Nancy Semich of Georgetown, Texas, is a long-time student of mine, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of having her in my classes since 2018. She has created numerous stunning collages both fanciful and realistic—partridges, a dragon, her husband and his dog, more dogs, and more. This week we’re placing her in a Fabric Collage Spotlight with her triptych quilt, “The Great Escape”, pictured above, with a rightfully ecstatic Nancy.
Congratulations and thank you, Nancy, for not only submitting your recently finished fabric collage quilt for our Finish Line posts, but for including in-progress photos and a write-up as well.
I am always looking for more finished collage quilts to feature in the Finish Line—if you too would like to share your work, click submit button below for more information—and thank you!
Submit Quilt for "Finish Line"
Special Notice, a new class has been added for January 11-15, 2027
5-Day Live Online Fabric Collage Class
Join me and your classmates (maximum eight students) on Zoom for a week-long class. This will be the first class of 2027—let’s make it a good one.
REGISTER HERE
More information about this class and more in 2027 —please contact us with any questions: [email protected]
“The Great Escape”
by Nancy Semich
I have been creating fabric collages for many years since taking my first in-person class with Susan in 2018. I have taken both in-person and online classes along with participating in her Show & Share Patreon Zoom meetings.
A triptych is characterized by its three-panel structure which creates a unified visual experience for a single scene. This triptych was inspired by my desire to join “Mary Poppins” on her cross-country carousel adventure. It is 120 inches long, including the 2” spaces between each of the three quilts.
Carousel Horse #1—Free Spirit
Spirit was the first carousel horse that I worked on and completed. But in this story, she is the last of the 3 horses to leave the carousel. That is why she maintained the characteristics of a carousel horse. The longer and farther away each of the horses got from the carousel, they began to acquire more of the features of a real horse.
The small carousel in the upper left corner had 3 missing poles that were the attachments for my horses. I left some horses on the carousel for the children that are coming up the path.
Carousel Horse #2—Gypsy
Gypsy is the second horse that left the carousel. She is starting to run across the countryside and broke the bottom of her pole. She is made from a Mardi Gras fabric and various patterned whites.
Carousel Horse #3—Midnight
Midnight was the first to escape from the carousel. She is leaving behind pieces of her pole and stirrup as she leaps through the air and runs FREE!
This triptych has taken 1-3/4 years to complete. I chose to make the horses with fabrics that went from colorful to black & white to black. Each collage is made of hundreds of pieces of fabric. My husband keeps wondering why I buy fabric just to cut it apart. This triptych was a work of love, struggle and devotion. My carousel horses are now hanging in my living room. They make me SMILE!!
“Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.” — Theodore Isaac Rubin
From Susan:
A reminder that my new Captivating Cats Fabric Collage 4-Week Follow-Along is continuing for another couple weeks—Thursdays—October 29, November 5, 12, and 19, 2026, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Live sessions are recorded and links emailed the next day to view again, or whenever you can—join me anytime and previous weeks’ presentation videos will be emailed directly to you
Check out the Follow Along class details in this post: The Captivating Art of Fabric Collage—New Learning Opportunities in 2026 and 2027
Captivating Cat Portrait pattern and Follow Along email will be sent to all registrants.
Here’s a couple 5-minute time-lapse videos prepared for the Follow Along sessions—to whet your appetite for more: