My son Bryan was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 and sent beautiful digital photos home when it was allowed. This was one of my favorites, and I decided to make a photo quilt with it.
Bry set up the photo and handed his camera to a buddy to take the photo, so the soldier in the quilt is actually my son. His troop had been out for a long time on foot patrol and had run out of food, so they turned to their Army survival skills to eat. When Bry saw the quilt he told me that he had been eating some of the ants from the tree that hangs over him in the photo.
Luckily, Mary Ellen Kranz was teaching a photo-to-fabric class for the Asheville Quilt Guild and taught us how to print our photos as posters. This photo is printed in four pieces and joined at the center.
When building the quilt around the photo, I had no clue what the rest of the valley looked like, so I improvised. The soldier's lower body is painted. My husband posed for a photo wearing his work boots and squatting down so that I could figure out how to sketch the legs and feet. I also had to go online to find a photo of the gun so that I could paint the base of it.
I have no formal training in painting, but PBS painting shows helped a lot. I knew that the bushes in the landscape would look natural if I used a sponge to apply the paint. The rocks to the left and right are layers and layers of fused fabric which were then painted.
The quilting is not my best, but it was the first time that I had free-motion quilted a piece, so I practiced on the leftover rejected photos on fabric. I had to paint some of the pieces to see if my machine would quilt through them.
The label shows the faces of the honored men in his troop who were killed during that deployment.
25 comments:
Very interesting and realistic quilt. It must be very special for you.
Hugs
Natima
Wow this is an amazing quilt! Thank you for sharing it.
So many first-times in one wonderful quilt. I am truly impressed! I love the stories behind the quilts; it's the best thing about this quilt festival!
Amazing! You have certainly made one amazing quilt. A lot of different techniques and you made it all come together. Great piece of art!
I love a quilt with a good story too!
thanks for sharing,
Margaret
www.quiltsoflove.blogspot.com
A wonderful and very special quilt. Thank you for sharing it.
There is nothing more exquisite than a Mother's labor of love.
Such a neat quilt. thanks so much for sharing!
Now that the tears have dried...
Your quilt is lovely and such a beautiful tribute to your son and all of the soldiers who serve our country so bravely.
Amazing!
I love quilts with a special story. Always great to meet another GA artist.
That is a terrific story to go along with an intriguing and amazing quilt. Wish I could see it in person (and I hope your son has). Thanks for sharing.
Nice job! What is the quote at the top?
What a beautiful tribute to his service. My dh has done two tours in Iraq. I know what it's like to have a loved one deployed.
Nice tribute to our brave soldiers. I make Quilts Of valor for the wounded warriors.
Very beautiful duvet
What a lovely quilt!
This entry brings tears to my eyes. Just lovely. Thank your son for me, for his service and patriotism.
God Bless,
Doris
Thank you for sharing how this special quilt was created.
Pat - daughter, wife and mom of military men...it never gets easier does it?
This is amazing. What a special quilt.
Jocelyn
http://happycottagequilter.blogspot.com/
this is amazing!!you do beautiful work
wow great quilt! I would love that class too!
happy sewing!
Zlaty
That is an amazing quilt. Great story.
What an amazing quilt and what a wonderful tribute to your son! He and the rest of the service members are kept in our prayers.
It gives me goose bumps. Your quilt and it's story is AMAZ?ING!!! Thank you for sharing. Bless you and your son for this sacrifice and service.
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