I admit it: fabric collage isn’t always intuitive. When I mention sequence in fabric collage, I’m talking about the (optimal) order in which you approach the various layers of your collage. Sometimes the best way to go about creating an image is to work “backwards.”
For example, in this week’s Throwback Thursday, one of the explanations is how I made the butterfly wings in my quilt “Monarch Maia.” For her monarch wings (above), I collaged the orange shapes and white spots on the wings first, then filled in the black lines around them. If I had first cut a large piece of black fabric as a base, it would have immediately covered up all those details that I had drawn so carefully on my foundation fabric.
I gave similar advice on sequence to a student in my September 2021 Live Online Class. Cathy Holmes’ subject was a fawn still sporting its white spots. I had her cut the spots first and glue them in place, before filling around the spots with a variety of fabrics for the reddish brown coat. See Cathy’s colorful collaged result and three more students’ works in this Saturday’s regular post.
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.
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.
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.