Playing with Piecing

Panda

I found this little fellow hanging around the house.  He suggested I might want to try designing a pieced Panda block.

What if I do a little research and then try drawing a Panda face?

Pandas are noted for their black and white pattern.  They also have distinctive five-sided eye patches.  What if I start with the eye patches?.

I can use buttons, applique and stitching for the eyes, nose and mouth. There's no reason to make my life difficult by trying to piece those.

What if I stick carefully to the grid and draw in the head and ears?

Sticking to the grid will make finding suitable seam lines easier.

What if I determine my piecing by working from the outside in?

When you sew you work from small to large.  You join small pieces of fabric to make larger pieces. Then you join those pieces to make even larger pieces.

When you determine piecing you work from large to small.  In effect you chop your image into pieces.  Then you chop those pieces into ever smaller pieces.

I think working from the outside in proved to be a very effective way to divide up this block.

I am happy with this result.  It looks like a Panda and it should be pretty easy to sew.

Maybe I should give him a bit more of a smile. What do you think?