Portrait in Progress

This is a messy project, as you can see.  I have bit of fabric, fusible web, and the paper backing from the fusible web all over the floor.  I got this Chef's Mat for may birthday last summer.  It's a wonderful cushy surface to stand on while I work at my table.  I do these portraits on my cutting table or at desk, since everything is fused.  This project is too big for any surface except the big cutting table.

I know this photo is not great, but I'm trying to show how I'm using a different technique than I normally use to do this portrait.  I laid out my enlarged pattern on the table and then put a big piece of muslin over the pattern.  Next I removed the paper from both sides of pieces of Steam-A-Seam Lite, and carefully placed them side by side on the muslin.  I'm only working on a small section at a time.  I can see the pattern lines through the muslin and fusible web.  So now I can use small pieces of fabric to fill in the pattern lines.

Isn't Necessity always the Mother of Invention?  Since I didn't have enough black Kona cotton for this pattern, I needed to use bits of dark grays and black prints in my stash.  This technique allows for that without the need to do intricate piecing before fusing.

Here it is so far.  I started in the center with the face, and I'm working outward.  I'm not far enough along for you to really see what this picture is all about, and I'm not going to spoil it for you.  I'll take more pictures as I go along so you can see it come to life.