"Generations" an art quilt by Lynn Cohen

“Generations”

By

 Lynn Cohen

Art quilt

2012

Made for Challenge on Art Quilts Around The World

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Something Old: My Great Grandparents, husbands old shirt, old lace handkerchiefs trim, upholstery sample, canvas fabric, buttons, and doilies

Something New: My last born granddaughter, sewing machine stitches, drawing on fabric, beads

Something borrowed:  ideas for drawing on fabric; idea for sewing/writing on quilt, idea for hand stitching from other quilter’s works I have seen and been inspired by

Something Blue: flowers on old doily’s, upholstery fabric sample and husband’s old shirt, hand stitches. Backing fabric is old blue and white ticking fabric.

My mother’s father’s parents, my great grandparents, Moshe and Esther Corren from Poltava, Russia  are the focal point in this art quilt, “Generations”, as is the drawing of my newest and most likely last granddaughter, Allie Bel Cohen, my son’s (Dan Cohen) third child born in the USA.

I drew both from photographs directly onto the fabric using a fabric pen, then I free style machine sewed around and on them. I hand embroidered the swaddling blankets around the baby. And heavily hand stitched using embroidery floss around all three drawings to quilt the piece. I used Allie’s grandfather’s (Fred M.) old shirt from “our generation”, and found old handkerchiefs and doilies from an earlier time as well. Buttons were gleaned at garage sales/thrift stores; and beads were bought brand new at the local bead shop. Some of them sparkle when the light hits them just right.

It was fun making this little art quilt knowing I will gift it to Allie Bel on her first birthday, August 2012.

"Another Place" Was the most recent Challenge

My last post showed the challenge that was

"Barcelona". This challenge was to make something from "Another  Place". These both done with the women of
"Quilts Around The World Group". As you can see on the previous post that I passed through Barcelona on my way to Israel in 1961. It seemed only appropriate that I finish the story here with this quilt depicting the State of Israel and my time spent there.

We were also to use paper and/or  plastic in our art quilt making.

This  front top is fully made from papers that are in Hebrew print or written by hand.

 The shape of the State of Israel was drawn on and cut from a brown paper grocery bag. Then collaged upon with the emphrema of Israeli stamps, bus tickets, envelopes, aerograms, etc. I used paper photos of myself, my first husband and baby son; showing on the maps where we were married and where they were both  born and where we lived.

It was a fun quilt to make and I feel it full filled the challenge points well. My first Map Quilt; and one done all in paper. I machine sewed crazy quilt style and by hand around the outside. Plastic beads were used to embellish it further. The dates were hand stamped on the paper.

I gave the finished quilt to my now grown son showing him his early birth place in art form.