Work in Progress – Vole and Viburnum, update 3

I’ve been gardening on this property for decades, and have observed much of the flora and fauna undergoing cycles of growth and decline.  On the whole I find this to be a very reassuring prospect, and I wanted my vintage component for this quilt to reflect my optimistic attitude.
I found two similar embroidered panels in my vintage textiles collection.  They were probably originally meant to be cushion covers.  The appliquéd butterflies and flowers with embroidered details were aggressively cheerful and just the right counterpoint to the skulls.
I added some hand beadwork, then layered and quilted them.  The white background was too stark and I wanted the skull and viburnum prints to have the highest contrast in the overall composition, so again I went in with textile paints and added color.

This is my continuing coverage of the creation of  Vole and Viburnum, as featured in my article for the current March 2014 issue of American Quilter Magazine.  I used this work in my article as an example when breaking down my cognitive process, and here in my blog I am covering the more technical aspects of the work.  The magazine hits the newsstands today! 

Up next—the patchwork.