Expectations

This is the third in my series for "Nature Abstracted", the caterpillar.  I'm creating the life cycle of the butterfly in reverse for this series.  In my research of caterpillars for this quilt, I was amazed at the incredible adaptations and beautiful configurations of the various caterpillar species.  Some are very simple and others are so elegantly overdone that they look more like elaborate jewelry than caterpillars.  They are all preparing for the same destiny, though.  It is interesting to see how the characteristics of the caterpillar carry over to the moth or butterfly.

For this piece I used the same fabrics I used for the butterfly and for the chrysalis.  I also used some of my hand-dyed silk for the twig upon which the caterpillar is balancing.  I used fusible applique for each of the fabric pieces and then machine stitched each pieces into place and free motion quilted.  I like the way this caterpillar stands out against the "blue sky" background".

Frances