Portrait Quilt: a tardy journal quilt effort

(click to enlarge)

    Learning about portrait quilts has occupied my attention since a workshop with Esterita Austin a few weeks ago, so a journal quilt should mark that weekend. I wish I could have a new portrait that would put together my new wisdom, but I am still learning and not sure what directions to take.
    Today I watched Making Faces, a DVD by Maria Elkins, who presented several approaches to convince those who think they can't draw a portrait to try. I know I won't want to stitch on the faces as much, but this is a very informative DVD.  Portrait Quilts: Painted Faces You Can Do by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery also arrived in the mail yesterday and I have not had time to read it. It may be more about painting than I want to do, but I will learn about textile paints and presenting unstitched faces. Portraits for Fabric Lovers by the lucid teacher Marilyn Belford is extremely helpful re computer aides as is Photo-inspired Art Quilts by Leni Levenson Wiener which comes with a DVD. I also plan to check out Patt Blair and her husband's book. They work with computers and ink.
     I decided not to waste the inspirational workshop effort, but to turn my effort into a journal quilt. For the first time I used invisible thread on top (Sulky worked fine); and I used the unfinished piece as it was. I did not plan to complete the class assignment at home. I cut some maroon tulle to go over the slightly loose pieces, not entirely secured by MistyFuse, and quilted with the invisible thread over all. I free-motion quilted the text...suggesting I may not know where I am going now, but I will try try again.