Robin Panel 4: Cheer up, the sun is red, live, love, laugh and be happy

I began my Robin's Quilt embroidery with the first panel I had bought, now panel 4 in the redesigned, monster project. This was the panel that gave me the Big Idea and the one I was most clear about.

I did some research into Australian robins and decided mine will be the Scarlet Robin that inhabits the South and East of Australia. They are endangered, nest in the tops of trees in bushland, feed on the ground and venture into towns and houses as feed becomes scarce in Winter. The males are black with white markings and a white crest above the beak, a red breast and white underbelly. The females are brown with light red to orange breast,  white crest above the beak and whitish underbelly.  The red breast did not show up well on this red panel but I shall fix with an outline.                                                                                                                                            

I wanted to make the most of the dyed panel which suggests a sun to me. I embroidered some lines of figures dancing on sunbeams

then added a bunch of happy emojis below. I'm hoping I can tell this story in the symbols of our time. (There is a certain irony at the time of posting when it is 40C in Adelaide and the sun is not something in which I am rejoicing!)












I also stitched over the words on the upper border. I had not pressed hard enough on the iron in transferring the words and music and I was afraid the words would lift.













At this point I added the back to the panel - a square of the same batik fabric with a light wadding attached - and hand quilted the borders using a variegated machine thread and running stitch in straight lines.

I stitched around the robin in the same thread. I may yet go over the breast outline in black.  I used stranded cotton and mostly stem stitch in filling the robin - it is a robust stitch that can be adjusted to suggest feathers.

This is the back. It's not a bad start. I will now return to Panel No.1 - can't wait, a woman driven by an idea and the pleasure of seeing it unfold!