Thursday 1 August 2019

A Walk in the Park



“Let us to go for a walk in the park”, she said.
“We will take some bread for the ducks
And jam jars to catch fishes in
And, maybe, a skipping rope…”

“The blackbird is sure to be singing,” she said,
“And children will be flying kites,
Making castles in the sandpit,
And throwing balls for their dogs”.

“You can watch the butterflies dancing,” she said.
 And I’ll see how high I can swing…
Then, perhaps, we will buy ice creams
To eat on the bus back home”.

This quarter's theme was NOT a walk in the park for me so I'm very much looking forward to seeing the other quilts. I'm not really fond of parks so I struggled for a long time to find anything I could make with enthusiasm. Then I remembered how, when my brothers and I were very young (pre-school), our local park seemed so exciting with the swings and slides and river and sand pit and we used to beg my mum to take us there. I think, if I'd decided on a plan sooner, I may have been able to make a nicer quilt inspired by this memory but finished is better than perfect!

I hope everyone else has enjoyed this theme and I'm looking forward to visiting you all later today :)

21 comments:

  1. Oh, Janine! Did you write those words? They capture a child's delight in the unsophisticated and uncomplicated perfectly. As does your quilt! It has such good and positive energy. Love it!
    :) maureen & jb

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  2. Just looking at your quilt brings back memories, as does the lovely little poem!

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  3. You are underselling this quilt Janine! It is an absolute delight and sums up perfectly the Joy's of a park for the young and the young at heart :)

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    1. Thank you, Fiona. It could have been better arranged, I think, but hopefully the childlike theme gives some license to the random placement of objects!

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  4. I love the interpretation of the poem. It's a WONDERFUL piece, and I think it's a perfect interpretation of the theme. I would hang it in my house. =)

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    1. Thank you, Susan. It was funny really to be trying to think of a quilt and think of a poem instead but it gave me something to illustrate :)

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  5. I love love love the unusual perspective! One thing I did not like so much about my piece was that it shows Chihuly's boat just straight on and centered. I would rather have shown it zoomed in and angled, but I didn't know how to make that feel like someone was walking through the park and saw it. You used a unique viewpoint, but still communicated the location clearly.
    Also, I love the pieces coming out of the frame!

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    1. Thank you. I very much liked your boat being centred. I found it really directed my focus on the boat and, although zooming and angling would, no doubt, have also looked great, I think it may have introduced distracting elements. It seems to me perfect exactly as it is.

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  6. I agree with Fiona - I can't see how it could be nicer! It's quirky and charming and lovely :-)

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  7. You never fail to surprise and delight, Janine!
    Your quilt and rhyme is so thought provoking and yes, you took me back to my childhood too!
    I would never have thought to do something like this!
    Well done you!
    Barbara x

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. I thought of you when I was making this and you said about being literal :D

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  8. I finally get a chance to reply and you produced a delightful solution to the challenge. It is very whimsical and fun.

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    1. Thank you, Paula. Probably, the reason I lost my fondness for parks was that I forgot they are fun. It was good to remember that :)

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  9. It doesn't show a lack of enthusiasm - very successful interpretation

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  10. I don't think I can say anything else that all the previous comments have covered. Absolutely a favorite all around.

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  11. So beautiful Janine. The first thing that caught my eye was the kite and the girl on the swing. Really brought back memories of making homemade kites with my brother

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  12. Growing up in the city with no garden the park was a treat for all of us on our street and we used to go every Saturday morning. your piece has captured how we felt escaping to the grass and the swings and the see-saws!

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