Lesson Learned

The past few days have involved in very intense machine work on my new piece, tentatively titled "Icarus' Dream".  The basic premise in several stacked "feathers" fitted into the shape of a wing, done with machine Trapunto.  Yeah, a little weird, I know.  The piece is about 16" by 30", a good size for me.  I dyed fabric, selected and mail ordered thread, drafted a pattern, marked the fabric and started quilting.  Two very intense days--I was exhausted,  and the quilting done.  A step back--and OMG--I've done it again.  Not enough value change to create a good visual image.  Reviewing my colour scheme of yellow and yellow green, I decided to go over the actual quilted feathers with a darker green to improve the value distinction.  Absolute disaster!  You can never FMQ exactly over previously quilted lines.

Heart breaking, I decided to start over again.  Thank Goodness, I had dyed enough fabric!  This also gave me an opportunity to re-draft the pattern.  I have done so much lately using Victorian feathers, that I had used them again in trying to fill the space.  So I drafted 5 stacking feathers instead of three and used more traditionally shaped feathers.  Usually I echo around the whole shape three times, twice with the colour of the FMQ'g and the third in the colour to be used in the filling stitches of the background.  On my second attempt I echoed around each feather, as I finished it, and then once around the whole shape, using a dark orange and tan Sulky Blendable.  In the original piece I had used Superior's King Tut in "Nile Delta".  I see quite a difference, even with the background grid not yet done on the second piece.  I am much, much happier.  The funny looking little round spots at the base of the first feather in each, are places where I plan to add fused glass cabochons--yes, the piece will be beaded.

The lesson in all of this, is to use a "doodle cloth".  This is a quilt sandwich using the same fabric, batting, backing, and thread, that you plan to use in the main piece.  Try out your threads and contrasts and design elements on this first!  I could have saved a lot of time and money, had I remembered that.