Re: Singing the Blues Quilt

This is one of my long term projects. I both love the blues and play acoustic blues guitar and have been planing a "blues quilt" for some time. I am going to base mine on a particular set of lyrics from a Robert Johnson song. " Love in Vain". It will involve silhouettes of various blues related items. Trains leaving the station, red light and blue light, and I don't know what else, but everything done in various shades of blue. This is not Women related as far as your blues project goes, but if you have a favorite lady blues singer, you might adapt that idea to your needs. Maybe Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey, or some of the modern female blues singers. Bonnie Raite is a colorful gal who has red hair and would make a great subject for the idea. I would love to see somebody else take up this challenge and go for it. Keep us posted on your progress.

John

I just put a picture of blue quilt on my flickr page. It was made from an exchange, give someone a bunch of fabric and make a top. The top then goes back to the fabric owner. Liz sent me blue fabrics, dark, medium, light and some whites/creams with blue print.

See it here:

Mary

How about a design based around the crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil?

Or, look for Robert Crumb's artworks based on the blues (there are low-res versions on his website). They are powerful, simple images that should translate to fabric somehow.

Or a big ten-hole blues harmonica with little pictures in each hole?

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

Oh thats pretty. Unfortunately mine can only be under 24" - a bit limiting!.

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

Mary >

Perhaps think of situations where many different blues collect: flower blues sky blues (seasonal differences) sea blues

if you Google for song titles with blue in the title (like we talked about a while ago), you would find loads of different ones. If they were song titles, you would still be 'Singing the Blues', wouldn't you, even if it wasn't that specific song.

This is just a few first thoughts. Keep us informed on how your ideas are going, so that we know when we can stop thinking!! . In message , Sally Swindells writes

Marion just thought of this: lots of birds with little blue speech bubbles.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ============== Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760 for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975 stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

"I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees I went to the crossroads, fell down on my knees Asked the Lord above, have mercy now, save poor Bob if you please"

If you want a song How about The Snake by Oscar Brown jr?

Lots of good imagery, and you could go either comic or biting with it.

NightMist

Actually bird/birds are where I am at the moment! I'm not sure that East Anglian WI judges know anything about 'Blues' apart from the colour and perhaps a saxophone! I don't really want to do the saxophone, so I think it will be the colours. There was nothing on the schedule to say you could give any explanation of the quilt story, so I'd better play safe I think!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

Jack Camp>> Part of the Women's Institute competition for the Suffolk Show next

I'm on an all (or almost all) blue quilt at the moment. The schedule did say blue and I know they are sticklers for going by the book. (Disqualify your jam if the label is in the wrong place; last year someone lost points because a toy scarecrow's pocket was crooked - it was meant to be like that), so I'd better tread carefully and do something they recognise as blue!

At the moment I've reached the bird stage!

When you look at a list of songs beginning with Blue, it becomes a very strange looking word after the first 50!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

Patti wrote:

'fraid I had to look Robert Johnson up - think I know as little about blues as the judges will!

I could always slip a crossroads in somewhere though - you never know - someone might know and I might get extra points!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

NightMist wrote:

This sounds very advanced - my knowledge of the Blues is almost nil! Think I will have to be careful as I suspect the judges probably know even less (if thats possible) and the may think I've not stuck to the schedule! (Explanations not permitted!)

I'm looking forward to seeing your quilt though.

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

John wrote:

Hey! you could look to Picasso's blue period for inspiration. Just thought of his Old Guitarist and suddenly it was a quilt, at least in my head.

NightMist

Ok then. Use something by Eric Clapton. Surely they will have heard about the formost current British blues proponent. If not, then all bets on the Blues theme are off and you are on your own.

John

Wow!

The other one I had thought about was Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' but without the stars (like the words of 'Singing the Blues'.

I learned to dance to that tune when I was 17!

Oops - just looked at my watch and it 2.00a.m.

Night Night!

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

NightMist wrote:

975

Howdy!

Any Eric Clapton fans in the judging crowd? Heard of the Rolling Stones? Led Zeppelin? The Beatles? All those Brit boys who DID the Blues; American blues music was/is their inspiration. ;-)

Blues song lyrics (besides Robert Johnson ): You're a Chocolate Cookie & You Bring Out the Boogie in Me Singing the Blues Quilt ideas: Blue skies, smilin' at me, nothin' but blue skies do I see... (Irving Berlin, NOT willie-the-doofus) Never felt more like Singin' the Blues (Paul McCartney's version) Knights in White Satin (Moody Blues --- Brits, again)

Blue Moon Blue Christmas Blue Velvet

Blue Monday-- British band New Order, big-big hit in the 1980s (make a calendar page w/ a blue Monday )

Godzilla-- Blue Oyster Cult

Into the Ocean-- Blue October (the Houston Texas bunch)

Blue Moon of Kentucky, keep on shinin', Shine on the one who's gone & left me blue.... R/Sandy---now thinking of a dozen Singing the Blues quilts

That's the problem - who knows who the judges are - secret hippies or staid ladies in twin sets and pearls who only know 'Jerusalem' and Grand Opera!

Think things clicked into place a bit more while I was asleep - we'll have to wait and see!

Thanks everyone for your input.

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

Sandy Ellis> Howdy!

I envision a group of lovely older ladies in pearls, matching hats, gloves and handbags, getting down and doing the dirty boogie when you display your final selection. There is a visual that would be worth posting a link to.

John

Okay, a bit off the wall here..... How about something like a musical note shaped quilt in blues? Or something with actual text of a "blue" song included? or.. a blue silhouette of a (female) blues singer, with a "balloon" with some lyrics. Title could be something that includes the singer's name, like "Entranced by _______'s Blues". Or a quilt inspired by any of the previously mentioned "blue" songs.

Pati, > Part of the Women's Institute competition for the Suffolk Show next

Howdy!

Ah, another blues man: cool! My husband plays & makes blues guitars & amps:

Mississippi Fred McDowell is sitting here w/ "The First Recordings", including "When the train come along"--one of my favorites, available on iTunes &

Shucks! We missed this: Ragmop/Sandy--- Pickin' & Quiltin': (I no longer wear dresses but otherwise this pic is current)