opinion - would this work for thread portrait?
 

I am trying to make all gifts for Christmas this year, with basically ZERO dollars spent, just using my meager stash.

I want to do a thread portrait, using my Cut Work Portraits technique to create the pattern. So, it is a wholecloth art quilt, in which the threads are the only "picture".

I guess basically it would be similar to the quilt I entered in Leah Day's Transformation Challenge: http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t141797.html.

My question is: "what would be an acceptable fabric for the wholecloth?" Remember I am trying only to use my stash (which is not very large as I usually only buy what I need for a project). I have a solid evergreen color, other than that, I think most everything is a definite PRINT, that would not be acceptable.

If I did the solid evergreen, do you think the threads would show up well enough? I would use several colors like I did on the quilt above.

Also, I do have some scraps of a quilt that I am working on right now, the fabric of which is quite acceptable, but not big enough pieces. The back side of this fabric also looks nice, just slightly lighter. It is a tan, with irregular tiny brown dots scattered over it.

I thought maybe throw in a few assorted cream tone on tone fabrics, make a patchwork background, then do the portrait on that? How weird would that be? I am reminded of Maria Elkins Redeeming Fragments quilt, so think this would be okay. What do you think?

The finished quilt would be a wall hanging about 24" square.

I have seen portrait quilts done using nontraditional fabric instead of skin tones and they are very interesting and quite beautiful. I think the key with thread portraits is having the thread dominate the fabric so that the first thing you see is the portrait and secondly the fabric. I would also thing piecing the fabric would add interest. Hope you give it a try and show us the results.