Plenty to Go Around: Part 2

Plenty to Go Around: Part 2
project: approximately 80" x 80"
follow progress on my Instagram account: #plentytogoaroundquilt

When I last left off, I referred to the individual design motifs:  "Then it was time to start making all the pieces.  It took me about 12 weeks.  There were a total of 28 fat quarters that I drew, then batiked, and then dyed."

Today, I will start with the chickadees, one of my favorites! The fabric is created in my garage with batik and dye. These will be individually cut out, and then sewn, one by one, onto the giant white whole cloth background.  

This is the sketch on tracing paper, and the beginning of creating LOTS of paper cut outs, to use in the overall quilt design.

Next up: tracing the shapes onto white fabric.  This photo shows the first application of wax.  The darker grey areas are the places where I have put liquid wax (which has then cooled and solidified).  This layer of wax will keep the fabric under it white.

Making many, many, many duplicate chickadees.  This motif needed 3 fat quarters, one fat quarter per wooded frame.

Adding the first layer of blue dye.  It always looks darker when it's wet.  And, at this stage, it is hard to believe this will eventually look like a little bird!

This shows the next stage.  I am beginning to outline the areas that will be filled with navy dye.  The wax on the white areas is still there.

In the last stage of batiking and dyeing, I have added even more wax for the wing, and the underbelly.  I was a bit concerned that when I added the navy dye, it might leak (or drip, or spill) onto areas that I wanted to stay blue, so I protected those with the extra wax.  Below you can see the waxed wing and underbelly that look darker than the background.  In reality, they are still the same color as the background.  I have also added the navy dye to the head, and chin, and tail.  This is beginning to look like my little birds!  :)

Here is the finished product, dyeing complete, wax boiled out, washed, ironed, and individually cut, ready for basting and applique!

What is really crazy about this time consuming project, is that I could have, most likely, just cut individual pieces of fabric for each part of the bird, and sewed them on to create a bird image.  Yes, yes, I could do THAT!  However, the batik has a unique look, that I like, and I like doing it, so I opted for this route.  It will still be a long time before I am ready to add the birds to the quilt.  I am really looking forward to seeing this bird with the edges turned under and the beak defined!  Need more patience, can you send some? Thanks!!