I got a little busy this afternoon and finished the beading on my small quilt. I don’t have a name for it yet, but I’m open to suggestions. This was done with the same process as Autumn Pathways: first a design on graph paper, then transferring that design to the quilt top. The fabric is Pfd (prepared for dying) 100% cotton. It is layered with two batts, a Hobbs Heirloom Bleached Cotton and a Hobbs Polydown, then quilted and then finally painted with pastel chalk. After all the color is applied I mist it with water and then (here’s the magic ingredient) spray it with Aqua Net Hairspray (because I’m an old-fashioned girl at heart). By the time the beads are applied, all the extra bits of color have been removed, and the quilt is quite soft. The last step is to block it, just lay it flat and mist with water to return it to square shape.
Here is a closeup of the feathers, showing the bead clusters:
I just happened to have a collection of blue beads, left from a project I did about eight years ago! When I started looking for beads for this quilt, it took me just a moment to look in the bead box and see that these would do the job.
I am so happy to have this quilt finished, just ahead of the deadline for submission! It will be auctioned off on Saturday, September 29, at the Emerald Valley Quilt Show.
The very next thing I am going to do is clean up the studio. I’ve been working pretty steadily on a number of projects and things are getting a bit cluttered and scattered, so it’s time to clear the deck!