Macaw applique PJ's

When we went to the UAE ........... last year? We were given Pj's on the Virgin flight, there and back, so we ended up with 4 new sets of Pj's. The sizes were so weird - super wide - that in reality, Tigerboy ended up with 3 new sets of Pj's and I ended up with one pair that was huge (as opposed to one huge pair and one ginormous pair). Great! Now I could convince him to get rid of the pair of winter Pj's he'd had for 20 years that were literally falling apart and I'd never have to put new elastic in them again.

I'd been wanting to try an applique, so I decided that one of those pair of jammies was prime for victimisation experimentation. Lo and behold, the macaw applique.

One recurring problem I have when I'm experimenting is that I don't do a proper job, I just cobble it together - because it's just an experiment, right? But it's not a proper experiment because the lack of effort shows which means that I'm still not quite sure if it will work when/if I use the right techniques. And often, the winging it takes more time than if I'd done it correctly the first time. I don't think I'll ever learn though.

I must have used at least five different fusibles, some just in strips, other pieces fully fused, some parts stitched - you get the picture - I really wasn't sure it'd hold up to washing. Another thing, my drawing ability is shockingly pathetic, so in this case, I wasn't sure that the few lines I had to draw for the face would work.

Tigerboy was overjoyed because ........... well, it's a parrot, and it just doesn't get any better in his book. After they'd made it through the wash I expressed surprise that it hadn't all fallen apart. He told me quite seriously that he'd put the top in a lingerie bag to wash it so that it didn't get wrecked (because he knows that I wouldn't get around to making another one for him for at least a decade). He'd be horrified to know that I just toss it in the wash willy nilly and hope for the best but they've survived several months (since August) being treated that way ......... next year might be a different story.

And a blurry pic (I thought I had more but this seems to be it).