Learn how to turn your photos into realistic wholecloth painted quilts. After an overview of the supplies and tools you will need, quilt artist Susan Brubaker Knapp walks you through every step of her process. Learn how to choose the right photo, trace the design elements, enlarge your drawing, and print it out. Next, Susan covers basic color theory and provides instruction on mixing paint colors, shades, and tints. She discusses how to approach painting your piece and how to add shadows and highlights for greater realism. And finally, Susan demonstrates how to use stitch to bring your painted piece to life with thread sketching and quilting. She also shares numerous pieces of her own work as examples of the details and texture that can be added through thread sketching and quilting. Don't miss out on this inside look at Susan's latest techniques.
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Photo, enlarged to about 8" x 10"
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Fine-tip permanent marker for tracing your photo
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Tracing paper
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Masking tape
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Scissors
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Foam core board (larger than your piece)
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Soft lead pencil
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Tightly-woven prepared for dyeing (PFD) cotton fabric (I use Robert Kaufman’s Pimatex or P&B Textiles’ MDSP or MDYE. If you can’t get PFD, wash your fabric before painting to remove finishing chemicals.)
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Soft-bodied semi-transparent acrylic paints (bottles)
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Fabric medium
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Paint extender
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Palette
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Cup for water
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Rags for cleanup
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Distilled water
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Paintbrushes with very stiff bristles, designed for applying paint or dye to fabric (Try the Loew Cornell Fabric Dye line.)
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Medium-weight sew-in interfacing (such as Pellon 910 or Heavyweight Shaping Aid)
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Sewing machine that can drop its feed dogs
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Free-motion foot
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Lightweight thread (50 or 60 weight) for thread sketching
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Medium-weight thread (30 or 40 weight) for quilting
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Batting and backing