I would say that this week’s selection of Finish Line fabric collage quilts is meditative with soothing colors and subjects to reflect on—such as Jo Ann Doughart’s “First Light” heron, detail above. Fabric collage is flexible enough to tackle any subject and set any mood—a great blue heron caught mid-step, a spiral “labyrinth” that draws you in with color and detail, and a beloved pet remembered in time and place.
Fabric is an artistic medium, just as paint or clay or metal are. The only limitation, as shown by these and the other wonderful quilts we feature in our Finish Line posts, is imagination.
If you have a finished fabric collage quilt you would like to share, please click on Submit button. Thank you! And another big thank you to the ladies who have shared their quilts below.
Submit Quilt for "Finish Line"
We have had a last-minute opening in our November Live Online Class.
For a description of the class, please see this post.
To register, use the link below.
November 7-11, 2022
REGISTER FOR NOVEMBER CLASS
Jo Ann Doughart
Jo Ann Doughart of Prince Edward Island, Canada, started this quilt in my October 2018 Maine Quilt Retreat. Her great blue heron was inspired by an image by PEI photographer Leona Arsenault (used with permission). Looking back on that class, it was filled with great projects, many that have returned as finished quilts to share. The students hit it off well and, I believe, spurred each other on creatively. Be sure to click on the class link above to see how the class moved through the week—with a bit of Harpswell, ME, scenery (and Cribstone Bridge history) thrown in. Jo Ann’s heron could have been one of our own shore birds, strolling up from Lookout Point to visit us. Thank you Jo Ann for sharing your beautiful artwork that prompted me to revisit that time.
From Jo Ann:
After a very enjoyable and educational class with Susan, life sort of got in the way and it took me some time to finally finish the project. I know Susan advises to not replicate individual feathers, but I kind of did my own thing in that regard, as one of my goals was to use fabrics I had on hand, or ones I produced myself. I took advantage of the quilt’s large size to experiment with various printing, dyeing, painting and stitching techniques.
Materials used include commercial prints, hand dyed/printed fabric, painted dryer sheets, ribbon, tulle and cheesecloth. The background is hand-painted muslin textured with fabric, tulle and stitching. Susan taught us a number of ways to finish and hang our quilts. I chose to stretch mine over a gallery-wrapped canvas. The challenge now is to find a suitable space to hang such a large piece. I appreciate Susan’s expert and generous guidance and I hope to continue experimenting with the collage process in the future.
Karen Edwards
Karen Edwards of Sullivan, IL, says she was initially intimidated by the process but finally jumped in with the spiral, moving from book (Serendipity Quilts), to Spiral eWorkshop, to Fabric Collage Master Class. “Now I am ready for more projects,” she says. I love it—I love the uplifting feeling this spiral has as well as the discovery process that Karen took to create it. Like I said before, it draws you in—first with the complementary colors and then keeps you there as your eyes focus on all the “story” details she’s included. I look forward to seeing the new projects this spiral leads you to, Karen!
From Karen:
I used several fabrics I have purchased while traveling—turtles from Hawaii and Alaska symbols. Deciding on colors was the hard part. I spent a few days deciding on what colors to choose. I got out my blues and yellows and lined them up by values. Once I got working on the design I realized I did not have much excitement in the fabrics. I failed to pull fabrics with multiple colors. So I went back to my stash and found fun fabrics that work with the yellow and blues to make the project fun. I added the turtle fabric that I got in Hawaii and some Alaska fabric—both of these I got on trips. I love flowers so I put in fun flowers.
Lara Wilson
Lara Wilson of Utah took my class at the Stitchin’ Post Quilt Shop in Sisters, Oregon in 2018. The image is from a photo she took of her dog Cooper earlier in 2018 near her home in Wasatch Mountain State Park, Utah. I’m sorry to hear that Cooper is no longer with Lara, but so pleased to see his portrait completed. I can sense the loving memories that Lara has included. She tells us below how she wanted to “immortalize his energy,” and she has—I can imagine him paused on a great walk on a beautiful day, ready take off again after the rest is over. Thanks Lara, It was nice to revisit your class, and your own positive energy, as well.
From Lara:
My dog, Cooper, was recently diagnosed with cancer and I wanted to immortalize his energy in fiber. I followed Susan’s technique of layering fabric to create an image—took me two years to finish and used bits of fabric I had collected over two decades. Cooper passed in May 2020. This quilt hangs in my home and is a reminder of the love that he brought to our live and the joy I found in creating it.
Thanks very much for sharing my piece in Finish Line. The retreat was a great experience. Take care.
The measurement is 60 x 48. (a little typo there).
Whoops! Got it!;-)
What beautiful work! JoAnn, your Heron is so delicately portrayed and ethereal–and those delicate bird feet are just perfect!
Karen, your spiral is full of interesting images! I loved examining it closely to find all the turtles!
Lara, Cooper’s image just exudes sweetness. What a lovely way to remember your sweet, soulful companion! I imagine him forever in that beautiful mountain meadow!
I enjoyed seeing and reading about each of these different finishes. It’s also encouraging that everyone doesn’t get theirs finished quickly.
I am curious if you will ever share what you made with your African fabrics when you were part of the on line teaching earlier this year?