On rainy days, I am so happy to stay inside and work on digitizing old family photos.
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| Outside on a rainy day. |
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| Inside I spend the day with old family photos. |
These photos may not have had raindrops actually falling on them from above, but many of them have suffered the effects of rising water. They have gone through a flood or two, been pulled out of soggy photo albums, separated, dusted with talcum powder, and left to dry. Eventually, while more pressing flood repairs called, they were tossed in a box to deal with "later."
I sort them, scan them, repair them, and upload them for future generations.
What better way to bring them back to life than with an art quilt?
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| "Rainy Day Recall," the computer screen and photos, translated into thread sketches and a mini-quilt. |
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| A suggestion of a portrait, in green thread. |
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| A photo revitalized, printed on Lutradur and sketched with threads. |
I took this particular box of photos, mostly from the 1920s to 1940s, out of the family homestead garage when my mother-in-law downsized. About six weeks later Hurricane Harvey hit, leaving five feet of water in the house. They would have been a soggy mess not worth saving one more time.
Not only am I working with old family photos, but a lot of the trims and notions were handed down from family members as well. They have little notes about when and where they were bought, and how much they cost.
I had so much fun blending different techniques into one piece, and you can read more about how I created it
here.
Bring on a rainy day, and let me see which photos call out to be next!
