JQ 2015 - Cypress 4

Here is the Cypress trimmed...

and here it is with the soluble dissolved. The stray threads need trimming. It is laying on a scrap of old towel which I used to blot the water from it.

The barely noticeable difference is that the trunk is ever-so-slightly wider. (Which is okay in an artistic way. If I were being more of a forestry expert, I would trim the trunk to be narrower.)

So, the laid down threads with the loose zigzags over it worked in a similar way to what you do when you stitch seams on knits with a zigzag stitch...it means that the fabric can still be stretched when it needs to be. In this case, the zigzags have allowed the first layer of threads to relax rather than stay tightly together.

This may seem like tedious over thinking. But it helps me to write it down because then I think about what happened. And so, I can reproduce it again in the future if needed. Or if I do something where I don't want this result, I can think about how I would do it differently.

Looking back at the last photo, the faded patterns from the old towel are interesting in that they give a hint of a landscape. I had been wondering how to approach the actual quilt part; but this gives me ideas!
Another thing I like is that the tree has retained a bit of texture from being rolled and squished in the towel. I didn't block it, just left it to dry that way because I forgot the blocking part when I went off to do something else. Somehow it gives a more lifelike effect. So, I think I will keep it that way rather than pressing it flat.