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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Capella del Christo

For some reason January reminds of of undone things, or at least it does me.  I think of projects left undone from the year before and I do guilt really well, so I feel guilty about not finishing them.

I've also been thinking about  church architecture for some reason.  I think it may have to do with the recent shootings in Tucson and all of the funerals in various churches in the Tucson area for those who did not survive an innocent trip to the Safeway store to meet Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford.

Several years ago, Gary and I were privileged to go to an event in Puerto Rico.  Two of the days there, we spent in San Juan.  On one of those days we had selected a guided tour as our activity.  After the official time was up, the guide told us that he would continue the tour for anyone who wished to see more of Old San Juan.  We jumped at the chance to see more with a guide telling us the history as we went.  This was too good to pass up.  Walking around looking is fun, but having an expert tell you what you are seeing is even better when it comes to historical places.

One of the places I was quite taken with was a small chapel - Capella del Christo.  I did not own a digital camera at the time, so this is not the best picture and has been scanned in to the computer.  It does, however, capture the rustic character of the chapel.

                                                   Capella del Christo, San Juan, Puerto Rico


My intent was always to make a wall hanging from the picture, but years past before I finally got around to doing something with it.  I had been in an art quilt group while living in Montgomery, AL, and shortly after moving back to AZ, the group there was having a special exhibit in a gallery.  We were all to make a piece that was to be centered on an artists canvas, with the canvas left white.  I decided to do a thread }sketch" of Capella del Christo using brown thread to look sort of like a sepia tone.  I then embellished the piece with beads and stitched brown bugle beads all around the exterior edges to separate the muslin the "sketch" was on from the stark white canvas.  This is the result.

                                                               Capella del Christo 1


Capella del Christo II never got done which is what I've been thinking about lately.  The second piece was to be either an applique piece or a fused "applique".  I had even collected fabrics for this project, just never completed it.

Do you have any projects left undone that have been bothering you?  Let's make 2011 the year we do some of those things we never quite got around to.  Life is too short to have regrets over things we intended to do, but didn't.

Until next time, keep stitching!
Lois

4 comments:

JoQuilter said...

Do I have any projects left undone that have been bothering me, you asked? I assume you mean, something besides all the UFO's? Answer yes, I have some ideas, sketches, from years ago that keep popping into my head off and on. Hard to believe that some of those ideas are almost 30 years old, but they do keep returning. Will I ever get them made, not sure!

Lois Arnold said...

Yep, Jo, you got it. It's not about all those UFO's, it's about those potentially wonderful quilts we keep thinking about and have designed in our heads or on paper that never make it off the "drawing board". Those are the ones that bother me. I want to do them, but....why don't I?

Lorinda said...

I like the little capella. I have thousands of pictures of architecture from Mexico and well as other pictures that I would like to make into quilts. One of my ideas that I have been working on though I am way way behind is a journal quilt Blocks are only 10" square but it gives me a way to capture a memory or perhaps try a new technique without committing to a larget project. I really enjoy making them when I take the time.

Lois Arnold said...

I doubt I have thousands of pictures of architecture, but it is one thing I do like to photograph. I got a dslr camera for Christmas and as soon as I get the time to learn how to use it, I'll be taking more. I will look forward to seeing your journal quilts when they are done. I'm sure they will be wonderful. It's a great idea!