Quilted Swans

My big project last summer was making two quilted wall hangings which were commissioned by my favourite retreat centre. So the best part is that unlike many past projects that now live at someone else's house, I'll be able to visit these every spring!

The designs are landscapes ... grass, flowers, a lake, pinetrees and mountains, a path through the woods, and two swans which are the focus of the larger of the hangings. I love how they turned out. I took a course through Quilt University earlier this spring - Machine Embellishments, and so I included some of the techniques learned into this project.

The swans were made as separate appliques, over a layer of batting so they'd have a slightly padded look. I bought some GORGEOUS silver sparkle on white fabric that I used for their bodies, over which I layered fussy-cut feathers from three different fabrics. One was the same fabric as the body, another was cutouts from a feathery looking fabric that I found, and the third was bits of tulle. These were layered over the wing area, tail feathers, and just a bit on their chests. Then I free-motion stitched over everything in feather shapes, using variegated thread in a subtle beige to white transition. Here's one of the swans, and a closeup of his wing. Click on the image for a closer view. This one was SO much fun to do.

Carolyn,
quiltlady@piecepatcher.ca