Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Do you Know Dali?

A mere 4 or 5 days before Christmas my SIL emailed me and asked if I had some fabric that was about 15" square and sort of 'this' colour (a blotchy image of something sort of light blue was attached).  She apparently needed it for a top secret crafty project. I told her to stop by on her way home from work because I had lots of options in my stash.

I had an inkling she might be working on something for our family, but had no idea she was embarking on a major stitchery project (FOUR days before Christmas) for me!  After searching for sewing machine images online, she came across this oil painting by Salvatore Dali.

SALVADOR DALI - Sewing Machine With Umbrella
This is a public image on flickr
edited to add: if you'd like to know more about this painting, check out this blog that explains Dali created it for a creepy dream sequence in a Hollywood movie (that was later cut). Thanks Nicolette for telling me about that!

I've never seen this image before! It is so unbelievably cool.  And those spooky women all lined up in the archways in their skivvies, seemingly worshiping the sewing machine, or perhaps beseeching it to whip up some clothing because they are freezing their scrawny asses off?!  Did the machine just parachute out of the sky, suspended by the umbrellas? Who knows what Salvatore Dali was thinking....any art majors out there care to comment?  I'm just so surprised that in 4 years of online sewing community participation, I've never come across this image anywhere!  But my SIL is like that. She finds cool stuff.

Imagine my jaw dropping when I opened this up on Christmas morning.

Dali Hoop by CB

Apparently two very late nights, one long day at work (shhhhhh, don't tell the boss), a trip or two to Michael's for floss and some online stitch reviews were required to pull this off. If I've left anything out, I'm sure she'll set me straight in the comments, so check below!

Dali Hoop by CB - detail

I absolutely love that she thought of doing this and actually pulled it off as a most amazing gift for me.  It has been years since she did any stitching and I think she rather enjoyed making it. I finished the back of the hoop today and it is now proudly hanging in my sewing room. It's definitely one of the funkiest, most apropos stitched hoops I've ever seen and I can't believe it's mine.  

Thank you very much Fern. You're the best (but you already know that).

37 comments:

felicity said...

Oh wow. That is one awesomely weird (in a good way) and funky hoop!! Lucky you!

chris said...

Wow. What a gift.

Katie said...

Oh. My. Gosh. What a wonderfully talented and thoughtful SIL you have! Dali's work is amazing enough, but to have it stitched? This is where I die.....

Elsa said...

I can hardly find the words for how great this is! Love her interpretation of Dali's art!

Amy Friend said...

How awesome and wonderfully thoughtful of her!

trash said...

That is beyond cool, both the image and the love gone into the making of it. Any boss worth his/her salt would have gladly paid for a day's work to get that finished.

Katie B said...

That is INsane! Do you and your sil just try to out-craft each other every holiday? And did she seriously do this in 4 days? I need to find a copy of this print.

Katy Cameron said...

Oh wow, that is absolutely amazing! Love it!

♥Duff said...

WEll, Fern, let me say that you need to pick up a needle and floss more often! What a thoughtful, creative gift! Krista is one lucky spud!

Kristie said...

Wow! This is so amazingly cool. What a great image...and she captured it so well. Love it!

Miki Willa said...

I am very impressed. This is amazing.

Susan said...

WOW! That is amazing! Fantastic image perfectly captured!

Tamie said...

What a great sister in law and a great gift.

monika@mysweetprairie.ca said...

SWEET! I had never seen that painting either. VERY cool : )

~Monika
sewing in Saskatoon

Jo Ann said...

Great job SIL on the plan and the project! So cool!

Leanne said...

She rocks!

What Comes Next? said...

wow!

Kathy P said...

Awesome!!!

Pétra said...

That is really a gorgeous piece! She could have picked any old sewing machine but this is so much better.
We went to the Salvador Dali museum in Spain and it was pretty wild. He was one of the earliest Surrealists so pretty out there to begin with but his museum is crazy, in a good way!

Corrie said...

Thanks Krista for the kind words. You know of course I only made this because I was looking for fame on your blog. The last time I was mentioned in a creative way was February 2011. I guess I need to step it up a notch.

Oh and of course I love you!

SIL, Fern, Corrie (some many alias's)

P.S. My bed looks so lonely without a Krista quilt in fern greens.

trudys_person said...

Awesome inspiration and execution! I love it! I wish Corrie was my SIL!

**nicke... said...

get out! that is soo awesome! you are one lucky duck!

Berene said...

Such a perfectly personalized gift for you Ms.K. Now the pressure is on for next Christmas, eh?!

Angela said...

That's awesome Krista! Lucky You. I studies Dali in high school but I don't remember this particular painting. He's wayyyy out there though. I remember renting a video from the library that was a movie/art film that he made. I'm pretty sure he had a rebirth from a large egg on a beach with lots of buckets of red paint being thrown out the sides. Good times. lol

Mrs Flying Blind... said...

Make the woman a quilt for her bed, she deserves it!!!

Unknown said...

It's amazing and so delightful when someone reads you so well and commits themselves to a project such as this within a few days - you are very lucky and have an amazing SIL

dutchcomfort said...

Wow, Krista, this is an amazing gift.
I’ve been to the Dali museum in Madrid.
This drawing is made with ink on canvas for the film Moontide (early 1940’s).
You can read more about it here:

http://daliplanet.blogsome.com/category/halsman/

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

Awesome!!

Lucy | Charm About You said...

I've never seen that Dali, what an amazing gift! Talented SIL!

Lynne (Lily's Quilts) said...

Four days before Xmas??? extraordinary

Katharine said...

Wow - how cool!

Live a Colorful Life said...

Seriously one of the coolest gifts ever! Wow. Amazing.

Dianne said...

So in addition to being a talented writer of bossom heaving fiction your SIL is an accomplished needleworker and apparently freakishly fast at it into the bargain. Lucky you!! And lucky her to have you for a sister in law.

Anonymous said...

Dali created this and other references to the sewing machine. He paid homage to various inventors etc., although the image you posted has much more to it.
I have the other version onlin at salvadordaliexperts.com

karen said...

very cool - lucky you

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

How cool! What a great job she did. Sew original, too! I'd never seen this painting before. Love the vintage sewing machine Dali used.

Kirsty @ Bonjour Quilts said...

What an amazing and thoughtful gift - so cool. I wish my sister IL sewed!