How to Make a Large Silhouette

I was requested to make a quilted wall hanging of a business logo. The size was to be 45" wide by 30" high.

I was given a small digital graphic to base it on. Luckily, the graphic was the state of Oklahoma. 

I pulled out a state map and used it as the basis for the appliqué shape. I used dressmaker chalk paper and a tracing wheel to transfer the shape onto poster board.

I cut out the shape and realized it wasn't large enough.

I laid the shape on two pieces of poster board glued together and traced around the shape several times with a 1" wide ruler until it fit the fabric. I cut out the larger shape.

I traced around the larger shape with a chalk pencil.

I cut the shape out of the appliqué fabric and positioned it over the top fabric at an angle to match the original graphic, or at least as much as I could. Fabric doesn't lend itself well to perfectly straight lines.

I then sewed it down with a narrow satin stitch. I had some trouble with my feed dogs not wanting to grip the fabric.

This is the finished appliqué. 

I measured the width of the panhandle and cut strips of paper the same width, and then glued the strips together. I used Paint Shop Pro to render the text for the top. Rather than print out the text, I taped the paper strip to my computer monitor and traced it. I turned the paper over and traced around the letters with an iron on transfer pen and ironed them to the fabric. I used MS Word to render the remaining text and symbols which I printed and taped to my light table. 

My next task was to paint the lettering. I used Elmer's Paint Pens in fine and medium point for the first two layers, and then went over them with two more coats of acrylic with fabric medium and a #2 flat brush.

This is the end result before quilting.