Start and Stop, Start and Stop

Here is the background that I created back in July (about the same time I started the star quilt).  I had to live with it for a while to decide what I wanted to do with it next.

The background is machine quilted, some with straight lines and other parts stippled.  In the silver-gray fabric I outlined some of the flowers with stitching.  Then I decided to add a bird swooping in.

I began to embellish by couching a silver trim haphazardly with white nymo thread and silver beads.  I followed that up by adding blue yarn with blue nymo thread and blue beads.  Then I was stuck again.

This weekend I decided to finish things.  The quilting around the flowers did not stand out at all, so I painted between lines of quilting (with ordinary acrylic paint).  I made flower centers by drawing up circles of fabric around  buttons.  I added a little more yarn, a row of blue buttons, and running stitches in embroidery thread on the bird.

My last step was to finish this wall quilt with a facing instead of a regular binding.  That's a requirement for a quilt challenge due next year, so it was time to learn.  Katherine gave me a big hint, a link to a blog called "Jeri Rigged".  Go to http://jeririggs.blogspot.com.  She has a tutorial about quilt facings that was very helpful.

Tonight, the quilt is finished.  Here are some close-up shots to show detail.  Yea!