Trust me, it’s big

flyingIBWI feel like I’m moving like molasses in January. I have been putting a lot of hours into the quilt hanging on my design wall, titled “Knock, Knock. Who’s There?” This quilt is huge, that’s half my battle. When I make a quilt I usually create the background fabric much larger than I need it. That’s why I can’t tell you how big it will be. I’m guessing somewhere around 40″ wide x 60″ tall.

The other aspect of what I’m doing … that takes time … is all the layering. I create one layer, work to get it right and then it’s time for the next layer. What I posted last week was 2 layers, I made the trees and added some shading.  The shading was done with Shiva Paintsticks (which is oil paint in stick form). It takes a 24 hours for the paint to cure and become permanent.

This week, I added some tulle to create the waterline on the trees and some highlights to the swampy water. Today I securely stitched down the trees and tulle to my batting layer. This took a few hours. The birds are yet another layer to this quilt, because I had to stitch down the trees before I could add them. Last week I made the birds and today they are now glued forever to the quilt.

Progress? yes. Molasses in January? Most definitely.

I’m getting closer to the part I enjoy most, the machine quilting and thread painting. I have to add some more details to this monster (more layers) and then it will be ready for the long arm machine. Yay, it’s getting there! Just in baby steps. Once the quilting is finished I’ll be able to cut it down to size and let you know how big it really is. Right now trust me, it’s big.

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