Blue skies that never end

My sister in law Karen is a quilt artist. She creates art quilts, either from her imagination or from pictures, and their home is a fabulous showplace of her work. After years of admiring her work (and dropping just a few not-so-subtle hints), she has created a masterpiece for our home!

In early fall, she asked me to collect and send photographs of our favorite scenery. Mr. Neoclassic and I weeded through recent nature shots and picked several of our favorites. We sent them to Karen, knowing the result would be unique and awesome. I started planning the perfect spot to hang her creation :)

We sent this shot, taken while berry picking earlier this year:

The James River as seen from Hog Island, VA

A package arrived yesterday with this masterpiece:

Let's see them side by side:

Karen painted the clouds onto the fabric, used inspired purple threading to create the horizon, added the soaring birds for additional interest, and used several fabulously patterned fabrics to mimic the grasses and stones. Here's a close up of some of those fabrics and the cloud painting:

We are so thankful for our personalized wall quilt. It's perpetually summer with blue skies in our den. Or maybe our bedroom (I haven't decided just yet). We are also thankful for the artistry and generosity that brought this quilt into our home. Karen, just for the record, you're off the hook for all gift giving occasions for the remainder of our lives!

Post title from Faith Hill's Sunshine and Summertime.  Thanks additionally to the wonderful Christie at A Lemon Squeezy Home for the collage making directions.