FINALLY! After about three weeks I finished this work. These parrots were at the resort we went to in Maui. Before leaving I'd read about a new technique for collaging fabric and thought using the Hawaiian fabrics from the trip would work well with this piece.
After drawing the artwork full size I pieced the image together using various pieces of fabrics in the realistic colors. The pieces were attached using tacky glue.
I should have used the sewing machine to sew the birds one at a time onto the background fabric but was impatient and decided to do the birds and ring at once. (This shouldn't be a surprise to most people.) I also added the green borders (without waiting...)
After the piecing I started quilting. Cotton batting was placed between the artwork and a backing layer. I used the machine to create the pattern in blue and did the embroidery by hand to outline the birds and hoop. At this point the fabric was so thick it actually hurt my hand which made me feel ridiculous.
The face was created using pastels for fabric. I wasn't pleased with the result (at all... kicking, screaming, punching...) and ended up embroidering around the face.
FINALLY, the edges were done to tie the piece together. This was my favorite piece so far... and a good way to end the summer!
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