Moth Fairy

In previous quilts I had used either all cottons, or all tulle to create my figures. The Moth Fairy will stand out as a bridge quilt, combining the reverse appliqu� technique using cottons, which give me the most control over placement, and the wash of shadow effect that is possible with tulle. The tulle was layered on, one spot or stripe at a time, and then enclosed under one final layer of blotchy hand-painted tulle.

The character was developed with an assortment of photographs, including some of my pre-teen son, perched on an old-fashioned entertainment center as I zoomed in for details of the hands, feet and ears. As I constructed this quilt, I always thought that she'd be watching from her perch above, not terribly interested in granting wishes, or other sweet nonsense we build into our fairy tales.

The log the Moth Fairy sits on is actually crumpled, heavy upholstery fabric. I will never do that again, but the plaid fabric did make for delicious ripples, mimicking bark. With serious prayer and steam, it laid flat and on the final quilt.

The Moth Fairy, like most of my figurative pieces, was actually applied last, allowing me to quilt continuous lines through the background.