Decisions, decisions,

...here are some design elements I'm considering:

The photos where transferred using transfer paper and are my 3 children. The script is one of the poems that is finding its way into the piece, in my own handwriting.   This is one of the stamps I used in the focal panel. I stamped it on paper then enlarged it and I want to use it as a quilted motif in the blue panel. I'll need to turn this into a stencil and I think I'm going to either stitch in the negative space to form the motif...not sure yet.  The photos and the poem will either be attached to peltex and backed and then attached to an already quilted top OR I might use batting instead of the peltex to keep the attachments soft...not sure yet. 

Here is the layout I'm leaning towards:

The bottom half of the rosary is missing. I didn't take it off intentionally but it fell off twice many years ago and I put it up from myself and cannot find it.  I'm leaning toward not attaching it at all because I think I'm mixing up spiritually ideologies in the symbols too much for the viewer and it may not come across as my belief that all good things come back to the power of one.

Yesterday I was leaning toward concentric circles in a satin stitch or straight stitch to signify continuity in life and passage of time.  There are hash marks at the very top of the focal panel to imply counting days and I thought the circles would duplicate that in meaning.  But this morning I thought it would be better to duplicate the stamped motif above which is an Adinkra symbol for faith.  And I'm actually leaning toward hand quilting it but I'm worried how much placing it in a hoop would distort it.  I have to make a run for threads though before I actually put in under the needle and its cold and well, its cold, so it'll be awhile, maybe Saturday when I actually work up the gumption to go out.