commission in progress

This week I worked on a friend's commission: two pieces in memory of her mother. She gave me bags of clothing, along with photos, buttons, still more fabric (new and vintage) and ephemera. After a long talk about her mom, I plunged in.

I began by sorting and ironing the fabrics: looking for connections and a place to begin. On large blue print, edged with trim, became the anchor for the first piece. On it, I centered a photo of her mom decked out in blue. From there I built a frame of color and patterns. Several fabrics were ruled out as I decided to favor a few bolder prints in blue and pink. I added bits of green to punctuate the rhythm. Here's the work ready to be fused and sewn:
Tomorrow (when any right-minded American would be grilling or shopping) I'm going to the studio to get the second piece stitched. Then I'll present them both to my friend when she gets back from her holiday.