Art Deco?

Done

I usually title my designs.  This one took me soo long, I call it 'Done'.

I started this little piece last spring.  Then I had a series of medical interruptions.  It was started for a Fast Friday Fabric Challenge titled, Art Deco.  I think my original design hit the mark.  All I intended to do was stitch in the ditch so the design popped. 

Pieced Design

However, I could NOT get the tension adjusted on my machine. The more I stitched, the more out of whack it got. I had lost a LOT of my incentive for finishing this. Yet, it was something practical I really wanted to use.

After marking a bunch of circles flowing across the design, I stitched those several times around using white thread until I felt they stood out enough to make the design show.  It was rather subtle.  Next, I picked out a thread color that is in my wall.  Then I really stitched it within an inch of its' life.  Now the real FUN began.  I took out my buttons.  No real whites, so I used these small off white ones.  I really wanted gray and purple.  I had bought a set of purple buttons and also some tiny gray ones.  I needed something that would POP.  Like any good Artist, I looked in my closet for buttons that would work for this quilt.  I absolutely love the steel gray ones.  I rarely wore the wool jacket.  Now I have more wool for wool stash.  I found a few more purple ones on a sweater I never wear.  That will be re-purposed later. 

I laid my buttons out on my design; then I fiddled for hours.  I held them in place with the yellow headed pins.  I liked the accent, so decided to use white embroidery floss on all of the buttons.  I actually only had to take off one button that didn't work out.  That amazed me.  This is my first time using buttons as a design element.  Attaching them took 2 days because I had to pull the large needle through with pliers.  The tiny gray ones required a small needle, so I just went through several times. 

Am I hooked on buttons?  Not sure.  I think each quilt will have to speak to me and tell me what to do, just as this one did.

Finished Art Quilt in Situ