This collage portrait of my son Sam, has been in progress almost as long as COVID-19 has been on our radar. In other words, almost two years. And like COVID, this quilt has also changed over time. But unlike the pandemic, my quilt is now finished and it’s time to wrap up the journey it has taken me on.
This once-in-a-decade portrait quilt of Sam, the third so far, began around mid-April of 2020, as Sam was nearing his 23rd birthday (the other quilts were of him at 3 years and 13 years old). I had no idea what the composition would be this time or even what photo of him I’d use as a guide. Then the inspiration came through a blog post I was writing about creative inspiration. I wouldn’t have been home writing that post if it weren’t for COVID. So I think that through the years, for me, this quilt will reflect back to this time.
It’s a quiet quilt, full of layers—of fabrics both opaque and transparent. It evolved during its creation—the finished quilt doesn’t exactly match my vision when I started. Even its title, “Earthshine,” is different from the working title I gave it: “Blue Moon Sam.” And those changes are perfectly fine. This is something I’ve come to understand and accept for my quilts—they take on their own personality as I work on them. I look forward to seeing what they’ll become.
With those thoughts in mind as I put together this final post of Earthshine’s Quilt Story, I decided to celebrate the changes this quilt and its various sections have undergone with a grouping of slideshows. I went through photos from first-draft and onward, showing the more subtle (or not so subtle) adjustments and additions that go on after the base of the image is in place. I want to make the point that a first draft of a collage is just that, the first of more to come. The intent is that as you work on a piece, you edit, revise, and hone in on what the final image will be.
You may need a couple cuppas for this post, but I hope you enjoy the armchair journey.
The Overall Quilt
During the final draft stages, I used a variety of sheer fabrics to add final touches. Though my general motto is, “More is Better,” I actually felt I had added too much! In some places I even pulled up or cut away layers of sheers that I felt had become too heavy.
But that’s the beauty of fabric collage for me: the flexibility to add and subtract as desired or necessary. When I have a vision I want to achieve, I don’t want the technique I’m using to hold me back or even slow me down. Fabric collage is like a language to me now, innate and almost instinctual. Collaging may go smoothly or not, but it’s always engrossing and rewarding.
Progress from April 2021—January 2022
Quilt Slideshow
The Earth
Earth Slideshow
Sam’s Portrait
Sam’s Portrait Slideshow
Horns of the Moon
Upper Horn Slideshow
Lower Horn Slideshow
Finally, Quilting
It took a while until I was finally done tinkering with this collage and ready to commit to quilting—I couldn’t think of or find anything else to add to it, or take away from it. I glued down all loose edges of the no doubt thousands of pieces of fabric, layered it with batting and backing, and safety pin basted the three layers together.
Since the quilt was roughly divided into three sections—earth, universe, and moon—I quilted the central universe first, smoothing out the layers as I went. I love seeing the transformation from a glued collage to the soft texture of a stitched quilt as I progress. It’s meditative to me and so very satisfying.
Click on the photos below, to see before and after quilted closeups of the central universe.
Once the blue universe was quilted from side to side of the quilt, I switched to quilting the earth next, in photos below.
Lastly, I quilted the moon. First was Sam’s face (before and after details below), then the rest of the moon.
Threads
I often get asked about the threads I use for quilting. I’m very lucky that my sewing machine and I have built up a lovely working relationship over the past 30 or so years, and that he never complains when I switch from cotton to rayon to metallic threads. For this quilt, it was either cotton or rayon in either 30 or 50 weight—using a Universal 80/12 needle. I love my machine—a good ol’ Bernina 1530.
Above, Djinni debates whether to launch a spool or two of thread before I lift her off the quilt, again. The thread choices I made for quilting were based on blending rather than contrasting with the collage underneath. Four out of the six threads I used were variegated shades or colors.
Squaring It Up and Binding
Djinni does appreciate these final stages of finishing a quilt—plenty of opportunity to oversee and help with the process. I especially appreciated her sitting on Sam’s face, above. When quilting is finished and it’s time to square up the quilt, I flip it over on my ironing board and gently press it (no steam) to “relax” the fabrics and fibers, smoothing out folds and kinks that have occurred while quilting and maneuvering the quilt under my machine.
Then with a cutting mat underneath and a variety of measuring rules on top, I check and double check edges and dimensions and cut the quilt nice and square and straight with a rotary cutter. This quilt was designed with the moon’s curve breaking the boundaries of the rectangle of background behind it. For cutting that curve, I just used scissors, with a steady hand.
And to finish off those nice and crisp edges? My wrap and glue binding seemed like a natural choice—no trouble at all to curve around the moon’s edge. It takes a while, a simple yet time consuming option, but that’s what binge watching a tv series and podcasts are for. In the photo above, is my set up: trimmed quilt flat on a table, with relevant fabric scraps and larger pieces nearby. These I select and cut down for glueing around the edges as a binding. The ruler helps me double-check that the edges remain straight as I glue.
In the photos below is the finished front and back of the wrapped edge that you see in progress above. Click on photos to see larger.
The outer curve of the moon gets its finishing touch with the wrapped edge, below. I pick colors and patterns of fabrics that blend with the collage and continue the look of the image, wrapping it from the front to the back. I enjoy the seeming randomness of the glued edge as it appears on the back of the quilt.
The extending horns of the moon were no problem to bind with this wrap and glue method. It was the first time I had designed an element of the design to break out over the quilt’s edges like this. This design was a great solution when I was debating what to do with the background, and I’m quite happy with how it all turned out.
And as Sam nears his 25th birthday, he loves his belated gift, only 2 years in the making.
Excellent! Another beautiful gift for Sam to treasure.. Your work is always inspiring and so complex.
I can’t wait to see your next project!
Absolutely stunning! I love the lighter choices you made along the way, they really bring the quilt to life! There is so much joy, satisfaction, and beauty shining through in the images you have chosen – space, stars, music, flowers – may I assume these are some of the interests he has and you incorporate as a latent bit of his personality? The earth shares its light to illuminate the meditative face of your son, providing a glimpse of his mother’s love and pride. What a wonderful artist. What a lucky son! Thank you for sharing the process in so much detail.
It is stunning, and what a wonderful story behind it!! It is such an inspirational piece as well…been trying to think of something to make for each of my children as a legacy piece…this gives me some ideas… (hopefully won’t need to worry about this for about 20 years…) but what a wonderful gift–to Sam and to the art world…I just LOVE this piece, Susan…it is truly amazing!
Congratulations! This process has been like waiting for the final book of a series to be published! I ‘reread’ the previous installments in anticipation of this event. And even checked my phone during the night to see if it had arrived! It is exquisite and it makes my heart sing to look at at it. I will spent some enjoyable looking at it more closely, but for now I am happy with the conclusion of this saga.
You’ve blended love, skill, color, emotion, beauty, drama, and Sam into one extraordinary endeavor. At 25, Sam looks exactly like the two of you!
Incredible! Possibly my favorite of all your quilts- but they are all so wonderful it’s hard to decide. I love it! ????❤️????
Another remarkable result and loving legacy for Sam. The portrait feels so “Zen” floating in space and I particularly like the softness in the contours of his face.
Your quilt is absolutely beautiful!
What a wonderful work of art , the finished quilt gives a certain peace when first looking at it, my goodness you really have his likeness to perfection. Congratulations, and a very happy birthday to Sam.
Very very artistic. Such beautiful and intricate choice of fabric. It must be so satisfactory to create after your own inspiration.
I have followed your journey creating this quilt since the beginning Susan. What a stunner! And surely it will be treasured by Sam for many years to come. Very, very well done!
Just WOW! This is a celestial beauty. I love all the versions through this process, the finish line is a real stunner. So wish I had the incredible attention to detail you have. Sam must be so tickled to have this family heirloom to pass on.
This quilt is stunning. I saw how it looked at the start, because I was taking an online course which I really enjoyed. Infact I have my own man in the moon to show for it. I appreciate all the photos showing the progress over the two years. You have inspired me to keep working at my quilts even when they don’t look so great at the beginning. It is a process.
A wonderful photo-finish! Thank you for sharing this journey and its changes and development and helping us see the wisdom of your choices. (Example–deleting that hen-and-chick rosette fabric I loved in lower R and using moon shape off the edge. And many others!) Just awesome!
This quilt is absolutely beautiful. You never fail to inspire. I love the binding idea also. It’s a natural extension.
Susan, some of the “third” (or sixth) draft addition of lighter colors in Sam’s face made the moon glow and really stand out with reflected light. Amazing to see someone as skilled as you are make as many revisions as we, your virtual class students, end up doing!
Absolutley love it. Sam looks so pleased. Another work of love. So beautiful!
Wow, Susan, your Sam quilt is mindblowing! I think that you see fabric much like a painter “sees” paint. I can’t believe that Sam is nearly 25 years old. But then my “baby Michelle” is in her mid-fifties, so there you have it!
The quilt you made of me (fiftieth birthday) hangs in my living room in Idaho. Everyone who sees it is just amazed at how you captured “the real me”.
Thank you for these up close and personal views of the details of Sam’s Moon Portrait. There is so much to see, so many tiny details, and yet it is truly a quiet quilt. The beauty of your work lies in the personal touches. Every cut of fabric brings your vision to life. I began to fall in love with the earth while watching the slide show. Again, it was the details that I began to be aware of and that made me love Sam’s Moon Portrait all the more.
Thank you, Susan, for making the world more beautiful.
Stunning!!!!
Dawno nie widziałam czegoś tak niesamowicie pięknego! Myślę, że projekt był wart każdej chwili mu poświęconej. Gratulacje.
Translation from Czech: Well, I haven’t seen anything so beautiful! I thought the project would be dedicated to him every moment. Congratulations.
(Děkuju, Magda! —Susan)
It is stunning and a moon (universe and earth)-full of inspiration and color! Thank you for sharing Sam and Earthshine with us. Hope to begin to make more progress on my moon and sun in the coming year now that I see yours!