Cotton fabrics, acrylic paints, craft papers, 3-strand cotton floss. Fusible web appliqué.

Technical challenges:  This project began in a 5-session video class via textileartist.org, a popular online resource for textile artists. What follows was certainly not their fault. On Day 1 we painted our fabric (the mess reminded me why I rarely use paints). On Day 2 we cut up our painted fabric and sewed various pieces together. My painted fabric was clumpy and not fun to work with. On Day 3 we embroidered our re-sewn pieces. My work was looking unhappier with each session. Could anything be salvaged here? Took everything apart and looked at the pieces. How about a collage? Used fusible web to attach all fabric and paper, and only then did some stitching with embroidery floss.

Take-away:  Resist that first impulse to throw a project in the trash.