Dragon Claw - improvements and the Story

Right! Here is the improved version of the dragon claw. I am soooo chuffed with how this turned out! You may have thought yesterday's photo looked pretty good, almost like the claw was clutching the fabric. But believe me, in person it wasn't very pretty. It had wadges of fabric poking up all over.

But now, all puckers have been quilted into submission. I put a layer of wadding under the whole of the claw and drew round the major lines with a thread similar to the yellow silk, but with a few flecks of other colours in it. Then I put another little layer behind the knuckes area. Then 2 layers behind the whole thing.

I decided to quilt the "ground" with a bit of a small cobblestone pattern, and the "wall" with a freehand Greek key sort of pattern. I decided to use a thread which closely matched the silk to carry on with the small pebble type patterning I used for the skin where the other colour left off. All the quilting has helped to make the claw stand out with somewhat of a 3D effect.

I had used a piece of silk which was uneven on one corner, this means the resulting piece can have a more organic edge shape to it. I think I may take these studies later and either create a book or put them into a quilt... Not squares with sashing, but a bit more like this.

Okay, I think you must be ready for the story that came to mind as the study developed.

STORY
This dragon has a bracelet with what looks like a charm. It is really a scale from another dragon. Some Dragons exhange shed scales - usually small ones from the sensitive area near the ear - with other dragons as a token of friendship. However, what is not commonly known is that if a dragon is in need of aid, any damage to the scale will summon the other dragon. Each of the scales have a special ability, which works in a similar way to GPS (global positioning system) and helps a dragon know how to locate his friend.

The reason why more dragons have not been observed coming to the aid of another, (and indeed why there has been such a decline in dragon population), is due to the fierce independant nature of dragons. It is rare for one dragon to actually use the scale in order to summon the other's aid. Many dragons, knowing they are facing danger, will actually leave the token at home. On the other hand, this action could be interpreted as evidence of a dragon's concern about bringing close friends into danger.

A word of WARNING: If a dragon should offer you a token scale, DO NOT...I repeat, Do Not refuse. It is highly offensive. You may wish to give a lock of your hair in exchange. Although it may seem unlikely that you could come to a dragon's aid, it has happened on notable occasions.