The Finish Line: Margaret Jessop

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In Case You Missed It

The Susan Carlson Fabric Collage Online Master Class is now available.
Learn fabric collage on your schedule, in your home.

CLICK FOR MORE INFO

Today, March 24, is the deadline to enter the lottery for the April Online Coaching Classroom.
(Reminder: purchase of the Fabric Collage Master Class Manual is a prerequisite.)

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It’s time for another entry in my Finish Line series of blog posts. This week I feature just one student, Margaret Jessop of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I first met Margaret in Canmore, Alberta, years ago when I was teaching there at a shop called The Sugar Pine Company. She has also taken classes from me in Kalispell, Montana (at the Quilt Gallery) and we recently renewed our acquaintance in Calgary a few weeks ago when I taught a private class there.

Margaret is a joy to have in class—she’s always smiling and laughing. She goes around to other students and encourages them, usually saying, “That’s great. Now do more!” She is fearless in creating—she never met a color or pattern she wouldn’t use. She’s not afraid to go big or bold, as is evident by her portraits. She’s spontaneous. She dives in and attacks a project. Due in no small part to her fearlessness, I think, she’s also quite prolific.

In short, she’s serious about her art, but she doesn’t take it seriously. Does that make sense?

Fish

She got her start in fabric collage in one of my “Fish” classes.

My first class with Susan, I said, “I really don’t want to make a fish.” Susan said, “Just try it, then go on to do whatever you want.” I cannot believe how many fish I have made since. I was so inspired by Susan that I took her class three more times. Every class I take, I learn something more. I am amazed at how much I can learn from Susan. I have been so inspired over the past dozen years and I am honored to be one of Susan’s biggest fans and now, a friend.

Click on a fish for a larger view.

With my blessing, Margaret now teaches a version of my fish class, putting her own unique spin on the process.

I have been following Susan’s techniques for years. I have simplified the fish class. We don’t use patterns and I don’t use muslin. I just have them cut out a fish and add more and more until I say it’s done. We audition the backgrounds and the tulle on top and sometimes, we pick a theme, but everyone is happy with a fabulous fish that they have created themselves.

I have to say, she has become something of a fabric collage evangelist.

Portraits

The first portrait Margaret made was, according to her, in 2006 in Canmore. This portrait of her daughter is not at all representative of the style she works in now. This naturalistic portrait is charming but very different from the large colorful face portraits she moved on to doing.

Next, Margaret was inspired by my quilt “Elements,” to use her four children to personify the elements herself.

Katy, Paul, Fraser & Anna are now one quilt called the Four Elements.  I was inspired by Susan’s “Elements.” Katy depicted Water because she was a Water Safety Instructor, a lifeguard, Aquasize instructor, swim teacher, etc. Paul is Earth because of his love for camping and outdoor education and his work in Eco-tourism. Fraser is Fire because he is known for his fiery music and personality, plus he actually likes to swing Poi (fire). Anna is Wind, because she is so free and easy and also played wind instruments (clarinet and recorder).

As you can see, Margaret often uses a theme in her quilts, something I encourage other students to do as well. Placing an arbitrary limit on yourself—like only using certain colors or types of fabrics—is in my experience a boost to creativity. It seems counterintuitive but I think you can see, in the quilts above and those that follow, how choosing a theme rather than limiting one’s creativity actually encourages it.

Here are quilts of her mom (music, music themed fabrics), her dad (geology, fabrics with rocks), her husband Dale (wood themed) and herself (quilting themed).

Making It Personal

Margaret’s quilts, as you can guess, have a lot of meaning to her personally. Using her family as subject matter gives these quilts a layer of intensity and purpose that a random subject could not contain.

I have redone two of my quilts. My daughter, Katy, died in 2014. I never did like the original Water quilt I did of her, because I felt her eyes weren’t quite right. Katy always hated her curly hair and was always straightening it, so she wanted me to redo the quilt with straight hair. I’ve been working on it for a while and completed it this last year.

In 2016, I was voted “Quilter of Distinction” here in Calgary. They wanted all my portrait quilts, so I had to redo the one of me, so I have included that final draft. I put it on a log cabin background.

Recently

As I said, in February of this year Margaret took a class with me in Calgary. For show and tell, she had brought a couple other quilts inspired by my own quilts.

When I found out Susan was coming back to Alberta, I had to finish two quilts that I had started years ago. I saw Susan’s “Fructos”, and thought, I should do a fruit bat from all my fruit fabric scraps. I finished it just before Susan’s visit in 2018.

Way back in 2007, I made a plan to make a crocodile. I was very inspired by Susan’s “Tickled Pink” and loved the pink and green. Then, her “Polka Dodo” came out, and my plan was solidified. I started collecting pink and green polkadot fabrics.  I started my 10 1/2′ crocodile.  Imagine my surprise when Susan created her “Crocodylus Smylus.” Anyway, I quickly finished my “Polkadile: Ode to Susan Carlson” in time for her to see it in February.

More show and tell photos below.

In Progress

To finish up, I want to include a few in-progress shots of Margaret’s work. I like people to see the messy, in-progress stages of a quilt because demystifies the process a bit. Just seeing the finished work tends to be overwhelming, like the quilt happened by magic. Fabric collage quilts are almost always the result of joy and inspiration, yes, but in large part they are created due to hard work and determination.

This final quilt, in progress, is of Margaret’s grandson, which she was working on in the Calgary class in February. This makes four generations she has made into fabric collage quilts. (Click on an image to enlarge.)

My Grandson, Harrison, and I were at the zoo and a butterfly landed on his head. He loves Eric Carle stories, so I made it an Eric Carle butterfly. Alas, still not finished.  

Thank you, Margaret, for sharing your quilts with us.

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Class Openings for My Australian Friends

Caroline Sharkey of Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia has a few spots left in my 4-day workshop upcoming in May. Here are the particulars.

Caroline Sharkey Textile Workshops
May 17 – May 20
Caroline Sharkey Textile Workshops Coffs Harbour, New South Wales Australia

Email Caroline Sharkey with your expression of interest: [email protected]

Create a fabric collage quilt of your own chosen subject using Susan’s innovative layering/collage method. Individual design, fabric selection, construction, borders, and quilting will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on the collage piecing process. Students will draw their design onto a foundation fabric and fill in the design with fabrics of their choice—without the use of templates. For about an hour each morning, Susan starts with a discussion and demonstration that will lay out the basics of fabric collage and will give you the information you need to start your work day. She then visits each student in turn to address individual needs and their project’s unique challenges.