Work in Progress - Magnolia, Update 3

I know that many of you are interested in process, so here's some photos of how my Magnolia artquilt is progressing 

 I finished the needlefelting on the panel, then added batting and a white cotton backing to prepare it for quilting. This back will be covered by a facing, then layered onto a supporting quilt, so the knots and loose ends will all be covered. Even so, you can see that I am a intrinsically neat and methodical quilter.

The strips that I showed in the last update were cut and reassembled to into what will be a supporting quilt for the needlefelted panel. That luscious burgundy and pink panel is a piece of cotton sateen I hand painted.

 I also hand painted another piece of sateen for the backing of the supporting quilt. The weather was extraordinarily mild for early winter, so I was able to drape it outside to dry. The metal mesh of the garden furniture adds extra patterning as the fabric dries. This will be an artquilt/wall piece, so in theory no one sees the back when it is hanging, but I see it quite a bit as I'm working on it, and it makes me happy to make it look good.

At the last minute I decided that the needlefelted panel needed more definition, so I took the time to add some hand beadwork to it. There's really no rushing these things....

I'm working on the quilting of the supporting quilt now and hope to have the whole thing finished soon.  Stay tuned!

To track this work back, and see it's inception in the PA Governor's garden, click on "Magnolia" in the right sidebar, or go here.