I don’t know what inspired the idea for a snow pea motif for an art quilt. It just appeared as an idea and we knew it would require the perfect color of green fleece to do, as we wanted the peas on the quilt to be as gently fuzzy as the real life models. A few days later we found a green fleece remnant perfect for the project while in search of fabric of some other kind. The fabric then sat around for a while as we worked on other things, but finally it was time. The fleece peas are stitched to the bright white felt background using an assortment of colors of embroidery thread. All of them are shades of green but one—we threw in some subtle purple strands here and there in honor of the discovery that there are also purple snow peas. Each pea that still remains in its pod was stuffed individually with extra batting. The dark green of the caps and split open pea are of microsuede and the tendrils are a special glittery embroidery thread. The backing is also of white felt and is edged with yarn for an extra pop of color, and the entire piece is hung via embroidery thread, embellished with glass beads, from a strip of Peruvian walnut finished with Danish oil. As usual with our art quilts, the entire piece is hand stitched.

 

Before beginning this little quilt, we wanted to sketch the design to ensure we had our ducks in a row. But what started as a quick sketch for composition and proportion purposes quickly turned into a very interesting study in its own right. So once the quilt was complete, we returned to the sketch and fleshed it out fully. We think it is an interesting complement to the quilt and see them as equal partners in the “finished product”. To fully unite the pieces, we brought in the green of the quilt via both the mat and the bubble-style piece of stained glass that, when situated on top of the white paper, forms tiny hints of harmonious greens within its bubbles. We then framed the drawing in walnut as well, and used pea green painted dowels to enhance the frame at the corners.

 

The quilt measures roughly 13” x 13” and its walnut hanger is 15” long. The framed drawing is of similar size, measuring approximately 14” edge to edge with 11” of that being the actual drawing.