Yesterday was my birthday and LOOK what I got! I was admiring these very charm packs last week. I spent an hour at the quilt store killing time while my cat was at the vet (on a side note, house cats and snakes don't mix well!) I was good and only, looked, didn't buy anything. But I admit, I looked pretty long and hard at these charm packs. I was so excited to open my present and see them!
It being my birthday I declared a day off from the non-quilty projects I've been having to focus on this week and spent all day sewing. There was reverse applique using a paper template on a Jurassic scale! I found a black and white image I liked, printed it out very large (30 sheets of 8.5" X 11"), and taped it all together. Then I lined all the layers up and pinned them and sewed through the paper just like with paper piecing.
I peeled the paper away as I went. As you can see, since the thread blends in and the extra fabric hasn't been removed yet it looks like I've accomplished absolutely nothing. That large paper template was a real monster to maneuver on the desk.
The beast emerges, legs first. It took me more than an hour to trim all the extra fabric away.
Can you tell what it is? It definitely would have worked better with higher contrast fabrics, but it's clearer in person than in the photo and I think once it's washed and frays it will be better. Next I need to piece a back, layer, and quilt!
Entire credit for this technique goes to Daniel Rouse whose fantastic quilts I stumbled upon recently. I didn't intend to copy one of his so directly, I just happen to have a dino-loving friend who's in need of a housewarming gift right about now :)
