric
myself (the ones above this were all done professionally), and it was
really
fun to see the results! I was told that the couple is using green, tans
and browns in their new home, so the colors of the quilt were chosen
with
that in mind. This piece was machine pieced and machine quilted, with
very
simple straight-line quilting. It was finished on July 6, 2002. Below
you
can see a detail of the center block.
Pawprints on My
Heart
This is a memory quilt I made after
the
unexpected and premature death of Tuppence, our little cocker spaniel
-- almost certainly the dog who has meant the most to me of all the
beloved ones I've ever had. She was almost six years old when the
medication she took to control her seizures caused her liver to fail.
She and our lab/chow mix were great buddies, so there are lots of
photos of the two of them together; but she spent most of her time
being my constant companion while I either puttered around the house or
sat at my computer or my quilting.
There are 24 photos of Tuppence in the quilt, not counting the one
forming the points of the LeMoyne Star in the center. The name of the
quilt is appropriate, since she definitely left pawprints all over my
heart and since I quilted little pawprints inside hearts all through
the background of the main part of the quilt. The borders are quilted
with feathers; I love feathers, and Tuppence had beautiful ones on her
legs and torso. Here is a close-up of some of the quilting around the
center star:
The quilt measures 34"
square. I began
designing it in Quilt Pro in November, 2005, shortly after her death;
and I finished
it in February, 2006.
