Regardless of how the new year has begun, this blog post contains six really good things to finish off the first week of 2021—six charismatic quilts, created by five talented ladies—three of whom I’ve had the pleasure of teaching in past classes (such as Vickie Ostrow whose horny toad portrait appears above). I know it cheers me up to see these fantastic fabric collage quilts that have made it their own individual Finish Line.
If you are between quilts or have yet to start your first fabric collage, these beauties should inspire you to get going. If you need further guidance be sure to check out our educational eWorkshops at the end of this post.
If you have your own finished fabric collage quilt that you’d like to share with us and help inspire others, please submit it through the button below. Thank you!
Submit Quilt for "Finish Line"
Also, I am currently scheduling fabric collage coaching sessions through Zoom on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of each week in two time slots: 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Use the link below to schedule a session. We’ve written a couple blog posts describing the online coaching process—click here and here to learn more.
Leigh McMorrow
Leigh McMorrow of Briny Breezes, Florida traveled to Maine for one of my Harpswell retreats in June, 2019. Her subject may not be living and breathing, but it sure has a personality. Cars and other mechanically oriented subjects create their own unique challenges. In this case, Leigh found her particular challenge to be recreating the chrome which bejewels so many of these beautiful old cars.
I also remember the rusty ol’ hubcaps being a collage wall that Leigh hit, but as she mentions below, it was the “sequence” of construction that got her through it (quite rapidly, actually). A morning demonstration that week in class was the Eye Demo—showing how to approach a detailed area with a sequential layering sequence—and when we talked about how the sequence of constructing an eye could also be applied to a hubcap, she was on a roll. I smiled to read that the “top down, bottom up” approach is still with her. Leigh, The Buke is beautiful. And nice choice for the background—simple but effective—I see her nestled into the pine woods just as you described.
From Leigh:
I started my collage quilt journey with Susan’s book, Serendipity Quilts. Then I was fortunate enough to be able to attend one of her classes in Harpswell, Maine. I enjoyed the class so much that I signed up for the Master Class Manual which has been great to refer back to every now and then. The videos are very helpful.
This is the quilt I started in her class. It took me 7 months to complete, working on it here and there between my work schedule. I am now enjoying the Thursday night online courses that are being offered.
The quilt is from a photograph my daughter took. The car belongs to a fellow car enthusiast and is affectionately known as “The Buke.” She is a classic 1950 Buick. I just loved the picture and decided to try and recreate it in fabric collage. The chrome was the hardest part. I glued and then ripped many pieces of fabric off until I finally got just the right combination or colors to mimic the shiny chrome.
I took many black and white photos as I progressed through the process to make sure my values were correct. My biggest hurdle was just “going with it” and getting used to the “color is irrelevant” thing. I used a template method in other fabric collages so Susan’s method was a challenge for me however, I love the way her quilts look so I had to try.
The one thing I took away from her class in Maine was how to work on the quilt in modules or sections (top down, bottom up). I did the front tire as a module, the hood ornament and the badge on the front of the car was another. The grill and wind shield were 2 others. It made the process a bit easier working in small sections like that. Also, How do you know when to start gluing? Susan’s response: “When you run out of pins!” LOL
Cathy Laws
Cathy Laws of Tucson, Arizona sent in two quilts including this one of her daughter’s little dog. This little fellow made me laugh out loud—thank you Cathy, and Porter! Cathy did a great job creating Porter’s likeness—including those wonderful little teeth. Cathy said it took her two months to complete, which sounds about right to me. In comparing her original photo with the finished quilt, I can see all the little touches of value and the use of the fabric print in Porter’s contours, and that takes time.
And the background of blanket, treat, and cats—perfect. That’s letting the background help tell the story of Porter.
From Cathy:
Since I found Susan’s quilt book, Serendipity Quilts, I have been using Susan s collage method to make quilts. I am learning as I go and always finding new subject matter. I enjoy the blog and online classes. I haven’t been able to attend the classes live, so I have purchased the videos. This is a great tool for me because I can refer to the video anytime.
This quilt is of my daughter’s dog, Porter, a favorite subject. After a previous attempt that I wasn’t satisfied with, I tried again. I have learned to really stick with the original drawing so that I can make a better likeness. This is a small quilt but I spent about two months on it. In the upper right hand corner there is a tiny window with three cats, since Porter lives with three cats. The background is usually a mystery to me until I get there but I love batik fabrics so that is how I finished this. He’s sitting on a blanket with some treats like he does at home.
Below is another quilt from Cathy—fiery and energetic in her use of color—and a perfect canvas to use some of her fabric that’s been waiting for a home.
From Cathy:
This is a quilt was made from Susan’s sea turtle pattern. When she offered a free pattern during this pandemic, I downloaded the turtle and had some fun with it. Thank you Susan!
The turtle was fun and I would recommend doing it larger than I did. I tried some brighter colors for the turtle since I had some fabrics that I wanted to use for the head. The background is a batik with seaweed on the side. I had a weird wavy fabric that I bought just because I liked it once upon a time. I was glad to finally find a place for it.
Terry Courtney
I’m starting out the year grinning like a fiend with all these quilts. I love Sam’s pear-shaped quality and his declaration of who he is. He seems to have made a good decision when he adopted Terry Courtney of Sonoma County, Northern California, many years ago. Terry’s story of Sam is as heart-warming as the quilt she made to remember him. And Terry certainly made her own collage magic working with the colors, values, and prints of her fabrics.
It’s also lovely to read and hear how there’s a fabric collage community out there. Terry met a past student of mine, Diana Roberts, who helped her though the (sometimes overwhelming) background decision. See Diana’s finished Cody cat portrait here.
From Terry:
I’m not really sure where I saw your quilts first but from the get go I was intrigued to find out how you did this magic! I couldn’t believe how realistic a bright pink rhinoceros could be! After following your blog for many years I bought Serendipity Quilts and was determined to figure out this process! I feel like I’ve always had a problem with the color and I thought this be the purr-fect project to make me “step outside my box“.
I was never a big fan of cats but Sam showed up on my back deck several years ago, after my boyfriend started feeding him for days he became mine. He was very fearful in the beginning but after my sister, “the cat whisperer,” spent the day with him he became a new cat. He climbed in my lap the next day and I became a cat lover. Sadly, I lost him 4 years ago so I thought this would be a great way to honor him.
I worked on this project on and off for the last three years and was determined to finish it. I was lucky enough to be introduced to one of your former students, Diana Roberts. She helped me with the background and the border. I am so grateful to Susan and all the other quilters out there that so generously share their talents. The Quilting world is a great community!
I absolutely love your blog, it’s so inspiring to look at all of the quilts and watch their progress. I also love how you talk about the scary stage, there were a few times I thought about wrapping this project up but I kept on going. The big piles of fabric kind of made me crazy during the process, but I always feel like the bigger the mess I make more fun I’m having. That’s a hard concept for an outsider to understand! Lol! Right now I think I’ll take a break but I look forward to trying this technique again.
Cheryl Lamon
Will the smiles never end!? I met Cheryl Lamon of Lanesboro, Minnesota, in November 2019 (my last in-person class to date), at Woodland Ridge Retreat Center in Downsville, Wisconsin. Cheryl chose to do not just one but two(!) portraits—what a challenge! Cheryl perfectly captured the easy-going connection between her grandsons and what a pleasure it is to see them (and you, Cheryl) again. A lovely finish to that memorable class.
From Cheryl:
I took a class with Susan at Woodland Ridge in Wisconsin. I have always wanted to do a portrait and I felt this was my opportunity while being in a class with Susan. It was so helpful to have her help as I worked through the process of putting the fabrics in the proper prospective.
These are my twin grandsons, Ethan and Bennett. When the boys were small and we couldn’t tell them apart, we dressed Ethan in green and Bennett in blue. I changed their shirts to those colors from the original photo. I hope to do more of these in the future.
Vickie Ostrow
This week we’ll finish where we started—with a sweet, tentative looking, and quite bristled horned lizard named Texas Rose, by Vickie Ostrow of Kittery, Maine. Vickie is quite sweet herself and I had the pleasure to see her a few times in 2019, a couple times with this critter in tow. The first being the same June retreat in Harpswell, Maine that Leigh McMorrow (at the beginning of this post) began her rusted Buick in—the second, an October retreat at the same location, where Vickie got far enough along to begin a second collage of her granddaughter. I’m very happy to see Texas Rose in her final form and with her final lacey details. What a delight, Vickie!
Vickie credits Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark as her horned lizard photo source. I talked about this fantastic collection of animal photos and image resource in a post dedicated to Ria Mille’s quilts, (almost) all based on Sartore’s Photo Ark as well.
From Vickie:
I came to fabric collage through quilting, and I never considered myself to be any kind of visual artist. Then I took my first class with Susan several years ago, and I used her book, Serendipity Quilts, to complete my earliest collages. I also used some of her patterns to get me past my lack of confidence in my artistic ability, and those helped me tremendously.
Living in Maine, I have been able to attend four or five of Susan’s classes since 2017, primarily by putting my name on waiting lists for her classes. Last year [2019], I hit the jackpot and was able to attend two and a half classes because of late cancellations. They were an amazing learning experience, and I met a few fellow collagers who have been great online supporters of my efforts as well!
I also rely heavily on Susan’s Online Master Class Manual, her blog posts, and lately her Thursday Night online presentations.
I was born and raised in Texas where as children we used to try to catch horny toads in the brush at the end of our road. They were fascinating to me as a child, with their small pancake bodies, spiky heads, and their ability to spit blood out of their eyes when threatened. I wanted to pick a subject that had special meaning for me, so I picked the Texas Horned Lizard.
Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark Foundation gave me permission to use one of his photographs as the basis for my drawing, but I altered his photo slightly because the lizard he had photographed had a damaged mouth. I decided to use non-traditional colors with appropriate values, and I named my horny toad Rose because of the circle of petal-like scales these lizards have nestled in their spikes behind their eyes. (Did you know that they collect dew in the cracks between their scales and funnel the water into their mouths because they live in a mostly desert environment? They really are amazing!)
My color palette started from her name and that flower-like swirl of scales. I primarily used batiks and Kaffe Fassett fabrics, but there are other cotton prints in there along with some colored lace and tulle for shading. I started with her eye and worked out from there. The nose hole and mouth definitely gave me the most trouble; I must have redone that one nostril twenty times. Finally, I had to tell myself that this was as good as I was going to be able to do at this time, and that actually made me feel better about my work. Plus I knew I could come back to these areas if I was still unhappy with them once the first draft was done. I also decided to do less of the lizard’s body than I had first intended because there were just so many scales! I was struggling, so I focused on just the face and the one foot, and I was much happier with my results.
I have included a close-up shot of scales incorporating bits of green and pink lace and a small shadow of black tulle. Susan was great in helping me see how I could use fabrics like these to accentuate, blend, or shade areas of my second and third drafts. Plus even a tough lady like Rose deserves a little finery when she is going out on the town!
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. Five complete projects, start to finish, of increasing complexity. Learn fabric collage with this book.
Absolutely love Vickies’s Rose. I compared her to the photograph in J. Sartore’s Ark. Great interpretation and striking colors. Climbing out of the frame makes her come to life.
Great job ladies! Thank you for sharing!
I have a difficult time with “color is irrelevant “.
These pieces are wonderful, and I’m especially taken with Vickie’s Texas Horned Toad. I grew up in Texas and have seen these amazing little creatures–quite drab and far from lovely in person.
Thank you for showing so many amazing quilts