Invasion

This is one of the machine-stitched illustrated pieces I have been working on this week. The first one that I felt happy enough with to share! I call it "Invasion: July 23rd, 1955". It's a small piece, (apx. 7" x 6 1/2").

So what is this all about? Well, a few weeks ago I was joyfully watching old re-runs of the Twilight Zone on the Si-Fi channel. Several of the episodes featured flying saucers. I got such a kick out of them because they were so cheesy looking by todays standards. Nothing more then a toy model spinning around on some invisible string. Much to my delight and amusement, all the episodes featured the exact same model flying saucer, absolutely no variation! I got such a kick out of it, and the next thing I knew, I was doodling space ships, flying saucers, alien creatures and outer space vegetation every chance I had. All of this doodling unleashed lots of buried memories. No, not of any suppressed memories of alien abductions, but of lots of happy childhood memories, most of them I admit, centered around the television. What can I say, I am a very visual person. I remembered how my favorite cartoon characters were the Martian from Bugs Bunny, and the not too often seen tiny space man Kazoo, from the "Flintstones". My favorite "Munsters" episode was one where Herman is convinced he has contacted Mars on a ham radio. I loved all the old space theme movies, especially the original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" I got a kick out of "Lost in Space",( yet I was never much of a fan of "Star Trek". I think it was too intelligent for my tastes!) I also really enjoyed a Dick Van Dyke show where Rob is convinced he has seen a flying saucer, as well as the episode where Danny Thomas plays an evil space alien, transforming all of Rob's friends and family into evil space people with no thumbs and with eyes in the back of their heads! Yes, as noted before I watched a lot of T.V.!
I was even a martian once for Halloween. My mom made me a green space suit, ( which she still has!) and a silver helmet. I carried a large green water pistol that acted as my ray gun. She painted my skin green with green food dye! (Not that easy to wash away!)

For this little quilt that pays homage to the media images, and imaginings that so many of us grew up with, I decided to stitch it with red thread, because I love old red-work pieces. I adapted and re-worked the image of the little boy and girl from a vintage illustration which I found in an old children's school workbook.