Several years ago I started experimenting with turning photo’s into quilts. No, not photo transfer, although I’ve done that too, but making a quilt pattern from a photo I had taken. It’s been a fun journey that has really opened up what I feel I can do.
This month, at the guild I belong to, Lake Norman Quilters, in Mooresville, NC, I am giving the program on how I do this. My method is a hybrid of several different techniques that I’ve learned. It’s the process that works best for me. And I encourage everyone to read as much as you can, study with as many people as you can and then PICK AND CHOOSE what parts of whose techniques work for you.
My inspiration photo for this particular quilt is from JanD’s garden. She planted sunflower seeds this summer and had some interesting dark sunflowers come up. I had to write and ask if I could use one of her photo’s and Jan, gracious as ever, told me yes. (check out her blog on my blogroll under Serendipity Quilting).
This is the photo I chose from the ones Jan sent me.
And this is the quilt I am working on from that photo.
I’ve taken the liberty of changing the background with one of my painted fabrics, rather than recreating the outside of Jan’s house. And the colors in this are much lighter FOR NOW. I plan to do much more work on this before it’s complete in the embellishment stage, including using either watercolor or paints to add definition and details.
This quilt will also be hanging in the booth at the Carolina Longarm Association show in Clemmons, NC when I vend there in September. I’ll have hand-dyed fabrics and yarns, dyed clothing ready for embellishment, and painted fabrics for sale. As well as hand-made buttons and pendants from a local artist in the area. The Carolina Longarm Association is a regional group devoted to the education and improvement of longarm quilting.
If you’re near either location, stop in and say HELLO!!!!!!