I think I've Lost My Mind...

Today I loaded the fabric for the "Seasons of the Moon" wholecloth.  Black crepe-back satin.  I love the weight and the sheen.  I needed something that would be heavy enough to support the weight of the four smaller moon quilts without distorting. This seemed to fit the bill.  But.... there are a whole host of issues.

First, I couldn't keep it stable enough to mark before loading so I decided to load it and mark as I go...it will decrease the precision somewhat, but time is more critical at this juncture.

Second, finding a marking tool that would show up enough to see, without tearing or picking the fabric. There were many rejects.  I finally settled on the clover white marker for critical detail stuff and school chalk for the more forgiving parts.

Third, the thread...I can't see black well enough to use it, even for the background fill. The darkest thing I can see is So Fine Smoke. But there is still a good bit of contrast with the black, so all the wobbles will show.  Also, it presents a problem delineating the design motifs from the background fill.  I think(and hope) if I echo all the motifs with a 1/4"  outline, that might solve that issue.  Normally I would use a high contrast for the wholecloth, but in this case I don't want the wholecloth to overpower the smaller moon quilts that are attached to it.

The batting is warm and natural...I needed something very heavy and very dense to support the weight and hang decently.  The backing is a moda marble wideback, prewashed.  And I'm getting some batting poking through the back!  Moda marbles are notorious for this.  Just one more headache I didn't need!  But at least my tension is perfect.

I'm  hoping it starts going a little faster now that I've gotten the marking and other  issues worked out(I think), I could sure use all the good mojo you care to send this way!  Quite a few times today I almost quit and took it off the frame.  I considered just putting black cotton on and doing something less stressful that I could do freehand.  But, the little bit I did get done looks decent enough to encourage me  on.  So I'll keep at it and hope for the best.

If you're still with me after that rant, I guess you deserve a look.  Ignore the weird color...the color really is black...the flash washed it out.









Time for a glass of wine!

Thanks for listening.