3-D Wall Hanging

My group in Melbourne, SUFA, extends a couple of challenges each year that are included in their yearly exhibit at Boutique 4 Quilters.  The exhibit begins February 1, and runs through the entire month.  I am unable now to exhibit because I have moved away from the region, but I decided to focus on one of the challenges, and boy, was it a challenge!  I picked several pictures I had taken of a Bird of Paradise plant as my inspiration. 

 I began the project with brown fabrics in the background, and quilted them in straight rows about a quarter inch apart on my batting. 

I then began making each leaf separately by fusing two pieces of fabric together and satin stitching around the edge, but I found that I didn't have the dimension in the piece that I envisioned, so I decided to add 24 gauge jewelry wire to each piece under the satin stitching. 

 It took some care so that my machine needle didn't hit the wire, but I was able to guide it easily underneath the stitching using my walking foot.  The wire gave me the ability to form each individual piece the way I wanted to, without making it too stiff.

 I also joined two pieces of fabric in this piece and added the stamen inside it.  The white piece is made by thread painting on a piece of stabilizer and adding the wire around the edge with a small satin stitch. 

 The stems of the leaves were made the same way you would make piping, although I hand stitched the fabric around the cord, rather than making a tube on the machine and turning it.  Many of my tools are still in storage, including my turning tool, and I had lots of time to do the stitching!  Here I am auditioning the pieces on the background before making them permanent.

 This is the finished piece.  I finished it by sewing the backing on three sides before I added the leaf elements, and after the plant was assembled on the background, I inserted a piece of Timtex inside the sleeve to give it stability.  Then I hand stitched the bottom closed.  I like the 3-D effect and may consider doing another project in a similar fashion.