Originally Posted by feline fanatic

This is all raw edge fusible applique and done exquisitely. I did trapunto style quilting on the heron by loading the top with wool batting (no backing) and I did all the feather detailing. Those bits that come off the edge of the quilt (the beak and tail feathers) were new for me. It represented some challenges but I think it turned out well. I didn't do any stitching on the beak but did feather details in the tail. I had to pin the body of the quilt back (as well as the batting) and went slow as I had to do it one handed. I had to use my other hand to hold the piece while quilting.

After the heron was all done, I cut away all the extra batting and loaded it up with backing a layer of W&N and another layer of wool. Then quilted all the background.

Techy summary:
Batting as mentioned above, wool, then a layer of wool over W&N
Thread: Invisfil by Wonderfil Threads, in multiple colors
Hours spent: Approximately 8 but at least 2 of those hours were spent ripping out stitches and redoing. I had some areas I had to rip out as my tension got all wonky on me. Looked great on top, no so much underneath. I think I was getting buildup of the adhesive on my needle which caused it to go all cattiwhompus for no other apparent reason. I then had to make sure when I redid it I was hitting the same needle holes because the fusible tends to keep old needle holes visible, especially when there are multiple layers built up.

The whole piece

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Some detail shots
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All the tan feathers are the ones I had to redo. But the whispy feathers in the cranes breast I had done prior to that and the tension was just fine there. Which is why I attributed the tension issue to adhesive buildup on my needle. I wiped it down with rubbing alcohol and that seemed to solve the issue. I had no problems after that.
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And a gratuitous back shot:
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