A bit more of Europe 4

Europe continues to grow.
     I've added the map of Germany, highlighting the main highways / autobahns.
The maps are done on hand-dyed fabric with a fusible interfacing. At one point I was tracing the map onto tracing paper and decided that was nuts, time-consuming and inaccurate, so I went to Staples (copy centre) and copied & enlarged the maps and used them as the templates.  Using a very small stitch length, the paper map tears away easily.

      The next picture is Rothenberg, Germany, facing the clock tower.  Smaller pieces  are fabric with fusible web and the background has fusible interfacing.

      Except for the Eiffel Tower, all pictures are approximately 7 X 10 inches.

     If you go just beyond the opening in the tower, there is a little dress shop to the left where I bought my granddaughter's hand-smocked dress. 

     The original picture ... I eliminated the dormers on the roof and combined two store fronts on the left for the fabric picture.  I am finding little windows really annoying! By the time I add sashing and crosspieces the fabric starts to shred.

     Off to Italy for the next picture ... the Colosseum in Rome

     I eliminated some of the detail behind the openings on the first floor and by the time I added the stitching, I opted out of some of the finer details in the stonework. Usually I layer every thing on top of the background piece but this time, I cut openings in the face of the Colosseum and inserted the inside of the arches and the background.

     And of course lots of thread ... used the satin stitch for the columns. I think I used 7 different thread colours to try and capture some of the stone shading ... there are a couple areas I may add a bit more, but for the moment it shall 'sit' pinned to the mat until I decide final placement.

     My 'mat' is the flannel backing on a tablecloth, hooked over a door in the studio.  There are 3 more countries to produce (France, Switzerland and Austria) and I am not sure how many more pictures to complete ... that will depend on how big I want to make the final product!