Title: A Love of Learning
Size: Approx. 78” x 87”
Date: March 2008
I was honored to be chosen to create this portrait quilt of First Lady Laura Bush. It was presented to Mrs. Bush on the occasion of the Congressional Club’s 100th Anniversary First Lady’s Luncheon and commissioned by Alfredia Scott, wife of Congressman David Scott of Georgia and the chairperson of the event in Washington DC on April 17, 2008.
I was privileged to be there and to meet Mrs. Bush. She is very gracious and embodies the qualities we expect of the First Lady of the United States. It was a thrill to have been included in this historic event and to see my work admired by Mrs. Bush and the many dignitaries in attendance.
Size: Approx. 78” x 87”
Date: March 2008
I was honored to be chosen to create this portrait quilt of First Lady Laura Bush. It was presented to Mrs. Bush on the occasion of the Congressional Club’s 100th Anniversary First Lady’s Luncheon and commissioned by Alfredia Scott, wife of Congressman David Scott of Georgia and the chairperson of the event in Washington DC on April 17, 2008.
I was privileged to be there and to meet Mrs. Bush. She is very gracious and embodies the qualities we expect of the First Lady of the United States. It was a thrill to have been included in this historic event and to see my work admired by Mrs. Bush and the many dignitaries in attendance.
I knew that I wanted to create a piece that would honor Laura Bush, the individual. I was familiar with her dedication to furthering education and specifically her ideas on children’s reading being a gateway to greater things. I found the perfect quote from Mrs Bush that embodied this ideology and I built my concept around that quote.
I began by painting the portrait with fabric inks and paints. I then quilted Mrs. Bush’s head and shoulders using more than 30 different colors of thread.
Mrs. Bush’s love of country is reflected in the overall background motif - a stylized stars and stripes from the American flag. Incorporating symbols of the state of Texas became an integral design element for the quilt backdrop. The stripes are made primarily of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas. These were all ‘drawn’ free-hand, using the sewing machine as my brush. Woven among the bluebonnets are other symbols of Texas; Monarch butterflies, pecans, an armadillo and even a long horn!
I began by painting the portrait with fabric inks and paints. I then quilted Mrs. Bush’s head and shoulders using more than 30 different colors of thread.
Mrs. Bush’s love of country is reflected in the overall background motif - a stylized stars and stripes from the American flag. Incorporating symbols of the state of Texas became an integral design element for the quilt backdrop. The stripes are made primarily of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas. These were all ‘drawn’ free-hand, using the sewing machine as my brush. Woven among the bluebonnets are other symbols of Texas; Monarch butterflies, pecans, an armadillo and even a long horn!
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