THE BEAST (a fantastical quilt)

One day when I was looking for something I came across the following picture of a "fragment of a tapestry" ca 1420-1430, German, from the Cloisters Collection at the Metropolitan Museum. 

With the help of an overhead projector and a transparency I made up the pattern and the obsession began.  I started on February 12th and finished on June 24th, every stitch by hand.
I used some trapunto on the claws and teeth.

In order to have the scales on his back, I used the same fabric as his head and got out my box of crayons and coloured pencils.  It worked.

The mane was one of the difficult areas, as I wanted to show movement.  Between the two fabrics and with some embroidery achieved this.

I used a lot of embroidery on this quilt. After every leaf was appliqued I embroidered a centre line on each leaf and made a number of stems.  All of the applique was done by the needle turn method.   I thought I would never end sewing the leaves and flowers on the background.  Embroidery added the detail and made this animal come to life.

The finished wall hanging 5 1/2' X 5' and hand quilted in a 1" slant with each appliqued piece outlined.  The border is quilted in a leaf pattern.
I loved making this and hope you enjoy looking.  If you have any questions, please ask.