Today’s Fabric Collage Finish Line features three fantastic and engaging portraits. Each one exemplifies a different approach to the art of portraiture. Jackie Dalley’s double portrait (detail above), is a classic, head-and-shoulders, eye-contact style of portrait. Mary McKay’s girl-and-pup combo gives us a very playful way to present a double portrait. And Frances Dack’s self-portrait pictured from behind is yet another way to portray a person.
I know all these ladies—I’ve had the distinct pleasure to have worked with them both online and in-person. They are extremely focused and use their art to tell the stories of their subjects.
I’ve said this other times and in other places but every image we create can tell a story. And certainly every portrait is an effort to not only produce a likeness but to tell something about the person(s) represented. Having that story in mind as we are working helps us to make decisions that otherwise might stump us. What colors to use, what background to place them on, are examples of questions that can be answered more easily when taking the story into account.
If you have a finished fabric collage and story that you too would like to share, please consider sending in photos and descriptions for future Finish Line posts—and thank you!
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Click on any of the smaller gallery photos in this post to view them larger and to scroll through the photo gallery.
Jackie Dalley
To see more of Jackie’s artwork, visit these any of these many posts: Special Fabric Collage Finish Line: Live Online Class November 2022, November 2022 Live Online Fabric Collage Class: Doggone-Its, Fabric Collage: Sun Portraits—First Drafts, My First Portraits Only Online Fabric Collage Class, Finish Line #94: Counting to #100!, June 2024 Live Online Fabric Collage Portrait Class, and Bel Sole Italiano: Student Fabric Collage from Citta della Pieve, Italy.
From Jackie Dalley of Westford, MA:
The subjects of this piece are my husband, Will and our 5-year-old grandson, Rowan. The two of them really are best friends and I wanted to capture their very close bond in a quilt. When I first decided to make this quilt I thought I would give it to my husband for his birthday. Silly me, thinking I would get it done in a month! Turns out, a portrait is not a quick process.
I started the collage in Susan’s portrait class in June, where I mostly worked on Will’s face. Then I joined the Loose Ends group in September and was happy to have the chance to get Susan’s feedback and guidance on Rowan’s face. Finally finished by the end of the year!
It was a fun challenge to work on the contrast in their two faces (young and old)—the glasses, facial hair, wrinkles, etc. on Will’s face were all new techniques to me, and then to work on the contrast of youth in Rowan’s face, while still trying to create a connection between the two was another challenge.
I was surprised how much more trouble I had in capturing a likeness and personality in Rowan’s face than I did in Will’s. I made 2 sets of eyes and 3 mouths before I felt I got it (kind of) right. I learned so much doing these portraits and I’m eager to do more…but first I need a break with some quicker projects!
Mary McKay
To see more of Mary’s artwork, visit these any of these many posts: Finish Line #87: Portraits, Finish Line #109—Portraits, Finish Line #88, My First Portraits Only Online Fabric Collage Class, Live Online Class—Part 2: The Return of Susan’s Angels, and Finish Line #118: A Potpourri of Student Work and a New Year’s Request, and Relaxing Into Fabric Collage in WI—at Woodland Ridge Retreat, June 2025 Live Online Class, and Live Online Classes: March 2026 Preview and November 2025 Review.
From Mary McKay of Palm Desert, CA:
What started out as an idea to do a small, simple interpretation of a toddler (Lucy) morphed into an almost billboard sized piece of 2.5 year old 40 pound Lucy and her BFF, 80 pound Homer. [See the beginning of Lucy and Homer’s epic collage journey in this 2025 post: Marching Into Spring With a Live Online Class.]
I worked from several different photos and putting it all together and getting it right involved online classes, online coaching, and an in-person class in Wisconsin at Woodland Ridge Retreat (best venue ever). Batwoman and Robin, AKA Susan and Tom, guided me through it and I am very pleased with the result.
Frances Dack
To see more of Frances’s artwork, visit these posts: Fabric Collage Finish Line No. 76, Empty Spools March 2022 at Asilomar, and Live Online Classes: March 2026 Preview and November 2025 Review.
From Frances Dack of Sacramento, CA:
I have always had regular meetings in a variety of organizations. The rapid emergence of online meetings and webinars has permanently made my retired life and growth as an artist even busier and better. This quilt shows me at an online quilting class with “COVID Hair.” I’ve had short hair and long hair, but always been a long-hair inside. Now it is here to stay!
