Fabric Collage

Last night, I pulled out a bunch of scraps and some double-sided applique web, and tried my first fabric collage.  As I worked, I was thinking of water and aquatic plants, but subsequent alterations make it resemble mountains more.  

I was in a creative zone, and took few pictures, so I'll describe verbally what I did, with reference to the pictures I do have.  

The process:

1. Lay scraps on a used dryer sheet to make stripes.  PICTURE 1.  
2. Carefully flip this unit over onto ironing board.  Take the dryer sheet away.  The scraps are now face down, in the same layout.  
3. Place double-sided fusible web (designed for applique) on top of the layout and press it.  This sticks all the pieces together on their backs.  I could have done it with single-sided fusible web, such as a light interfacing, but I wanted to try the 2-sided fusible (I didn't know what I was doing).
4. Peel off the paper and stick the whole unit to the used dryer sheet again.  The dryer sheet at this point is just covering the second sticky side.  So plain interfacing would have done fine.  
   
5. The front edges are still flapping in the breeze.  Baste them all down in long rows.  See basting stitches in PICTURE 2.  
   

PICTURE 1. Layering scraps on a lightweight base.

PICTURE 2. Basting stitches (white) hold the sandwich together while I do sinuous quilting lines (blue). I take the basting out when it's no longer needed.

6.  Slice the whole collage in random sorts of ways, and do "stitch & flip" corners before re-assembling.  I do this with green fabric, to look like spikey plants.  Knowing this will be a wall hanging and never get used or washed, I use 1/8" seam allowances.  
​7.  Layer batting and backing, and begin quilting the sandwich together.  PICTURE 3 & 4.  For the quilting, I use dark and medium blue at the bottom, medium blue in the middle, and pale blue at the top.  I keep the same gray bobbin thread throughout.
8.  Trim edges neatly and snip the top to look the way I want.  In one place, I add some fabric to fill a hole at the top.  Now I think it looks like snow-capped peaks in the distance.  

WHAT NEXT?

Ultimately, this will be a small wall hanging, but it's not ready yet.  I feel like it needs either a frame, or some third dimensional element.  I will let it sit for a while, and see what it wants to be.