The Fabric Collage Finish Line: Quilts from Online Submissions

This month’s collection of Finish Line quilts come from different sources. They are from former students, readers of my book “Serendipity Quilts” (such as Connie Morrison’s sun face above), and users of the Fabric Collage Online Master Class Manual.

The newly-instated Submit Your “Finish Line” Quilt form on my website has been so helpful. The form makes sure that I have all the information I need for posting in the blog, such as title of quilt, size, year it was made, and most importantly a short write up about it. So if you have a fabric collage quilt you want to share, follow this link to submit your work.

Antoinette Hettinga

You first met Antoinette in an On the Road 2018 post from a class I was teaching at the Quilt Gallery in Kalispell, MT, where she began the quilt of her husband, Hilary (below). I saw Antoinette again in June of this year where she not only brought back Hilary’s completed portrait, but a few other collage quilts she had been inspired to create since that first class. Those new quilts were all included in another blog, the Finish Line: Quilts from the Quilt Gallery, Part 2. Antoinette is from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.

Through the online submission, Antoinette has now sent along a few more quilts, including her “Heart of Music” quilt, below. Sometimes having limitations with your materials, such as limiting the colors of her fabrics as Antoinette did, will free up one’s creativity—though Antoinette does just fine with her creativity as it is.

This summer my husband and I spent two weeks on Savary Island off the Sunshine Coast of BC, Canada with no electricity in our cabin.  I took along black and white material for creating the centre heart thinking that I would have all the “colors” necessary to make this quilt, as we had to boat onto the island with all our supplies, and take everything off the island once we left.

I had so much fun cutting loose using the fabric images to guide me. Thanks for encouraging our own creations.  My love for music got to shine through my “Heart of Music” creation.

I was delighted that Antoinette has also been sharing her love of fabric collage with her grandchildren.

We have six grandchildren, ages 2-8. This summer four of them wanted to “make a quilt like Grandma does.”

 

Paxton (6) started with a quilt inspired by his last year kindergarten teacher on the life cycle of a caterpillar.

Finnley (6) wanted to make a quilt of an unicorn and wanted lots of “Bling”!  She cut small and smaller pieces of fabrics and placed every piece on her own.   I outlined the unicorn with silver thread as the image seemed to get a bit lost with her love of color.

Paxton wanted to create a large image of a dinosaur. He cut and placed all the fabric for the dinosaur and then decided on each of the background fabrics, which Grandma did help shape.

Paxton’s sisters, Willa (4) and Sloan (2) wanted in on the action too.  Willa is creating an elephant and Sloan is creating a bunny.  For them it is all about having Grandma cut most of the fabric and them do the placing with pins.  The more pins, the better.  These are still works in process.

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Connie Morrison

Connie Morrison, from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, made her sun face from the pattern in my book, “Serendipity Quilts.” In this piece, Connie limited her fabric choices to two basic colors, but still used a variety of different fabrics within the given color ranges. The sage green fabrics create a lovely contrast to the rich mixture of monochromatic purples. The overall effect seems very serene to me.

I have made a few collage quilts using fusible web and somehow came across your book. I wanted to try your technique and I loved the “sun” in your book. I got my fabrics ready and for some reason was hesitant to get started. Finally I put some pieces for eyes and I was away! I found your technique so much fun and the collage was nice and soft to quilt. I put a layer of sparkling pink tulle overtop, hence the name “Sparkling Sunshine.”

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Phyllis Rutherford

Yet another Canadian, Phyllis Rutherford lives in Port Alberni, British Columbia on Vancouver Island. The turtle is based on my “Serendipitous Sea Turtle” pattern. I love Phyllis’ use of 3D elements, including the shells, bits of fabric, yarns, and other embellishments. Even the jellyfish has that visual dimension.

I bought the book “Serendipity Quilts” after watching Susan Carlson on The Quilt Show. I then made a picture quilt of a sea turtle using the collage method.

 

I made the turtle first and then decided on the background. I wanted the turtle to be swimming in the ocean. I entered this quilt in our local Fall Fair and one a first place ribbon.

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Janet Neault

Janet began this lovely fabric collage quilt three years ago in a Kalispell, MT class at the Quilt Gallery in 2016. Janet is from Whitehall, Montana.

It’s challenging to work with monochromatic subjects, such as Janet’s black bear. She did a great job managing to identify and create the different values in the bear’s fur—plus a very nice job with using the designs in her tone-on-tone printed fabric—in order to give the bear shape, form, and visual texture. She also successfully dealt with the foreshortening of the bear in the composition with the background.

I took the Kalispell class from Susan in July of 2016. After I got home from the class I used the book “Serendipity Quilts” and photos I had taken in class of Susan demonstrating different techniques, to help finish it.

The description Janet gives below of her thought process for the background, is a perfect example of how having a “story” about your subject can help make that background decision making process just a little easier.

For designing a background, I started with the bear and then thought about other types of hunters and ended up with three in the picture, the black bear, Ursa Minor, and Orion the Hunter. I took the idea of Susan’s using tulle [for embellishing] and used grey glitter tulle across the sky.

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Sally Moravec

Sally Moravec began her lion in a class at Empty Spools Seminars in 2015, and hails from Citrus Heights, CA. Her class was a few months before I started this blog so this quilt has never previously appeared in its in-progress form.

I actually do remember Sally’s lion from that class. I often remember where a quilt was worked on—the classroom space and location. I also remember Sally’s excitement and focus on creating this image. I can’t say I could now pick Sally herself out of a crowd—but I could tell you where “The Lion” was made. So nearing five years later, it’s fun for me to see this fellow finished.

When signing up for the class at Asilomar, I knew I wanted to do an animal of some sorts but not sure what. I began collecting pictures and ideas and remembered this wonderful picture of a lion that a friend and fellow quilter took on a trip to Africa. She graciously gave me permission to use her photo and “The Lion” was born! I tried to come up with another name for the quilt but family and friends insist on calling it “The Lion”—so that is what he is. This was my first art quilt and way outside my comfort zone but oh so much fun and one of my favorites.

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Tamara Dezellem

I’ll finish this post with a quilt by Tamara Dezellem—a student of my Online Master Class only, so far. She tells me that I’ll get to meet her in-person in a class I’ll be teaching next year when I return to the Quilt Gallery in MT. She made the fish above to help prepare for the class, which I think is an excellent idea for any student new to fabric collage, or even as a refresher to loosen up a bit. Having as much fabric collage experience as possible will only make absorbing the information in class easier.

A couple of years ago on a MT road trip, a friend & I wandered into the Quilt Gallery in Kalispell, MT, while Susan was teaching a class. My friend & I turned to one another & said “we gotta take this class!” We finally were able to register for a class in September 2020. In preparation for the class we decided to take Susan’s online master class. Via text & FaceTime chats we have encouraged one another through the process. This fish quilt is one of Susan’s patterns made from the online instruction. I wanted to get familiar with the collage technique taught by Susan prior to taking an in-person class.

I love color & prints so I was drawn to the collage technique taught by Susan Carlson. For several years each May, I camped with my family in Hell’s Canyon and did a lot of fishing with my uncle. The jig included on the quilt was hand-tied by him. This quilt reminds me of all the good times fishing & camping with my family.

Based on what I see in this fish quilt, I look forward to working with Tamara next year. She’s already cut loose and let go with the colors and prints she found in her fabrics—that watery background is great. I think we’ll have some fun in that class.

 

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ANNOUNCING FOR NOVEMBER 2020

Susan Carlson Teaches Fabric Images
at the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts

November 2-6, 2020, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Description
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.

For more information or to register, visit the museum website here.