Feeling nervous about quilting your Pet Portrait? Then try this!
Hi Reader,
Do you recall the first time you read the instructions in a quilt pattern, 'quilt as desired'? How did it make you feel? I'm sure it is not intentional but it reads as: good luck quilting your project, you are on your own now. To be fair to the pattern designers, a pattern is just that. It is not intended to help you quilt the quilt top. Nevertheless, when you first see this, it is enough to make you quiver while you ponder:
'Quilt as Desired' Flashbacks
Memories of 'quilt as desired' came back to me last week when I attended my first ever painting class. Within twenty minutes of starting the class, I found myself facing a blank canvas, wondering how to begin painting. I do not draw, so I was dumbfounded how I would ever paint a still life, four oranges in a bowl, on the blank canvas before me. The more I looked at that white canvas, the more awkward and uncomfortable I felt.
Fortunately, my painting class was a live workshop so I could ask the teacher for help, but this is a very real concern when you face a new or unfamiliar task, like quilting a pet portrait that you have lovingly created piece by piece. If the question remains unanswered, it can bring the project to a standstill while we wait for something or someone to kickstart us once again.
Quilting Jitters
Quilting a pet portrait is essential, in my view. When a portrait is finished with an all-over free motion design, the quilting adds a subtle yet distinct layer of texture and color and bring cohesion to the portrait as a whole. But, there is no doubt it can be a daunting undertaking for first timers and so it's understandable if you are thinking:
- I have put so much work into this portrait, I'm afraid I will mess it up when I quilt it.
- I have no idea how I am going to quilt this.
- I just can't free motion quilt, so maybe I should just get someone else to quilt it.
As a teacher at heart, I want every pet portrait to be finished, so that is why I chose quilting for this month's artsy fabric collage tip. I hope some of the ideas below will clear any cobwebs or confusion so you can move ahead when you reach this stage of your pet portrait project.
Be Your Own Cheerleader
Love it or loathe it, the bottom line is that free motion quilting takes practise and time to develop a feel for moving the quilt under the needle and creating a smooth quilting line with consistent stitches.
Remember that we are each on our own learning curve and every time we quilt we add to our muscle memory and, as a result, our quilting improves.
The stitches aren’t always going to fall where we want them to — but by framing it in a positive light, you will have a better chance of succeeding than if you expect it to be difficult and unpleasant. That only leads you to make goals around what you don’t want to happen rather than what you do want to happen.
So, no matter how experienced you are, the best advice is to start with a positive can-do approach. In fact, I psyche myself up and envision success every time I press my foot on the foot pedal and start quilting. Try it and let me know if it works for you.
How to Quilt a Portrait... Let me Count the Ways
There are many styles when it comes to quilting a pet portrait. It seems pet portrait artists each have their favorite go-to syle so you will see grid quilting (Laura Heine), flame and straight line stitching (Barbara Yates Beasley), spirals (Susan Carlson), thread painting (Dawn Allen), stippling & more (Lenore Crawford) and organic shapes (Sandra Mollon).
Look closely and you will notice two primary methods:
- some use a walking foot with the feed dogs up ↑
- some use a free motion foot with the feed dogs down ↓
Quilting with the feed dogs up is an easier method because you do not have to take full control the movement of the quilt sandwich. The walking foot and the feed dogs do that for you and, for that reason, it is best suited to linear or straight line quilting.
Free motion quilting, either edge stitching the fabrics with matching threads or by stitching an overall motif with variegated threads are both wonderful ways to finish a pet portrait. Keep in mind that edge stitching makes the individual collage fabrics more pronounced whereas an overall motif blends the fabrics together by visually blurring the fabric edges.
Plan for Success
Last month's Pet Portrait Overview proved popular so this month I have a similar guide to quilting a pet portrait to provide some answers to the niggling doubts or questions that crop up. This is not a how-to-quilt guide, but rather a 7-step guide to quilting a pet portrait.*
*if you plan to edge stitch around each fabric in the collage, you can skip step 2.
- Set your intention - give yourself a quick pep talk to get in the right frame of mind before you quilt.
- Doodle portrait motifs - sketch several motifs, audition them and then choose a favorite motif for the portrait.
- Doodle background motifs - sketch a series of lines or motifs, audition and then choose whatever looks best.
- Plan the stitching flow - map out areas to quilt, such as head, ears, neck, body. For each area, plan to start quilting where fur originates and follow the direction of the fur, until you have filled in the area, changing threads as needed.
- Roughly sketch motifs - to get a feel for the chosen motif, sketch it out as though you were quilting the portrait.
- Select threads - audition several threads where you plan to use them on the portrait and keep the ones that look best.
- Quilt it! - layer the portrait with batting and backing and, dare I say this? ... quilt as desired!
Hey Reader I see that you're registered in Pet Portraits Quilting and Finishing so I thought I'd check in with you. Are you pleased with how your portrait turned out? I would love to hear how you found the course, so shoot me an email if you like. If you didn't get through the course or finish your portrait, I hope this will encourage you to pick up where you left off.
I select a new topic each month to share my love of making pet portraits with you, my readers.
If this has whetted your appetite, I encourage you to reach out to suggest a topic for a future edition of Ruffly Speaking.
Thanks to Kathy A.f or suggesting the topic this month.
Remember, you can view the previous newsletters here to see more Artsy Fabric Collage tips.
Thanks for reading, and until next time, be well.
Anne Mathers
Animal portraits to love and cherish.
Collage Artist, Teacher, Animal Lover
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