Welcome to the January newsletter. It's the middle of winter and, here on Vancouver Island, bulbs are popping up, the witchhazel is in full bloom and my sewing room floor is littered with paper templates from my latest project.

We live under a canopy of 100+ year old gary oak trees, much to the delight of my Jack Russell, as they are home to squirrels that never sit still.

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As I ponder how lines made by the branches create seasonal beauty I also realize that I now see the the deep crevices in tree bark, the ripples on the ocean and the weird petal shapes on a witch hazel more than I ever used to. Nature is my classroom where I refine my ability to truly see and at the same time, it's helped me to see as I draw the lines of a pattern.

And so, I pose the question: where do you draw the lines when tracing a pattern?

It all comes down to what we see and how we interpret the photo (or in the case of the picture above, what's in the child's mind). Therein lies the beauty of making your own pattern from a photo that's meaningful to you. What and where you trace comes from within... it is your own creation. And that's a big deal in my world.

It's this unique personal expression I strive to bring out when I teach others to make portraits from their own photos.

OK, what about the practical side of this? I can't and wouldn't tell you where to draw the lines but, I can offer advice on how to approach the exercise to get you started. Here are three suggestions:

1. Start by tracing the eyes and nose, then fill in the areas in between them. Continue working outwards from there until the whole portrait is traced.
2. Trace the outline of the portrait, then trace around the most pronounced feature. Trace within that feature, then move on to the next pronounced feature. Repeat until the whole portrait is traced.
3. Notice the darkest areas and trace all areas with the same dark value. Now, notice the dark areas and trace around all of those areas. Move on to the medium, then light, then lastly the lightest areas. until the wole portrait is traced.

The shapes you draw will become your own personal style. And, if you are not sure what sort of shapes you like, it can help to look at the work of artists you admire. Two of my favourite fabric collage artists are Barbara Yates Beasley and Sandra Mollon.

Below are some examples of my portraits, highlighted to show you how I trace lines. You will see that my preference is to follow the countours and textures of the animal. Zoom in to see the highlighted lines.

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I hope this short explanation encourages you if you are wondering how make your own pattern from a favourite photo. This is a small snippet of what you will learn in my online class on pattern making.

Pet Portraits: From Picture to Pattern has been updated and launched on a cool new platform. To learn more, click here:

Note: the CourseCraft platform that hosts Anne's online classes, Fabric Collage and Quilting & Finishing, will close April 2022. All registered students receive unlimited access to the course at the new site.

Each month, I choose a different Fabric Collage topic so stay tuned for the next newsletter and do let me know if there's a topic you'd like to see in a future edition. You can check out the December newsletter for more Pet Portrait fabric collage tips.

Thanks for reading and, until next time, be well.

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