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My Dad’s Quilt with Pen & Ink Drawings

A man holds up Dad's Quilt, adorned with various pictures and blue squares, standing in a room with art on the wall.

My Dad recently received this amazing gift that I thought you would be interested in seeing!  My Dad went in for some serious surgery a few weeks ago and a group of quilters from his church made him this beautiful quilt!  The reason it is so special is that the quilt is made up of square of HIS pen and ink drawings.  Every year, my Dad draws many pen & ink drawings of places he visits on vacation and of landmarks, buildings and scenery he enjoyed.

He has been drawing for many years.  Every year he chooses a landmark in Chicago to use as his Christmas card.  He draws the pen & ink picture, shrinks it down and gets it photocopied on cards for his friends and family.  So, these quilters had saved up his Christmas cards and put them on this quilt!  It looks like they scanned them and printed them on to cloth (or did a photo transfer, I’m not sure which.)  Then as a group they sewed the blocks and made the quilt.  He was very happy to receive the gift and I think it is a truly amazing work of art he will treasure for the rest of his life.

My Dad's Quilt with blue and black borders features various scenes in each square, draped over a piece of furniture.

If you’ve been to Chicago, maybe you recognize some of these scenes.

A quilt featuring cityscape panels of Chicago landmarks with blue, black, and white geometric patterns, inspired by Dad's Quilt. Pen & Ink Drawing of runners in a race passing by the iconic Chicago Theater with its red marquee. A pen and ink scene of a cityscape with skyscrapers, a fountain, and five people standing around, under a dusky sky. Artwork of the Chicago Theater marquee, with red, white, and yellow colors, bordered by black and blue fabric. Sketch of a historic castle-like building with a modern skyscraper in the background, bordered by black and blue fabric. A quilt square with a hand-drawn baseball scene featuring players on a field and a stadium in the background, crafted using pen drawings for intricate detail. An embroidered depiction of U.S. Cellular Field's entrance, featuring statues of baseball players. Black and white city skyline with The Bean sculpture in the foreground, rendered on fabric. Sketch of a raised bridge over a river with boats and city buildings in the background, rendered in pen & ink drawings. Pen & ink drawing quilt panel of a lion wearing a wreath, with a stone building and a person in the background. Black and white pen & ink drawing of a cityscape with a prominent "CUBS" sign in the center and surrounding buildings. Swans on a pond, with buildings and trees in the background. A pen and ink artwork of Chicago's Millennium Park, showcasing the Crown Fountain with large faces displayed on towers. Pen & ink drawing of Chicago's Cloud Gate sculpture with people around, reflecting city buildings; bordered in blue on the right.

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed seeing this quilt as much as I did.  My Dad is recovering now fairly well from surgery and soon will be back to normal.


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About Marcia Beckett

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

7 Responses to My Dad’s Quilt with Pen & Ink Drawings

  1. Karen says:

    Wow! Great drawings by your dad and such a lovely idea to feature them on a quilt as a gift back to him. He must have been thrilled. Terrific article today. Many thanks!

  2. Christine Garmong says:

    WOW! What a grand gift for your father. God Bless.

  3. Barbara Haffner says:

    Loved reading this – great way to start the day!

  4. Bonnie Rose says:

    I actually got choked up!! What an amazingly thoughtful gift!! What a treasure!!

  5. Laura J Emery says:

    Your Dad is well loved! Enjoyed the visual tour of Chicago from his point of view, especially the theatre.

  6. Seema says:

    Wonderful post!

  7. marco cinti says:

    I always find your blog super inspirational. Thanks for the share.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.