Music Series

With a Song in My Heart

The Story Behind With a Song in My Heart

Artwork Details

• Technique: Art Quilt

• Dimensions: 38" wide x 48" high

• Collection: Music Series

• Availability: ready to hang art quilt

Some pieces begin with an image.

This one began with a title.

With a Song in My Heart has long been one of my favorite song titles, and one day I found myself wondering what that phrase might look like if I could turn it into a work of art.

The answer was surprisingly simple.

I created a heart entirely from music-themed fabrics. To make the heart stand out, I surrounded it with light-colored fabrics featuring musical notes and musical designs.

There was just one problem.

At the time, I didn't own enough red music fabrics to create the heart I had imagined. So instead of searching for more, I created my own by over-dyeing fabrics until I had the range of reds I wanted.

Another design rule I set for myself was that no fabric would be repeated. Every print appears only once, turning the quilt into a collection of dozens of different musical fabrics working together to create a single image.

This design clearly struck a chord with others. Over the years, it has become one of my most popular pieces, and I have created several variations. Each one is unique because the selection of fabrics is never exactly the same.

Music has always been an important part of my life, from childhood piano lessons to playing the violin and, eventually, expressing that love of music through fiber art. With a Song in My Heart brings those two passions together in one simple image, a heart filled, quite literally, with music.