A Redwork Experiment

A redwork experiment
Originally uploaded by lasassone.

Last night I completed the stitching on a little experiment
I have been collecting the mannequin designs at the Bobby Socks website (http://members.shaw.ca/shareski/freeredwork.htm). Then I found this great fabric with little mannequins all over it. I just knew it was perfect to sash and border a quilt made from these designs.
After I found that fabric (shown on left) I really wanted to do the blocks in different colors on some light tone-on-tone fabric that has to do with sewing. I had seen one in the past that was a like white-on-white print of tiny scissors. However, I could not find anything even similar. I found in my stash a button print of cream mother of pearl buttons but it was too dark.
After searching for a long time and buying one fabric that, after laundering, had an awful stiff "hand", I got to thinking about using the cotton fabric that you can put through your printer. I can also copy and scan on my machine, so I made a color copy of that button fabric using the lowest density I could. But it was still too dark to do these design on so I then made a low density copy of the lighter copy and got a print that I thought it might work. SO.............
I copied the print onto a Jacquard cotton fabric sheet I got at Michaels and did the design on it, finishing it last night. I have since bought some solid-reading fabric in the colors that are on the mannequin print to use as frames around each block So I took a picture of this block this morning with those and the mannequin fabric positioned around on the sides. I plan to stitch the mannequin designs all differently but within this color range.
Has anyone done this before or am I truly inventive? Really Big LOL!
The only difficulty I had with the whole thing was just after I removed the paper backing from the fabric sheet when I noticed the fabric seemed stiff. And, after letting it dry for 24 hrs, it still seemed that way, but I decided to give it a try anyway. Once I transfered the design and started hooping & handling the fabric, it softened up quite a bit. In the end it was draping nicely over my hands as I stitched.
I have been looking at this block for what seems forever, so I'd like some unbiased opinions about it. Is the button print distracting? Should it be even lighter? I worry if I made it any lighter, you wouldn't notice that it was a print at all......