In my “How-To” blog posts—there’s now seventy-nine of them (see the “Category” search feature)—I share tips and techniques for fabric collage. As useful as they are to those learning the process of fabric collage, these posts are also helpful to me.
These How-To blog posts serve as a resource to which I can refer my students. Need to know how to make an eye? There’s a post for that. (The photo above is part of that demo.) Want to know why I use glue? There’s a post for that. Struggling with your background? You got it—there’s a post for that, too.
The very first How-To post I wrote is the subject of this week’s Throwback Thursday. On January 9, 2016, I released “From Photo to Fabric: Choose the Best Shot.” It addresses the inevitable question I receive from most of my beginning students: How do I know if the photo I have chosen as my subject is a good one for fabric collage? While this post doesn’t eliminate all questions, it does help to narrow down the choices a student often faces.
Another resource I can now add as a learning tool is the series of videos I created with Tom during the pandemic called Thursday Night in My Studio Live! As my students get more experience with fabric collage, so does their need for more specialized instruction—such as creating teeth in a smile or glasses on a face, for example. Sometimes fully answering their questions in a class would take more time than I had in that situation, whether in-person or live online. However, with the various Thursday Night recordings, I’m able to direct a student to the video that addresses that particular issue.
This Saturday, in your regular post, I will introduce a new online resource for students of fabric collage, particularly those interested in creating portraits of human faces. From my Thursday Night in My Studio Live! recordings, I have collated and notated separate videos into a single collection called “Facial Features.” Each of the eight videos in this series tackles a different facial feature: nose, eyes, mouth, hair, and so on. As more of my students take on the challenge of portraiture, “Facial Features” should provide them with the advanced guidance they are looking for.
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.