#5 Hatari!

backing

#5: Hatari!

Finished: 2/5/12
Techniques: Raw-edge appliqué
Size: 16 1/4" x 18"

Description: I had two inspirations for this mini-quilt. The title comes from an old John Wayne movie, entitled "Hatari!"from the Swahili word for "danger" or "peril". I recently re-watched this movie about a team of characters capturing wild animals in Africa for zoos around the world.  The other inspiration comes from a current exhibit of fabric collage art by Merry Havens at the Health Sciences Library in Aurora, CO, which I saw last week. Stunning collages! Check out DragonflyByLight.com.

I used the main animal print for the center and quilted around the individual blocks. Framed it in black, then added a collage of animal print strips to border the main print. The strips were too narrow to piece properly, so the raw-edge appliqué was the way to go. I found that starching the fabric and strips helped tremendously in putting the quilt together. After starching, the mini-quilt went together rather quickly, with simple straight stitching close to the edges.

The backing material is an animal track print that didn't quite go with the color scheme I wanted for the front. But it was perfect for the back.