The Mermaid - Part One

I took loads and loads of photos of this project so I'm breaking it up into a couple posts. The only thing I didn't take a photo of was the line drawing before I quilted over the lines.

First, I love this mermaid design from Urban Threads Embroidery. Second, I wanted to use my new Inktense blocks and pencils to make something really fun. I printed the hand embroidery design super-sized and used Crayola Ultra-Clean Fine Line Washable Markers to trace the design onto my fabric.

I loaded the fabric onto the long arm with muslin and low-loft batting (I think I used a remnant of Quilter's Dream Blend). I quilted over the lines of my traced design several times with a dark thread.

Then I shifted to a blending color of Superior Threads So Fine #50 and filled in the background with swirls and waves. This is my favorite thread for quilting. I also quilted another panel with swirls so I can make a tote bag with the finished pieces.

I washed both pieces after quilting. They aren't kidding about the Ultra-Clean Washable Markers. With nothing more than cold water I managed to wash out all the marked lines. I followed with a delicate wash in the washing machine. I used delicate because even though I basted all the way around the panels, there are still raw edges.

My stitching may not be perfect, but I like the overall effect.

Next step is to use the Inktense blocks and pencils to add color.