The Barn an art quilt

I started The Barn as my submission for the SAQA Benefit Auction later this fall.  However once I finished it I just couldn't let it go, it had become too personal.

The piece started with a personal photo of the family barn which  I had printed on fabric.  The photo was taken in 2009.

 The trees had overgrown around the barn and the poor barn roof was sagging. 

By 2019  winter storms and neglect had done their worst and the barn could no longer hold on.  It was the end of an era.  The barn had been built in 1934 after  a fire burned the original barn to the ground. 

Today I'm blessed with beautiful memories of growing up on the farm.  The milk house, the cows (which alway seemed to get out at night), the chicken, new cut hay and fresh crops, and of being told to go to the field and wave the dish towel so dad would know it was time for dinner.

I rescued the cupola from the top of the barn.  I hope someday to make a place for it in my garden.  It's bigger than you would guess and it lives in my shed at the moment.  

The background: hand-dyed fabric, loose weave burlap, tea bags and stalks from twisted dyed satin.

Personal photo printed on distressed fabric and thread painted.

Raw edge applique of the cupola on top of the barn.

Stylized hay bays made with twine.

Embroidery details.  The finished piece is 12" X 12".

The finished piece.  I hope you can see why The Barn means so much to me.

Have a wonderful day!  Thanks for stopping in!

MaryEllen

WILDFLOWERS

 

The inspiration for Wildflowers was photos taken on an afternoon of picking flowers with my grandson.  They may be weeds to most but these little blue buds become priceless flowers when you find them at the park with your 18 month old grandson.

For my piece I used several of the photos I took that special day.  

I printed the photos on fabric and then embroidered and manipulated the images before working them into a complete composition.

Above, the printed on fabric photos.

Above photo,  paints being added.

Above photos, shows the start of the work on the embroidery.

Above photo, cuts and holes were made at various points in backgrounds of the photos and fabric was pushed through the spaces to give more dimension.

Above photo, the various materials after bring dyed for the piece.  Type of fabric and colors used were noted as I worked on getting the right colors for everything from the background to each flower petal.

Above photo, materials for the flowers being dyed .  All the flower petals started as white silk ribbon or white silk fabric and were dyed to give each flower natural variation and shading.

Above, experimenting with the layout

Above photo, playing with how to add the final details.

Wildflowers is  27" X 28.5". 

Silk ribbon, paint, various threads, various fabrics including silk, satian, cotton and cheesecloth, paint, vintage linen, lace, personal photos.

Wildflowers is part of  the Texas Regional Showcase, Artfully Yours.  Artfully Yours will open at the Baugh Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton TX on August 10, 2026.

Thanks for spending time on my blog. Have a great day!

MaryEllen

Happy red,white and blue!

 Wild West Crazy

An assortment of bandana handkerchiefs in red, white and blue was the inspiration for my first full crazy quilt (2008).  A few of the red bandanas belonged to my father and others I picked-up on various travels. So not only was this my first crazy quilt but it is very sentimental. The squares were decorated in lace, vintage and new, buttons, ribbons, some embroidery, rick-rack and yo-yos.  I did not use a lot of embellishment on this piece because I thought I might put it on a bed.  Once I finished it I decided it was only going on the wall as it was to special for daily use.

Wild West Crazy is 79" X   71", each square measures 

10.5" X 11".  The batting is 80/20. The  quilt is tied with white ribbons as well as some machine quilting.  A blue chambray was used for the backing.

Happy 4th of July to all my US followers!

Happy a wonderful day everyone!

MaryEllen