Update on my leaves

Still working frantically on my Damask leaves, although I have no idea what the panic might be.  The fabric paper leaves just didn't work out. I fused an inner leaf on, and then beaded around it. I then did the same thing with the second leaf for the back.  But joining the two sections proved a problem.  With glue in the center the two pieces were joined but there were still gaps along the edges.   I sewed around the edge, and this just didn't turn out well. I had been slowly developing reservations about using them. and finally decided that they wouldn't do.  But, they might prove quite fine for a future mixed media project, so are off to the big plastic container of "stuff" that I reserve for that sort of work.

But I already knew that I needed more leaves, and had parfait dyed three more napkins. Thankfully, they had turned out well, and were the darker colours I had hoped for.  It was still the same dye powder, but used in much greater concentration.

I stabilized all of them, and cut two rectangles out of them, each roughly the same size.  Each pair, from the same napkin, were sandwiched with batting, and machine quilted--horizontally, vertically and on an angle, in lines 1/4" apart. Leaf shapes were individually cut by hand.  The edges were sealed with acrylic paint, and then I started beading them.

I'm well pleased with this, and will continue beading until I have enough to applique onto the striped background. I'm slowly getting that stitched.  That, too, is turning out to be a little more demanding than I had anticipated.

I plan to link this with The Needle and Thread Network