2008
09.08
09.08
original photos and fabrics for background
Last month I decided to start work on a new rain forest design which is something I’ve been intending to do for a while now. I am using the same photo of the ‘forest giant’ which I used in a previous quilt, one of many photos I have taken when walking in the local rain forest. I like this one because of the sheer size and majesty of the tree.
In the photo on the left you can see some of the fabrics I have chosen from my stash to replicate the tree foliage. Choosing the fabrics is almost the hardest part and I wanted a wide variety to convey as well as possible all the varying shades of the leaves and the ground cover.
background fabrics fused in place.
In this picture you can see the fabrics cut and placed on the background fabric. I have used a fusible web to secure them in place and they are cut and placed collage style to cover the background. I have left a space for the central tree
The tree itself was constructed from several pieces of fabric, the striped batik giving a very realistic effect.When I made this design before I used invisible thread and a free motion zigzag to secure all the pieces after fusing. This time I decided I would use a variety of threads instead. I used a mixture of cotton variegated, solid colours and polyester threads.Once everything is stitched in place I’ll move onto the next phase of the design which is deciding what other plants I will include in the design and how I will apply them whether to use raw edge appliqué or thread painting or a mixture of both. The finished design with borders and embellishments added. For the fallen leaves Iused chopped up scraps of fabrics fused, then stitched in place.
forest giant ready to start stitching
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[...] you are interested in seeing how I made a later version of this quilt check out my Forest Giant post ( I think it was the very first one I wrote in this [...]