Today I did the background stitching on the Swamp Dragon. Previously I had tried one idea which didn't work and had to be unpicked. I had tried it under the part where the dragon will be, so any unpicking doesn't show. (I am quite glad, too. The stitch holes on this background fabric don't go away easily. The backing fabric is a looser weave, so the unpicking won't be obvious there.)
So today, I decided to do this curly growing plant-like quilting. However, I thought I might try little fern leaves off them - again under where the dragon will be - and again, they just didn't work. So, I unpicked them. After finishing the plants, I think I am glad I didn't do more. What with the spots, more detailed quilting would have overtaken the central character. As it is, I think they refer to a swamp or growing place without overwhelming.
These things have been good to learn. I haven't done so much overall quilting before, unless I was following a pattern in the fabric. So, it took some getting used to for the right movements to control the stitching.
When I started, the whole thing seemed to be quite sticky and hard to move. I had a bright idea and got out some waxed paper. I cut a piece, folded it and rubbed it over the surface of the machine bed and the quilt table extension. And it worked! Things moved around easily without too much pushing and pulling.
This idea came from what we used to do when I was a child. If you want to go down a slide faster, then rub waxed paper on it! Like snowboarders do with a chunk of wax on their snowboards.
Tomorrow I will stitch the dragon on and finish the edges. Then think on the next steps for the cloud puppy. I think for him, I will have more intense stitching. The background is plain and it shouldn't overwhelm. I need to give a little feel that he is playing in the clouds.
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