Working in drafts isn’t a concept that everyone is familiar with. And if they are familiar with it (like drafting a letter or story), they might not be aware that working in drafts can be applied to fabric collage. So when I begin a class—such as my Fascinating Bugs and Butterflies Follow Along, which as of this posting is still in progress—I introduce the idea to my students as soon as possible.
I typically encourage students to work in three drafts: first, second, and third draft, or as I sometimes call them, getting it down, fixing it up, and adding details. I think I always worked this way, but it became a conscious strategy when I read the book “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott—my dog-eared, coffee-stained, decades-old edition is pictured above.
In today’s Throwback Thursday you’ll see how I’ve used this book for years to inspire both myself and my students. When approaching a creative endeavor step-by-step (or bird-by-bird as Lamott says), it allows the process to unfold with less pressure for immediate results—knowing that you don’t need all the answers before you even start. For my fabric collage process, we take it piece-by-piece.
It’s not too late to follow along with me as I work through the drafts of my bug collage during my four session Fascinating Bugs and Butterflies online class. Recordings of all sessions (including any you may have missed) are sent to your email within 24 hours, so you can catch up any time after that. See the information above or below to register and for more details.
As preparation for today’s session, I’ve included a short time lapse below, of the first draft (getting it down) of my cicada’s body. We’ll be taking it wing-by-wing in this evening’s presentation—demonstrated in slides and live during class, as we also start working into draft number two.
“Bird by Bird”: How I Use a Book on Writing to Teach Fabric Collage
Fascinating Fabric Collage Bugs and Butterflies Zoom Follow-Along
July 18 and 25, and August 8 and 15, 2024—7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Each session will last roughly 1-1/2 hours.
Price: $78
USE THIS LINK TO REGISTER
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
Included:
• Four presentations of instruction and demonstration
• Question and answer periods
• Free bug or butterfly pattern
• Recordings of all sessions sent to your email
• Materials list
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.