Panel Quilt

For the last year I have been trying not to buy fabric and using what I have in my studio.  I knew I had a dragon panel, had an idea for using it and thought I knew where it was.  I still haven't found that but did come across this panel that I bought a few years back while visiting a friend in Illinois.  This is one of those pieces that you find buried deep and say to yourself, "What was I thinking?"

So now I have to change my tune and ask, "What can I do with this?"

There is a pattern I've been wanting to use for some time, okay, years, and decided to get a feel for it by making up a few for a border.  I believe the pattern is called "French Roses" and if I could find it out in my studio I'd go check but I seem to have misplaced it for the moment and that was before I put a cat out there who likes to play and knock everything over.  Don't ask.

The instructions call for appliqueing each individual piece down. I did that for the leaves and first 'petal' then decided I wanted a 3-D effect and backed the two middle pieces with left-over batting. Ran a big 'X' thru the middle of these to tack them down and then took the center and appliqued that. I was happy with the results and it was fun to do.  I'll be making more of this block. 

I know the picture doesn't show it but the red material in real life matches beautifully so I used that.  Now what to do with the tree which looks pretty bare by itself.  Hmm, well, hexagons are big right now.  Backed those also with batting and tacked them down with an 'X'.