Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Self Portrait as Crab: another quilting technique


    The Quilters' Connection has free winter workshops. I signed up to take Gladys' impressionistic quilting based on Susan Carlson's book, Serendipity Quilts. I own the book, but had never tried quilting by drawing a picture, gluing tiny bits of my fabric scraps to fill in the subject and free motion quilting atop. I didn't get far...just the crab. I cut it out and quilted it to a sandy looking fabric. Actually, I added a piece of tulle to the top to blend the colors and give extra hold to the teeny fabric pieces. I am still embellishing it, trying to save! This was all fun to do even though I made a zillion mistakes.

    I drew the object, freehand from a photo, onto 14" x 14" muslin using a Sharpie Rub a Dub marker. I grabbed groups of fabric scraps from the drawer where I keep them and gathered them in piles, rainbow pattern. I used Aleene's Tacky glue and a wooden pointed stick to apply the glue to the center of the scraps. Other people like glue sticks in order for ease in shifting the fabric pieces.

     As a present for the teachers, I turned little tins found at Michael's into mini portable hand sewing kits for carrying handwork around the house...magnets in the top for needles and pins, batting in the bottom so beads won't roll away.  The teachers had to add their own small scissors and a bobbin of thread for sewing to my present. Click to enlarge photos. Visit Susan's book at Amazon to read about the technique in more detail.

13 comments:

  1. Love it. I'd never thought of impressionist quilting. Now it makes sense.

    Bub Linda, no way you can be a crab--even in your imagination!

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  2. Love this...such a handsome crab! I took a class with Susan Carlson a few years ago and her technique is fun, and she is a real sweetheart.
    Your teachers gifts are very cleaver also...giving me some ideas for all of the tins I have saved!

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  3. Those are some fortunate teachers!! I love the idea--Wish I'd thought of it myself back when!
    You are truly amazing and are so unselfish with your talents.
    Love U!
    RA

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  4. Oh, what a lovely crab! KB-B

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  5. Wow Linda.
    I love the crab. I have that book but have not tried anything from it. I hope I will try something over Feb. vacation. Elana

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  6. Fun to see what you've done - as always. I especially like the crab. A zillion mistakes, you say? Don't know where! ss

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  7. After reading your comments about all of the mistakes you made on the crab, I was, of course, looking for them. But, what I found was a delightful and colorful crab that drew my attention and made me smile. Mistakes? Not to my appreciative eyes!

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  8. It looks wonderful! I can't wait to see it in person! Maybe you can bring it to the meeting Monday night. djd

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  9. Having seen a lot of quilts based on Carlson's technique, I can honestly say this is one of the best! I, too, can see no "mistakes." You inspire me (as always!) to try this method sometime in the future on one of our MM 12x12s. Good job!

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  10. Your crab is beautiful. I enlarged it, and it looks perfect to me. Also loved the little sewing kits. So clever. Why don't I ever think of things like that?
    NM

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  11. All caught up with your blog now! Crabby is delightful. Mistakes? What mistakes? All I see are discoveries! Love the snow post and the ukelele/recorder feature too! - Ellen

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