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Welcome to the September issue of Ruffly Speaking. Just like clockwork, we can feel September in the air and we know fall is on its way. On Vancouver Island, the sun is distinctly in the southern sky now, the grass is dry and fall flowers are coming to life. If you're in the southern hemisphere, nature is telling you spring has arrived.

Both seasons mark new beginnings for many of us as we dive headfirst into new projects or pull out projects that have been dormant for awhile. It's as though the season primes us to take that leap into the unknown and try something new.

Today, I want to put this topic on the table, as it relates to fabric collage:

Fortunately, a little knowldege can help to break through any blockage that's holding you back. Today's newsletter addresses how you can make a pattern from a photo and get going on a new pet portrait project.

The thought of creating a pet portrait is often spurred on by seeing a beautiful portrait someone has made out of fabric. If your favourite medium happens to be fabric, it can shift quickly from a thought to a great idea for your next project. Motivation can range from a gift for someone special to a memorial for a special pet or a personal challenge to learn something new. Just like that, we've covered off the 'who', the 'what', the 'when' and the 'why' of the 5 W's. Thanks to covid, the answer to 'where' is likely to be your own home.

That leaves the burning question, 'how' and, at this stage, your curiosity kicks in and you begin searching for answers. Here are a few quick tips that might help.

Always start with a good quality photo

If you have a choice of photos for your pet portrait, choose the one with the highest resolution. That's the one that is still crisp and clear when you zoom in to look at the details. You will crop and enlarge the photo to make the pattern, so that's the main reason to start with a "hi res" photo. Avoid fuzzy photos if you can and definitely avoid those fun filters that alter the photo. Nor should you use a photo of a painting because the artist has removed the information you'll need to create your portrait.

But, does that mean you shouldn't try to make a portrait from a less than ideal photo? No, not at all. In that case, you might plan to make a more comic style or block style portrait by simplifying the photo with a posterizing app. Another option is to search online for photos of a similar pet and swap in the parts that are difficult to read in your own photo. This works particularly well for eyes and noses.

Crop & enlarge, then trace

The easiest and most fun features to re-create in fabric collage are those with lots of depth and dimension, which pretty well describes the head and shoulders of a 4 legged critter like a cat or dog. Unless you're lucky and have a close-up photo, it's likely that you will have to crop and enlarge your photo. Cropping is simply stripping away the unwanted background, leaving a picture that nicely frames your subject.

I recommend enlarging the cropped photo to the size of your finished project. However, if your only option is a low resolution photo, you might be better off to enlarge to just 8 1/2" x 11" since the photo will only become more blurry with further enlargement. Then, you can enlarge your traced pattern to full size.

Trace a pattern from your photo

Just the thought of drawing something creates apprehension in some of us. But, we all learned to trace when we were young, didn't we? Thank goodness, because that's all that's required here. The pattern for your fabric collage is lurking in that photo. You don't need an overhead projector or a light box, nor do you need to give yourself a crick in the neck by tracing through a window pane.

What you do need is a clear sheet of polyester film such as Dura-lar (made by Grafix) that's large enough to cover the photo, some masking tape to tape it down and a black ultra-fine permanent marker. With these tools, plus some rubbing alcohol and a pad to serve as your eraser, you can trace your pattern. Trace around the shapes you see, as though you're making a puzzle. Start by tracing around the major features and then move on and trace all the areas in between. Remember to keep the shapes simple and sufficiently large so you'll be able to cut out them out of fabric.

Trace the pattern to a foundation

Once your pattern is finished, place it on a white surface or slide a same-sized piece of white paper underneath. Lay a pre-shrunk piece of very lightweight cotton over the pattern, pull it taut and tape it to the surface. You should be able to see through the cotton layer. Now, trace the pattern onto the cotton with a light hand. Then stand back and give yourself a pat on the back as you admire your work. Your pattern is done, the collage foundation is ready and now the fun part begins...you get to play with fabric and thread.

I hope these tips are helpful and show you that you can make your own pattern from a photo of a favourite pet or animal.

Each month, I will choose a different topic so stay tuned for the next newsletter and please let me know if there's a topic you'd like to see in a future edition. This is a new venture for me, but you can check out previous newsletters for more Pet Portrait fabric collage tips.

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

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