This year I had a great lead into the holiday season by spending a week of color and creativity with the eight fabric collage artists you see below.
I always enjoy the focus and effort and friendship that has been shown in my classes through the years, but after having cut back on my 2023 classes, the renewal of a full schedule this year has felt refreshing. Seeing so many returning students to one class or another, has been like little reunions in every class—such as Liz Imperato returning with a new cat portrait (above)—this week was a tabby cat, last time it was a lion.
Since November’s Online class was geared toward those who have taken at least one or two prior classes with me and are at that “intermediate-advanced” level, I knew every face and every voice. I was familiar with how each person works and the colors and fabrics they’re attracted to. I felt I could really help and push them along in their own artistic journeys—digging a little deeper into the fabric collage technique with each of them. I felt able to let them truly cut loose and see where their own ideas would take them. I was there to guide and let go as needed, and they just took off.
Five of these women chose people portraits which can be tough to interpret in fabric, and for that reason, I usually reserve portraits for intermediate and advanced classes such as this group. In last week’s Part 1 class post, all four featured artists picked portraits of family members as their subjects. If you missed the chance to ooh and ahh at the work they accomplished, click here for an extra holiday-time treat. Today’s Part 2 post finishes up chronicling the work of the otherwise er five ladies. Keep reading to enjoy these final class treats of the year.
As always, click on any smaller photo to view larger and to scroll through that particular photo gallery.
The Show and Share quilts you’ll see are those that were sent in for our “Class Evening” where we just visit (possibly drink wine) and share past fabric work to get know each other better.
Check out 2025 Fabric Collage classes with Susan—both in-person and online classes (including our 4-week Work-Alongs) are scheduled and open for registration. Click the 2025 link below for more information, including dates, fees, and descriptions.
2025 Live Online and In-Person Fabric Collage Classes
If you’ve ever considered giving yourself the gift of a week-long fabric collage class experience with me—and are not scared off by staying cozy in your home, not traveling anywhere, and keeping your fabric stash close by—do we have a special offer for you—a $100 discount (which gives you the opportunity to add more fabric to that stash!).
January 20-24, 2025
Susan Carlson 5-Day Live Online Class—All Levels, Animals Only
Price WAS: $995
NOW: $895
REGISTER HERE
Take advantage of this special offer only for January’s “Cozy” Live Online Fabric Collage Class
Further Susan Carlson Learning Resources: Susan Carlson Quilts website, patterns, blog (in general), YouTube videos, Spiral eWorkshop, Patreon, and our February Fantastical Fish and Summertime’s Fascinating Bugs and Butterfly Work-Alongs
Kathy Howard
Kathy Howard hails from Aptos, California, and is a super-accomplished fabric collager that I have had the pleasure of working with on several occasions online. This time she came with a multiple part idea which she explains below. The muse was with Kathy this week as she worked up to the second draft on her “bathing” blue jay and then jumped right into her wing-blurred hummer. Both are already capturing the love she gives to her birds.
From Kathy:
I have worked hard to make my garden and property a haven for birds. I have been rewarded with many different birds visiting during each season. I have two fountains on my deck that the birds use as a source of water in drought and as a birdbath in all seasons. I take photos of the birds that visit, when they allow it. I decided that I wanted to work on a “four patch” depiction of just a few of the birds who are regular visitors.
Kathy Howard Show and Share
Liz Imperato
Liz Imperato is from Santa Barbara, California—one of four Californians who attended this class. Liz is creating this cool cat as a gift for her 10 year old nephew, Max. He loves cats but doesn’t have a cat. His only request of Liz was that the cat have green eyes and a pink nose. Liz has given “Max the cat” oh so much more—he has a definite presence and personality, plus a ton of interest in all the little novelty fabric cutouts that she added into the background and also worked into Max’s fur.
Liz Imperato Show and Share
Mary McKay
Mary McKay from Palm Desert in CA, is our fourth Californian of the week. She has attended quite a few classes of mine—both in-person and online—getting quite a bit of experience with portraits along the way. For this week, she began one of her good friend’s great-granddaughter, Lucy. Mary had a very nice selection of soft yet playful fabrics selected for Lucy, and it was interesting to see how those fabrics worked together and changed over the course of the week to create the impish portrait you see emerging from her foundation fabric, above.
From Mary:
The November online group of students just seemed to click from the get go. This made for a welcoming and friendly group. Susan’s classes seem to attract students who are supportive and nurturing.
Mary McKay Show and Share
After class ended, Mary sent me photos of a get together she was hosting, with quilts and pups getting center-stage attention, as they should.
Nancy Semich
Nancy Semich, formerly of Bend, Oregon, has been settling into her new home in Georgetown, Texas for about a year now. The three wonderfully patterned carousel horses she has been working on will be adding inspiration to one of her new studio walls. Nancy knows her horses, and has been having fun with the fancifulness and playfulness of her subjects, letting the patterns in her fabrics “speak” to her—and what they’re saying is fantastic!
From Nancy:
I have always had a love of horses. I remembered seeing the movie, “Mary Poppins,” and the carousel horses that escaped and traversed the countryside. My idea was to do a collage that included a small carousel in the background with the broken pole and a large escaped horse—well, this idea evolved into doing 3 collages, each with a different carousel horse in the progression of freeing themselves from their carousel.
The backgrounds are going to be a continuation of each other with the addition of mountains. I have been working on these collages which included taking 2 online classes with Susan. As always, she has the ability to understand my vision. Susan offers constructive criticism and encouragement which is very helpful.
To help her plan and collage the backgrounds of her three horses, Spirit, Gypsy, and Midnight, Nancy used a computer app to design and color the flow of the landscape, below.
Nancy Semich Show and Share
Daily Inspirational Quotes
Every class morning the entire class receives an email from Nancy with a new daily quote—it’s a lovely special touch, thank you again, Nancy. I’ve included them here at the end of this Part 2 post of our November 2024 Live Online Fabric Collage Class. Enjoy.
