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Joshua, the quilt in progress, #2

So last post on this topic, I said I’d share how I began the quilt itself:  the hardest part first.  That, of course, would be Joshua!  The face, head, hands, then body.  When I first thought about this quilt, I had thought I would do something like I did with the quilt of our pug, Pigwidgeon, and it would be in totally NOT realistic colors.  If I wanted to stick to light values for the skin tones, that meant I had the following not-realistic options:  pale pink (nope), pale yellow (nope, sallow), pale green (the Green Giant?), pale blue (nope, sickly), pale purple (BLEAH! NO!).  So I revised my plans and decided to use real skin tones and tweak all the other colors.

I found a batik that was pale beige and golden scrolls, and decided that would be my base for his face and neck, selecting a darker part of the fabric for his neck.  I underlined it (fused it to) a solid white to prevent the dark walls (which would go behind his head) from shadowing through on the “seam” allowance.  By the way… I should add that this entire quilt top is fused applique, using my favorite fusible,  MistyFuse.  Even when you have multiple build up layers, like his hair, it stays supple and fabric-like…unlike some brands the feel and sound more like cardboard once you get two layers or more!

For his arms, I used five values of cream to dark tan for the shadowy side of his arms.  The rest of the shading was done with thread.  Note the bottom of his foot, down low on the wall.  For the clothing, I used three values:  I picked the main fabric for the t-shirt, then found a lighter blue and a darker one for the highlights and shadows of the folds.

Next, the hair!

3 Responses to “Joshua, the quilt in progress, #2”

  1. Alice Brown Says:

    Sarah,
    This is absolutely awesome! Looking forward to seeing more on the progress of this quilt!
    Batiks are amazing…love the many colors to create with.
    Alice in SW Ohio

  2. Barb Rohrmayr Says:

    I am so happy to watch this quilt come together. It is something I have wondered about and now I will be learning from an artist. Thanks so much for this peek into your process. =!=

  3. Suzi Says:

    Sarah,
    Thank you so much for posting the steps to creating Joshua. I’m intrigued and interested in doing something like this. “Watching” you go through the steps gives me encouragement!

    Suzi