I have created my "Let Out Your Inner Animal Reader Challenge" quilt illustrating a bumble bee! I have always been drawn to their beauty and contrasts. Contrasts in the beauty of their physical forms as well as their misunderstood personalities; their soft fuzzy bodies and bold contrasting yellow and black stripes; their nurturing and driving, task-oriented nature contrasting their painful sting when feeling threatened or protective. They are a curious creature - somewhat like me! I have used dense quilting for texture on the bee itself, and quilted the center of the flower and background in free-motion stitching. For the wings, I used a gold organza and some free-motion stitching for the veins within the wings. I auditioned many different flowers for my bee, but she finally landed on this pink cone flower!