Winter’s Retreat – Embroidered Photograph on Cotton

Peggy DeBell

I enjoy creating the unexpected from familiar scenes and everyday objects. A pasture with cows and a barn or a bygone building that I snap with my digital camera becomes a kaleidoscope of colors and textures printed onto cloth,then stitched and embellished by slow hands and a meditative spirit. I save aluminum pull off lids from Kozy Shack pudding and sew them onto a painter's drop cloth printed with computer manipulated scans of the tops arranged in geometric designs. Then I construct an elegant purse using pipe cleaners, recycled metal from a bag found at the Salvation Army, novelty trims, antique buttons and spend hours embroidering around the circular shapes with hand dyed pearl cotton. People who have lost beloved pets send me treasured photos that I transform into a pillow memorial that they can hug and still feel connected to that unconditional love. I follow my intuition when combining imagery and my heart to guide my hand when piecing, quilting, and embroidering. The result is a uniqueness that supercedes the original photos.