Some fabric collage subjects are meant to be more fanciful than others. But if interpreting a subject in a realistic way is your goal for a finished quilt, the place to start is with creating a pattern. Taking your time to draw a good design to base your collage on, is actually, a time saver in the end, not to mention lowering the possibility of frustration. If your pattern is well drawn, following those guidelines it gives you will help your subject appear—as if by magic—from the foundation fabric it’s glued to. If your pattern is a bit loose and haphazard, your result likely will be, too. One follows the other.
In today’s Throwback Thursday (link below), I cover the process of making patterns based on an image: from photo to tracing to enlarged pattern to foundation fabric—such as the drawing of our dog Pippin (above), resulting in my quilt “Dixie Dingo Dreaming.”
I’ll be sharing more information about drawing designs for fabric collage in my upcoming Thursday Night in My Studio Live! presentations. In this two-part series, I’ll be demonstrating how to customize and adapt my Moon Portrait and Sun Portrait patterns, personalizing them to reflect the faces of family members.
Join me live on the Thursdays of November 12th and 19th, or later with recordings available through my website: susancarlson.com, or by clicking on the links below. Just scroll down the front page to the Thursday Night listings to sign up.
Register for Celestial Portrait Patterns: Moon
Register for Celestial Portrait Patterns: Sun
A reminder that we have brought back the Pandemic Collage Coping Free Pattern. Get your free pattern by visiting the Patterns page—susancarlson.com/patterns/—and using this Coupon Code:
goawaypandemicfreepattern
Be sure to click Apply Coupon before proceeding to checkout. Those who used the previous coupon code for a free pattern can use this one for a new free pattern. And if another pattern or two catches your eye, you’re welcome to add it to your Shopping Cart. 😉 One free pattern per customer.
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Spiral eWorkshop
Wondering if fabric collage is for you? This eWorkshop is intended for beginners in fabric collage. The spiral project is simple, low stress, but still teaches the basic techniques of fabric collage. It also serves as a handy refresher course for those with more experience.
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Sea Turtle eWorkshop
Learn fabric collage with Susan Carlson. Each step is clearly written, illustrated with photos, and demonstrated with video. Learn with a Sea Turtle then launch into any fabric collage project you wish.
Fabric Collage Master Class
For instructions on the entire fabric collage process, you can purchase the Susan Carlson Fabric Collage Online Master Class Manual. Using video, photos, and text I take you from soup to nuts, beginning to end in creating your own fabric collage masterpiece.
Serendipity Quilts for Sale
$29.95 plus shipping. Full color throughout. Four complete projects, start to finish, of increasing complexity. Learn fabric collage with this book.