It’s our fifth anniversary and they say that wood is the appropriate gift. In Maine, that might mean a cord of firewood, split and stacked. But really, wood is said to signify durability, which seems appropriate. Each week for the last five years (minus a week or two in the middle of the summers) we’ve produced a new blog post to accompany your Saturday morning cuppa.
In recognition of that milestone, we’ve collected the most popular blog post from each of those five years. These are the posts that received the most views during those years. Some come as no surprise to us, as they are how-to posts covering essential aspects of the fabric collage process. Others were unexpected: Why was a blog post about a 2017 class at Asilomar so popular in 2019? If we could answer that question we’d rule the internet!
The blog will continue forward—we have yet to run out of ideas for new ways to present the beauty and process of fabric collage. But it has occurred to us that some of you might need to be reminded how to sort through all of the five years worth of posts to find the information you want or need.
There are a couple of search options. First you can search by Category—How-To, Finish Line, On the Road, and so on—using the drop down menu on the right-hand of any blog post page. Also on those pages you can enter keywords into the search box to find particular subjects of interest to you. Was your quilt included in a Finish Line blog post but you can’t remember which one? Just enter your name. Attended a class with me? Enter the venue name and year, or again, your name to relive the memories of that class. Interested in learning a particular technique, such as gluing, cutting, or making backgrounds? You can search for that, too.
But for now, enjoy these five posts that others (and maybe even you) have considered to be their favorites.
Year One—2016
Originally published: December 10, 2016
Backgrounds can be surprisingly tough. You think you’ve done the all hard work by creating your main image then you hit a wall: what to do for the background? I think this post was so popular because it helped frame that challenge in a useful way—What’s the story of your subject?—then giving readers the techniques they can use to follow through on the answer to that question.
Every subject you choose has a story. It can be as basic as “this fish is swimming in the ocean,” to as complex as “this was my pet gerbil from when I was ten years old and it taught me the responsibility of caring for another living creature therefore I want to place it in the center of a circle signifying my life”—you get the idea.
Let the background help you tell the story.
For more ideas on backgrounds, you can refer to my Thursday Night in My Studio Live!—Backgrounds series, available for purchase on my website, www.susancarlson.com—just scroll down to the Thursday Night section.
Year Two—2017
Originally published: May 6, 2017
Copyright and Copywrong: Finding an Image for Fabric Collage
I never dreamed that the idea of copyright would be such a big thing, but boy, did people respond to this one. It has the most requests for shares of any blog post I’ve published. Many quilt guilds contacted me to request permission to share with their members, so it’s obviously an issue that needed and continues to need to be addressed.
Quilting traditionally has been a collaborative process: quilting bees, the sharing of patterns, and so on. But as quilting has become recognized not only as fine craft but also as art, even high art, copyright becomes something we all need to be aware of.
While this blog post doesn’t get very technical and certainly doesn’t answer all questions about copyright, it started a conversation of which I am proud to be part.
Year Three—2018
Update Originally Published: February 18, 2017
In the third year of our blog, a How-To post from year two got the most views, proving that the good ol’ basics don’t get old. The best start on a fabric collage quilt is having a workable design, and this post shows how to get there. Depending on your subject matter, accuracy to the image is not always super important—but if it is, then getting the pattern right is where to start. Inaccurate patterns lead to inaccurate depictions of your subject.
This post, updated since it was first published (April 2, 2016), shows how I go about creating a pattern. There are other ways to do it, but I find this works for me and for most of my students.
Year Four—2019
Originally Published: March 18, 2017
This post is the wildcard in this list. How and why a post from a class in 2017 became so popular in 2019, is a mystery. In any case, this post is great fodder for those who dream of attending a quilting conference such as Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar State Park in California. The location is fantastic of course: right on the ocean and encouraging for early morning walks.
Empty Spools’ yearly seminars attract some of the best attendees and quilting teachers from around the world. For so many of us, it serves as a kind of reunion each year (though not for 2020!) as we travel in from all over. All my On the Road Teaching posts cover student work from the classes I teach, plus scenic and general travel photos for the enjoyment of my armchair-travel readers.
Year Five—2020
Originally Published: August 19, 2017
I keep asking Tom if he’s sure that all these originally published in 2017 posts were truly the #1 viewed blog posts for later years. He keeps saying yes.
So, the most popular post for our fifth year of blogging is another oldie but goodie—all about finishing your fabric collage quilt with a wrap-and-glue binding. Students have been pleasantly surprised that you can continue to collage and glue right to the edge—and around—your quilt. It’s a playful treatment that completes your quilt with the richness of fabric collage.
Congratulations on meeting this milestone
You continue to be my source of inspiration
I will always remember the first time we met and the look on your face when seeing my drawing of the duck/ goose/ Turkey ❣️Not really a beginner design but you taught me to see fabric in a whole new way. I have never looked back and think of you always as I talk myself through the process. Thank you Susan, you are the best ????
Congratulations!!! That’s quite a milestone! I enjoyed guessing which posts might be included as yearly favorites.
I met you at Asilomar is 2017–while working on my dog, Cajun. I love reading about your classes. Your travel posts are fabulous, describing all the side trips and attractions. My very favorite was the year you visited Australia and Stevie the croc was featured in the Australasian exhibit. Beautiful venue and dancing to Crocodile Rock! Truly amazing sightseeing, as well!!! Sending fond wishes for many more creative blog posts!!!