Susan Carlson Fabric Collage Finish Line #112: Fantastic Hoofed and Antlered Animals

We’ve definitely been focusing on Finish Line posts lately—they showcase the end product of my students—from attending classes, reading my books, following an eWorkshop, or just by reading this good ol’ blog. Finish Line posts are at first glance, a sharing of and a celebration of the wonder-ful fabric collage quilts that have been created over the years. I so appreciate the final step taken to photograph and submit the finished versions and stories that make up a Finish Line post. If you agree, take a moment to let the artists know in the comments section of this post or in the series of Throwback Thursday posts we’ve been reviewing.

But after the appreciation of the finished work, comes an examination of the choices each artist made to get that fabric image to the finish line. By studying these quilts one can learn how to overcome challenges that may be faced in their own creation of a fabric collage.

In the case of this particular post, there are some great examples of eyes, noses, antlers, and horns. For example, note the variety of prints and shades of blues, found in the fabrics that Catherine Lane used to portray the tough and curling horns of her bighorn sheep (above). Or maybe there’s the question of how to portray soft, velvet, backlit antlers? Lizzie Stebbins, has a beautiful answer with her quilt, “In the Moonlight” (below). Or how about, “How do you make an ear appear translucent? For an answer, study Kathleen Howard’s portrait of a deer, “Scarred – But Still Standing.”

Let these works inspire you with their beauty and stories, then really look at them again to learn how the magic is made.

If a favorite ungulate has inspired a fabric collage quilt and you would like to share it (or any other collage quilt) in a future Finish Line post, please use the submission button below—and thank you!

Submit Quilt for "Finish Line"

Be sure to click on any of the smaller photos in the following photo galleries to enlarge the photo and to easily scroll through the images.

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Lizzie Stebbins

From Lizzie Stebbins of Key Largo, FL and Jefferson, ME:

I began this quilt in Susan’s first MISA Bar Harbor class in 2022, and it has taken me a little over a year to complete, with work and travel getting in the way. He is a Key Deer, from a photograph used with permission by Kristie Killam from Florida Fish and Wildlife. Most people have never heard of our Key Deer. They are the smallest subspecies of the North American white-tailed deer – about the size of a large dog – and are endangered. They are found nowhere else in the world and it is thought that they came to the Keys from the mainland across a long land bridge and were isolated from their relatives, somewhere from 6,000 to 12,000 years ago, when the Wisconsin Glacier melted. There are about 1,000 of them left, living on Big Pine Key.

My biggest problem with this quilt was the background. I must have taken it apart a dozen times and started something new. I wanted to emulate the background Susan used in her sea turtle quilt but as you can see (above), it just didn’t work. When I found the piece of ombre, it all seemed to come together and even though it felt like a bit of a cop out, it was so effective, I had to use it.

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Kathleen Howard

From Kathy Howard of California:

In 1994 this deer and I surprised each other in a Big Basin picnic area. Her left eye was very damaged and possibly blind. Deep scars on her forehead were left from a battle with with powerful and sharp teeth. Yet, she had survived the attempt to take her down. She looked at me with both defiance and grace, as if to say that she had faced down worse than me. She allowed me one photo and then walked into the trees.

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Catherine Lane

From Catherine Lane of Loveland, CO:

I started out using Susan’s technique in fabric collage after purchasing her book, Serendipity Quilts. I liked it so much, I decided to treat myself to taking a week of vacation from work and immersing myself in her week-long online live class. I loved every minute of time with her and the other ladies in the class. My favorite moment of the class was when someone asked Susan the question I had been struggling with, “What do you do when you make a mistake and cut a piece too small to cover the intended area?” Susan’s answer was that she never sees anything as a mistake, but rather just an area that requires more fabric. That was so freeing to hear.

My model has clearly been through some life struggles: left horn tip is broken off, scar on the bridge of his nose and elsewhere on his face. I tried to honor his life experiences while still making something that makes sense to the eye. He was a lot of fun to make. I love my color schemes but will say his ears were a major challenge I’m still not sure I accomplished well. The biggest challenge for me is to be willing to spend adequate time on the second and third pass and change previous decisions.