On my design wall – 2016.03.03

Last week, I showed my 12 x 12 inch fish pond quilt before any fusing or quilting.

This week, I’ve layered the quilt and started fusing and quilting.

To give the illusion that the fish are swimming under the water and the water lilies, I first fused and quilted the fish, then fused the ripples over the fish.

To create the illusion of distance, I quilted ripple lines closely together at the top of the quilt, with small stitches.  As I got closer to the bottom, I spaced the ripples farther apart and used a longer stitch length.

I quilted the ripple lines with a variegated rayon thread that I’ve used before on several water quilts.  I first used it on this quilt, then on this one, and this one.  I love how it looks like the sun is sparkling on the water!

Next I’ll add the lily pads, then lastly the lily flowers.  If I think I need additional ripples, I’ll slip them under the lily pads before fusing them in place.

Thanks for stopping by.  Today, I’m linking up with these blogs – click on the links below, where you’ll find many other creative projects to inspire you.