While all the sketching has been going on I’ve had an in-progress quilt on my design wall. Very often my projects sit on the wall while I decide on how to proceed with the next step. In this case, the next step was how to quilt the piece. Finally! Inspiration bubbled up to the top.
The trunk and leaves have been quilted in a simple outline style. Now I’ve marked the quilt top with a 4-inch grid using a water-soluble pen. I’ve quilted the first diagonal row with a pale wheat colored 100 wt. silk thread. Alternate rows will be quilted with a dark brown 100 wt. silk thread.
A closer look shows where I’m headed with this: The lighter thread melts into the fabric and from even a short distance becomes a light texture in the background. I hope the dark brown silk will look like a shadow. It’s subtle and that’s what I want.
A wonderful idea for quilting the background. This looks like reverse machine applique…is it? I’m looking forward to seeing the finished quilt.
Thanks Loretta! This piece is layered in a ‘broken color’ method. Search here for ‘Broken Ginkgos’ and you’ll see an explanation of the process.
Wonderful idea for creating shadow in the background. Must make a note of that for future reference.
Wow, Renate, what a compliment! Stay tuned for how it looks on this piece.