Using Collage to Inspire a Quilt

This quilt is entirely different from my other "portrait" quilts.  It shows a face surrounded by random shapes.  It is inspired by a collage that I did maybe 5 years ago.  Just fiddling around with paper and such.  It has lived on my Inspiration Wall for years.  Here is a photo of my current Inspiration Wall.  See if you can find the one that inspired this quilt.

Anyway - It was a challenge (which of course I love!) to make this because I didn't want to use my normal design technique for the face.  Instead of using many pieces of fabric to highlight the dark and light areas, I just used two areas of the same fabric and sliced the face down the middle.  But I think the simplicity works.

Here are some close ups of the detail work.....

Her eyes with the hand stitching and beads











The pointy things showing the gorgeous fabric with all those little circles and hand stitching and beads









The details below her face - I didn't even know that I had these lovely beads.  I guess I need to look at my stash of beads more often.

I think the power of this quilt is that the face isn't just sitting in the middle of the quilt doing nothing but is surrounded (and sort of hugged) by other objects.  I need to experiment with this idea.

The word Dream is cut with the Scan 'n Cut but it was before I knew some extra tricks to make it both easier and more secure and less frayed.  Always learning new stuff!