"Helpmates" Revisited

I had a request for a close-up shot of the center panel of my journal quilt "Body & Spirit: Helpmates." I was surprised to learn that clicking on the previous photo of the quilt did not produce the larger image. I just figured that happened to all my photos automatically! I'm no techie, nor am I a photographer. But! I just happen to have a photographer husband who is home today and who was happy to have the opportunity to play with his toys. ;- )

I'm not sure what you're looking for, but hopefully you'll find it in one of these shots:

The fish skeleton, the key, and the ship's wheel are all charms. The clock is a button. The lock was a button also; I cut off the shank to it would sit more closely to the surface of the quilt. I wanted to tone down the color somehow but everything I tried just wiped off. The heart on her bodice is hematite, the bird fetish is shell.

The lily-of-the-valley-type flowers were printed on the fabric. I just went over them with beads and floss, pretty much in the same colors as was on the fabric. There are four fire polished flower beads, a large blue vintage button, and a ribbon yo-yo flower head. Their stems and leaves are all beaded. On these smaller leaves and the lily-of-the-valley flower heads I used what I know as a leaf stitch. It's the kind of leaf you make when you're making a leaf fringe.

I felt very fortunate to have this bit of textile in my stash and to have it fit the theme so well!