>MBTA Construction Project

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Last night, I started working on the construction portion of my beaded Boston Green Line trolley. This is the part where my progress slows down, because I have to do a little thinking about how I would like the finished art to look. Also, it is quite tedious, especially since there is no beadwork involved...

First, I stitched some strips of felt around the edges to cover the white felt. Then, I cut out some pieces of acid-free matte board. I like to use this material for my 3D structuring because it is strong, yet soft and easy to manipulate when needed.

I took two of the pieces I cut out, and actually stitched them to the back of the beadwork. The thin strip will reinforce the trolley door.

And, lastly, I flipped the trolley over and put the two large pieces of folded matte board underneath. This will lift one end of the beadwork up by almost 2" and give it a very realistic effect.

I first tried this technique when I was creating my beaded fire truck, Engine Co. 6, and it worked pretty well. The only difference is, my trolley will eventually be stitched to a stretched canvas. :0