BANSKY QUILT PROGRESS

Got a project that frustrates you?? We all do.....you aren't alone! But, that can be hard to remember when you are about to trash a difficult one.

I don't give up easily.....this is as much a negative personality trait of mine as it is a positive one. Most often, in the end, persistence provides a 'happy dance'.....and I'm having one today. (Almost.)

My 2nd artist inspired challenge quilt has been progressing. It's based on the urban street stencil art of UK artist Bansky. As a reminder (or for new readers) click here and here for the back story.

So, after I had to admit defeat with the desired 'stenciled' approach I had planned for this piece.....it was time to figure out how I could achieve a nice clean look to echo Banksy's style. Sure.....I could have hand appliqued the motifs using solid cotton fabric, but I was in too much of a hurry for that detail process and I didn't want to fuse it...which require finishing the edges with machine stitching. Besides, none of those options provided quite the texture I imagined.

That led me to my 'boxes under the bed' stash of Ultra-Suede.....and thankfully, I had just enough of the colors necessary for this new approach.

The design is now underway again, using Ultra-Suede motifs, hand appliqued to the background. My first drawing didn't include a side walk as shown here.....which I felt would add to the look of an urban brick wall.

Here it is almost finished.....however, I have now decided to remove the cement 'sidewalk' and will embroider some weed tufts along the bottom edge after the piece is quilted and bound. Because I cut off all but 1/4" along the bottom edge when I added the grey fabric, I'm worried about the placement of embroidery if I added it now, so I must wait to add these details.

I plan to machine quilt it......but who knows....my skills may not provide the quality I demand in my work...... I'll keep you all posted.

I hope this little saga will encourage some of you to drag out a 'difficult' project you've put on the shelf and try to rethink your approach....maybe you can have a happy dance too!