Our very first Fabric Collage Finish Line post debuted on August 27, 2016—we are now past the 100 post mark for that blog category. Each of the posts feature colorful and fabulous completed collage quilts by you, my students and readers, as a way to share your work with others.
However as I look back on the earlier Finish Lines, I see how I really packed in the submissions—14 quilts in the first Finish Line alone—what was I thinking? Now that Tom and I have a few more years of blog experience under our belts, we realize that’s too many quilts to truly appreciate all that artwork in one bite.
So… starting in this week, I’m breaking up some of those early Finish Line posts into smaller “Not to be Missed” Throwback Thursday collections—the better for the individual collage quilts to shine and the artists to strut their stuff—such as Beth Johnson with her grandson’s portrait, photo above.
Please savor today’s Throwback Thursday post—Portraits: People and a Pet—the first of three curated groupings selected from “The Finish Line: Completed Student Work 1” (August 27, 2016).
As always, I invite anyone who would like to share their own finished fabric collage quilt to click on the button below for more information. Your art, creativity, and stories are greatly appreciated by all. Thank you.
Submit Quilt for "Finish Line"
Kate Groves
Began January 2016: Quilting in the Desert, Phoenix, AZ
Kate Groves arrived to class with a photo of a favorite Gustave Klimt painting. I absolutely love Klimt as well—and have forever been inspired by his color and pattern-rich artwork—which made it all the more fun to help Kate with her rendition.
I remember how Kate quietly worked away on this small homage that seems to express her own inner world as much as Klimt’s.
Beth Johnson
Began April 2016: Quilting Adventures, Schulenburg, TX
Beth Johnson moved right along on this portrait of her grandson. The original photo pictured him on his drums, but that would have made his face quite small in the overall design. She decided to focus on just the face. I think she captured his creative spirit with her very artistic approach with color and pattern.
Beth wrote: “I decided to send it to my grandson for his 12th birthday. He declared it was “awesome”! He is still talking about it. I knew he would have no trouble with the bright colors! Now I guess I need to do one for my granddaughter!”
Quin Brannaka
Began October 2015: Leaf Peepers Quilt Retreat, Harpswell, ME
I had the pleasure of having both Quin Brannaka and her mom, Tracey Noviello, at my Maine October Quilt Retreats two years in a row. I’ve known Tracey for maybe twenty years from when we lived in New Hampshire. Quin and my son Sam were early playground playmates at about 1-1/2 years old each. She is now a lovely and talented young woman.
Quin began this sun face in my 2014 Maine Retreat. She finished it off in a very imaginative way by printing a story she had written onto canvas as the background. She then highlighted special quotes from that story and presented the piece as a gift to a very special teacher of hers.
In 2015, Quin came prepared to begin her high school senior project—a self portrait using fabric as an artistic medium.
Quin chose a variety of greens to describe herself and showed a gift for working with values of color as well as using the designs in the fabric to help create her form.
The finished presentation for her senior project—”Zaia”. Quin displayed progress shots along side the original black and white photo enlargement to tell the story of her creative process.
Technically, this isn’t yet a “finished” quilt [as of 2016]. The black background is still being considered and it still needs to be quilted. I decided to include it though, because it finishes a major stage of Quin’s life; evolving from high school into the next part of her journey. She will soon be setting off on a gap-year adventure, backpacking through Europe with a friend. Bon voyage, Quin!
Samantha Leonard
Began July 2015: The Quilt Gallery, Kalispell, MT
Samantha Leonard works at the Quilt Gallery in Kalispell, so I got to see her again this year during my annual trek to Montana, as well as having her as a student in last year’s class. She’s such a pleasant person and is quite taken by this fabric collage process. She has yet another piece to finish up and show me.
A post-bath brushing gave Sam enough of Chico’s fur to trap under the lacy “rug” under Chico’s feet, above.
A parting gift from Sam to me was this collaged reminder (below) of what I try to impart to my students (and a slogan in my Serendipity Quilts book): “Cut Loose and Let Go!”
NOW AVAILABLE!
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Fantastical Fish eWorkshop
INCLUDES:
• All four recordings from the four-week class.
• Extended 10-minute edition of piecing time lapse (see below).
• Over six hours of video instruction.
• Annotated videos with “jump points” to help find the information you need.
• Materials list
• Links to helpful blog posts.
• Free fish pattern of your choice.
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Spiral eWorkshop
Wondering if fabric collage is for you? This playful eWorkshop, though intended for beginners, is suitable for all levels, with lifetime access. The spiral project teaches the basic techniques of fabric collage and is simple and low stress. However, it also serves as a handy refresher course for those with more experience.
Why does a spiral make a great project for fabric collage? Find out in my post The Under-Appreciated Fabric Collage Spiral. The Spiral eWorkshop is included as an exercise in the Fabric Collage Master Class. Get a taste of the process, then if you decide to buy the Master Class you’ll get the full $25 cost back as credit toward the purchase.
Gift Cards Now Available for Any susancarlson.com Product or Class Purchased Through Susan’s Website
Gifts cards are available in six designs for any amount and can be applied as a “coupon” to reduce the price of a larger purchase—or towards a smaller purchase with a remaining balance to be used at a later date.
For more information, click here.
Fabric Collage Online Master Class
The Susan Carlson Fabric Collage Online Master Class Manual is a multi-media resource guide to the process of fabric collage. Using video, photos, text, and links to my blog posts for further relevant reading and information, I take you from beginning to end in creating your own fabric collage masterpiece, following my guidelines in a step-by-step format. Lifetime Access. Suitable for all levels, including beginners.
Read all about the process of creating the Master Class—explanation of its genesis—the whys and hows Tom and I made some of the decisions we did in this post: Online Master Class Now Available: Some Reflections.
Facial Features eWorkshop
Designed as a supplement to the Fabric Collage Online Master Class, or for those who have a good understanding of the basics of Fabric Collage. Lifetime Access. Intermediate or advanced levels suggested.
The Facial Features eWorkshop contains 8 videos and over 8 hours of in-depth instruction for creating each feature of a portrait in fabric. The videos are annotated with “Jump Points” allowing you to scan forward and backward to the information you need. Facial features PDF templates are included as reference and basic designs to work along with. Like the Fabric Collage Online Master Class, membership in this eWorkshop is for life.
Susan Carlson Fabric Collage: Sea Turtle eWorkshop
Learn fabric collage through a start-to-finish project—from pattern and fabric selection through quilting and binding. Each step is clearly written, illustrated with photos, and further demonstrated with videos. Learn the technique with a Sea Turtle then launch into any fabric collage project you wish. Lifetime access and suitable for all levels, including beginners. Sea Turtle Pattern included
Read all about the Sea Turtle eWorkshop in this blog post: Fabric Collage Sea Turtle eWorkshop Launch.
Book: Serendipity Quilts—Cutting Loose Fabric Collage
Full color throughout. Five projects of increasing complexity, four patterns to enlarge are included.
These books will be signed by Susan and can be inscribed to a particular person.
Thank you so much for showing earlier Blog posts. It is such a joy to see everyone’s talent and perspective. Truly inspires!
All your work is amazing !!!
Love it
Thanks,
Yolanda
And every ones work is amazing as well. it shows that you are an excellent teachers