So here I am again, and this is what has been done since I last posted.  I removed the black ring and did it over. I know, I'm a gluten for punishment...

As I'm working on this piece I'm thinking "How the heck am I going to quilt the couple". I've studied a lot of portrait quilts and to tell the truth there are very few that I like once the have stitched the face. If I follow the contours of a face I'm afraid it would look like wrinkles. I'm no Hollis Chatelain. I did see a quilt at the New Jersey Show not to long ago of a little girl. The quilter did a small meandering and it was very neat.  I liked it a lot. But I'm still afraid of messing it up.  My friend Jane gave me a very good suggestion. That is to scan the couple in the PC and print up some fabric sheet.  How cool is that. So I did. Now I'm thinking gee these are pretty neat. Wouldn't it look great in a mini quilt. So I guess there will be more to come....

As you can see I have added the next ring, and pinned it to a midnight blue batik. After I did this, I didn't like the black ring around the couple any longer. So I did a mark up with the same batik as the outer ring, leaving a 1/4" of black showing.    I can either take out the black ring all together, or I will do a reverse applique.


Now for the 4 corners. I had made some mosaic squares but to be honest it looked a bit to much. I did have a suggestion from 2 friends, and it sounded like it might work. That is to quilt the mosaic designs into the 4 corners using variegated  thread. Or I can applique something into each corner.


I have been asked by a few friends if I was making this for anything in particular. I will like to enter it in a show sometime but I haven't any  in mind at the moment. I just want to do my best work without any pressure of a show deadline or size. 

New Quilt - working name "Roman Couple"

This is were I'm at right now. I had plan to put several different mosaic tile one in each corner. But was talked out of it buy some of my friends. Who's opinions I value I decided to just go ahead a square it off. Right now I'm auditioning backgrounds. I like the black. It is the same as the black around the picture. I just think it needs something else just before the black. Maybe another 2" ring. I don't have any more of the off white (beige) fabric left. Here are 2 more ideas...Opinions would be appreciated....

It seems I can't concentrate on anything else but this quilt. So I went back to my photos of Italian church floors to look at designs. What I notice was that they used several different colors in their mosaics. And I thought, well if they could do that, why can't I. So I started another ring to replace the one I had on it already. I think it would make an easier transition to the next ring or for me to square it off.

I have decided to let the new quilt sit for awhile and work on something else. I think it needs to percolate a bit before it tells me what it needs...So I went and painted some sample Lutradur. I like it so far. I plan to make a book with photos from this last trip to Italy...

New quilt next step

I'm now trying to decide what to do next. I picked 3 different fabrics for the next ring. Two Grey's and one in dark chocolate brown, which actually shows up a little redder in the photo.
Should it be a 4" border or a 1" border?

New Quilt

I started this quilt right after the New Year. Then it sat. Finally after returning from Italy a plugged ahead adding the clothing and the 2 rings.
I tested out several colors before finely settling for the gray marble batik seen
in the 3rd photo. I felt the white was too bright and pulled your eye away from the portrait.