Crafting the Batman quilt was a lot of fun, but it certainly involved a lot of trial and error.  Actually doing the construction turned out to be easier than I expected. Planning the process was the bigger challenge.​

True, the copy I printed was very pale. Very pale. While that didn't help, it wasn't the real problem.  Apparently, magnified to more than 500% of original size, all the lines in the comic got very fuzzy.  Tracing over them with a sharp pencil clarified the nature of the problem, but not the image. I'd have to go back to the (computer) drawing-board and produce a precise line drawing.  

With a grid added to divide the image into 25 sheets of paper, it was ready to print.

Coming up next: Holy seams, Batman! We're actually sewing!

But where to start? Working from the center outward was one option, and maybe a good one. Instead, I chose to work from the edges in, and from the top down. Though I confess, that decision was really based on wanting to start with the easiest part.  That long, straight seam across the top was the clear winner. (Actually, two long straight seams; there's the dark green, then a narrow strip of black, then the lighter green.) The next seam would be a curve, but a long, gentle curve. Piece of cake.

My working method was similar to piecing quilt blocks: build up sections with straight machine sewing, then join to other sections with more straight seams. In places where that method broke down (like the angled yellow-and-brown window frames in the photo below), I did what I could on the machine, then finished up the "hard parts" with hand-applique.

As I selected each section for sewing, I cut the corresponding shapes from the paper pattern to use for cutting the fabric, adding seam allowances to each piece. 

So far, so good, but the black and grey colors in the original were not looking like a quilt for a toddler.  The brighter, shades-of-blue Batman was what I was looking for.

The next step was very computer-intensive, as I traced every single colored shape from the drawing. (There's probably all sorts of software available to automate all that tracing, but I use a slow, tedious method, using Microsoft Publisher. I do not recommend it to anyone with a normal tolerance for tedium and frustration, but it works for me.) Assuming I'd have the original comic image to use as a pattern , I made this tracing a bit rough--no finesse in the drawing, just enough detail to see the color patches.

Then I played with re-coloring all those shapes in different shades of blue and green. Thinking ahead, I chose my palette from the colors available in Kaufman's Kona Cotton. After all, I wanted to be sure that I could actually find fabric to match my color choices.  You can see two versions of color trials below. ​

Honestly, I rather prefer the version on the left for its moodier atmosphere. But some of the colors are a bit too close in value.  I decided to go with the version on the right.

With the drawing finalized, it was time to scale it up. The computer made this part easy. My expanded comic  was proportioned to cover one sheet of paper; scaled up to 500% of original size, it would make a 42 1/2 inch by 55 inch quilt. The pattern would print out on 25 sheets of paper. Perfect. 

Using the full-size pattern and my favorite color trial , I calculated yardage requirements and placed my order. I'd need black, a bit of white and peach, brown, orange, 2 shades of yellow, 3 of green, and 5 of blue. Phew!