Sunday, August 01, 2010

Beautiful Flower, Bountiful Garden (41 x 41)


I put the binding on a quilt Debra and I made in a round-robin. "Beautiful Flower, Bountiful Garden" or, as we usually call it, the pink madonna, is our first joint madonna quilt collaboration, though we've been bouncing ideas off each other on this series of quilts for years. If you haven't seen it, we have a blog The Madonna Idea, which includes the bulk of the madonna quilts we've made.



The center of the quilt is a pre-printed panel flanked by some of Debra's machine embroidered blocks. She gave these blocks to me when we met at IPQF in Long Beach a couple of years ago, and I immediately knew they were meant somehow to go with the panel. From there we went back and forth a few times, each of us adding a round of blocks. Debra came up with the text for the embroidered ribbon: "Oh holy mother, beautiful flower of our life's bountiful garden." The results are, I think, seamless.

The quit is the center of my newly-decorated home office. With all that color and pattern, the rest of the room is quite subdued: a calm palatte for this and some of my other favorite quilts.

On the opposite wall, I've put two chairs and I've hung some of my favorite small quilts. For hangers in this room I bought some tall bamboo poles (found at the garden center), and I painted them black. They hang on some single coat hooks that I screwed into the wall.

The rocking chair was my grandmother's. I recovered some pillows I had around the house with black and cream fabric.

I bought this wing chair and the footstool at two different used furniture stores. The cats like this room a lot, and I can see that I'm going to have to fight them for the chairs.


At the entrance to the room, I hung I my St. Theresa piece. The room has a very peaceful vibe.

8 comments:

Debra Dixon said...

I want to come over and hang out in your room! What a beautiful sanctuary for you and the Madonnas.

I love how the Pink Madonna turned out too! This fall we will have to get busy on another one.

Vicki W said...

The quilt turned out great and the room is fabulous!

floribunda said...

I love the way your cat color-coordinates with the wing chair!

Judy S. said...

What a nice room! And filled with beautiful quilts. The pink madonna is lovely. Isn't it crazy how cats gravitate to the best chair in the place?

quiltmom anna said...

What fabulous wall hangings you have created. Your office is indeed inviting- will you add a quilt to wrap yourself up in your chair. The chairs are fabulous..

Do you go back to the classroom soon. My summer break is about half way done. I need to get some quilting finished yet but have begun to make some progress.

Thanks for sharing your lovely work.
Regards,
Anna

allie aller said...

A beautiful retreat indeed that you have created...a wonderful space for writing and thinking and....

Great quilt hanging idea, too!

I was just thinking about you this morning and wondering how the Empty Nest was going. Obviously it is going well....

Magpie Sue said...

What a peaceful sanctuary. I love that the chairs are covered in what looks like coordinating prints. I also like the gallery of quilts on the bamboo pole!

mummsie said...

I have so enjoyed watching all your Madonna quilts develope Such a peacefulness radiates from them. What a pleasant surrounding you have rewarded yourself with. Thank you for sharing

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