Fabric collage is flexible. You can change things, then change them again, as much as you want—sometimes it’s hard to stop.
This flexibility allows me to work in drafts and it’s why I teach students to work in drafts. The writer Anne Lamott with her book “Bird by Bird,” first turned me onto this way of thinking (see my post “Bird by Bird: How I Use a Book on Writing to Teach Fabric Collage”): first draft (get it down), second draft (fix it up), and third draft or “dental draft” (check every tooth to see if any are loose).
But how does that work? What’s my thought process as I move from one draft to the next? What am I looking for?
Below are a couple examples of what I think about when taking a fabric collage quilt from first draft to second draft. These recordings use photos of projects from my upcoming Celestial Portraits module for the Fabric Collage Master Class. I used Zoom to annotate my thinking on the photos as I narrate the changes I think need to be made.
I’m getting to love the annotation feature on Zoom. I think it’s a great tool for communicating visually. I started using it for Fabric Collage Coaching in 2020. And I used it this past week—all day, every day—as I met with the twelve students in my first ever Live Online Fabric Collage Class. (Stay tuned next week for a “NOT On the Road” post about that class.)
So I have one recording for each project below, the sun face and the moon face. Follow along as I talk about contrast, value, form, and blending. I’ll talk about problems, but more importantly I’ll suggest solutions. So if you find yourself at this stage in a fabric collage quilt, maybe this will help you look at your quilt and see both what’s working and what isn’t and give you some ideas for how to improve it.
Space Available in Upcoming Live Online Classes
April 12-16, Fabric Collage Menagerie
Class Description and Registration
Host: Madeline Island School of the Arts
May 17-21, Fabric Collage Menagerie
REGISTERHost: Susan Carlson
More Info About My Live Online Fabric Collage Classes
Monday-Friday: daily 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Pacific Time (11 a.m.-6 p.m. Eastern Time)
Fabric Collage Menagerie: 5-days
Create a fabric collage quilt of a favorite animal using Susan’s innovative layering/collage method. Pets, mammals of the world, birds, sea life such as turtles or fish—any animal is game—a fabric collage trophy. Susan will daily introduce different aspects of the fabric collage process, to expand on each student’s unique design. Fabric selection and how it relates to subject matter, construction, backgrounds and borders, quilting, and finishing for display will be discussed.
Required Class Fee: $169 for the Fabric Collage Master Class
($199 regular price; contact tom@tomallenbooks for coupon code for discount. This fee is waived if you already own the Master Class)
Hardware and Software Requirements
Computer, tablet, or other larger-screen device; reliable internet; ability to photograph and send images of collage in progress (a cellphone is recommended); Zoom meeting software (free to download)
Maximum Number of students: 12
Subject Matter: Animals only, see above.
Extra Perk: A welcome box mailed to you prior to class—contents yet to be determined (and may vary depending on host), though all will include a mini Oma’s Pumpkins pincushion. 😉