I’ve been pondering so much concerning the yr to come back and the way I can add constructive issues to my very own little a part of this world, in any other case the outlook is a bit overwhelming. I reconnected with pal per week or so in the past, and discovered that we each began our days in the identical manner—getting up sooner than the remainder of the family as a way to have our cuppas and reap the benefits of the quiet. I sit in my favourite chair in my studio so as to add three good issues that occurred the day gone by to a journal, then I have a tendency to start out daydreaming about different stuff. Since I place myself in the course of my workspace, my ideas often drift to the place I’m going with my artwork, and that’s a really constructive approach to begin a brand new day.
To be sincere, I believe I’ll want greater than the yr that’s left to get to all of the concepts that I’ve lately scribbled down. I think about most of you recognize what I imply. Good factor that “reestablish the wild blueberry patch in our area” is within the “5-year plan” class. Tom at all times appears to have a cautious look on his face once I are available in from the studio saying, “I’ve obtained an thought….”
In fact there’s been a number of concepts for the yr and rapid future that contain you—via this weblog and thru quite a lot of 2025 lessons—my manner of sharing the creativity and constructive vitality I attempt to work into my days, with you. This week Tom and I are persevering with to mesh our ongoing “Cloth Collage Overview” sequence with supplying you with extra details about our February Fish Comply with-Alongside, since fish are fabulous material for material collage.
Right now, Gombessa (above) and Pink Fish (beneath), will function a few the examples for the next Cloth Collage Overview 5 of 6: Backgrounds. The six-week evaluate (three weeks in 2024, three weeks in 2025) is an introduction to the material collage approach—particularly chosen for many who extra lately began following my weblog—but it surely’s additionally preparation for my upcoming reside Zoom Comply with-Alongs starting February sixth—see beneath for information and registration.
Beforehand we lined selecting cloth, making a palette for material collage, gluing, and working in sequence. This fifth evaluate publish is about placing a background behind your predominant picture. Backgrounds could be very particular—a specific panorama, for instance—or it may be summary—made up of random shapes or teams of rectangles. There are actually an infinite variety of potentialities! So this publish helps you slender down your background decisions by asking you to think about the story of your topic. Subsequent Thursday, we are going to conclude this sequence with a publish about utilizing sheers to offer a ultimate collage contact your picture.
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The Fantastical Fish Comply with Alongside in February, will use a fish sample (of your personal design or one which you will select from my assortment) with a 2025 give attention to “mixing”—certainly one of my most requested about expertise—the method of utilizing the colours, values, and prints in materials to merge one into one other, typically to create the phantasm of type, with highlights and shadows.
The Bugs and Butterflies Comply with Alongside in June and July (additionally your personal design or primarily based on my patterns), will give attention to butterflies and find out how to strategy the flowing and colourful shapes of their fascinating wings. Study what to search for in your materials and find out how to work with their printed designs to create motion and type—letting the material do a lot of the give you the results you want.
Use the hyperlinks beneath to register for these four-week lessons, held every Thursday night time at 7:00 p.m. japanese time.
Within the meantime, particularly if you’re new to cloth collage, it could be useful to evaluate the fundamentals via this present sequence of posts protecting the material collage approach earlier than these lessons start. In following posts we’ll proceed with the matters of: backgrounds, and sheers.
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February 6, 13, 20, 27, 2025 — 7 pm, Jap Time
Fantastical Cloth Collage Fish Zoom Comply with-Alongside
REGISTER HERE
Worth: $78
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July 24, 31, August 7, 14, 2025 — 7 pm, Jap Time
Fascinating Cloth Collage Bugs and Butterflies Zoom Comply with-Alongside
REGISTER HERE
Worth: $78
Should you’ve ever thought-about giving your self the reward of a 5-day week-long cloth collage class expertise with me—and are usually not scared off by staying cozy in your house, not touring anyplace, and preserving your cloth stash shut by—do now we have a particular supply for you—a $100 low cost (which provides you the chance so as to add extra cloth to that stash!).
January 20-24, 2025
Susan Carlson 5-Day Dwell On-line Class—All Ranges, Animals Solely
Worth WAS: $995
NOW: $895
REGISTER HERE
Reap the benefits of this particular supply solely for January’s “Cozy” Dwell On-line Cloth Collage Class
Additional Susan Carlson Studying Assets: Susan Carlson Quilts web site, patterns, weblog (usually), YouTube movies, Spiral eWorkshop, Patreon, and our February Fantastical Fish and Summertime’s Fascinating Bugs and Butterfly Work-Alongs
Telling the Story: Cloth Collage Backgrounds
First printed December 10, 2016
On the finish of a 4 or 5 day class, my college students might be exhausted (and so will I!). Most of them may have spent all the time engaged on the principle a part of their picture: the individual, the animal, the article, no matter it’s they’ve chosen as their topic. No matter how far they obtained on their predominant picture, or whether or not they may end it at school, I’ve to offer a chat someday through the week about backgrounds.
I often wait till day three—after they’ve had an opportunity to digest a few of what I’ve launched them to. I don’t wait till too near the tip—say, day 4—as a result of typically backgrounds are integral to the principle picture—a tractor in a farmyard, a flower on a bush, a fish in a coral reef. Even when the principle picture—their grandchild, their cape buffalo, their sea turtle—is impartial from the background, it’s going to should be addressed finally.
Questions on backgrounds are available in two predominant classes:
How do I do it?
How do I select?
The primary is a technical query simply answered. The second is typically tougher and requires the scholar to entry their creativity.
Backgrounds: How do I do it?
There are at the least two methods for developing a background.
The primary manner is to easily lower away the the inspiration cloth from round the principle picture in order that it may be positioned on no matter cloth you might be auditioning. (See Quilt Tales: Shock Me for an instance.) The benefit of this after all, is that you simply’ll be capable of see instantly the way it seems. Working this manner, one might select to make use of a single piece of material (entire material) as a background (resembling I did with “Gombessa“) or one might additionally resolve to assemble a background from giant, rectangular items of material—consider containers or frames. See the examples primarily based on my Serendipitous Sea Turtle sample beneath.
This turtle remains to be in progress, but it surely’s fairly near finished, shut sufficient so I can begin taking a look at backgrounds. I’ve created it on a basis cloth, then as you may see within the second image, I’ve lower it away from the inspiration so it may be auditioned with numerous backgrounds. See beneath.
The higher left model had manner too busy of a print, regardless that as I used to be engaged on the turtle, I had it in thoughts as a possible background. Nevertheless, I did like how the orange regarded, so it gave me a coloration course to discover. The higher proper model had comparable issues. The darker values of the greens had been a bit near the values within the turtle. If I needed the turtle to mix out and in of its atmosphere, it wouldn’t be a foul choice. The decrease left, whereas red-orange might present distinction, it did appear to be too darkish general. Lastly I used to be happiest with the final choice. This orange model offered good distinction with the turtle. It’s horizontal stripes additionally distinction and subsequently assist to spotlight the verticalness of the turtle. Nevertheless, for my style it was nonetheless a little bit too plain. So…
… including a central band of the same coloration however a contrasting print helps to jazz it up a bit. I believe this might be my ultimate alternative for background. For now.
Right here’s one other instance of a manner to maintain the background easy, however so as to add extra curiosity to it.
This little fish (about 12 inches lengthy) was created individually on the inspiration cloth, then lower out and positioned on a background created for it—nonetheless in the identical lower and glue collage course of. The aqua cloth creates a border round a lighter interior cloth. It’s this interior field that gives the distinction for the fish, in any other case the aqua could be too shut in worth and the fish would mix with the background. The triangles are added as ornamentation and to carry coloration and additional curiosity into the in any other case empty corners.
The identical fish (my “Winged Butterfish” design out there right here), however in numerous colours and with a totally totally different background resolution. This introduces the second manner of developing a background—to maintain collaging onto the inspiration. This lends itself to be extra natural and freeform, and as you see on this case, nonetheless exhibiting off the fish properly.
It’s not vital and typically not advantageous to chop the picture away from the inspiration cloth—it could be too complicated or too massive—you then merely proceed collaging into the background. (Keep in mind to go away the sides of the principle picture free—not glued—so you may slide background cloth beneath.) Most of my quilts are finished this manner and I discover this manner of working to be extra customizable.
Say you could have a turtle or fish made up of greens and reds in a big number of materials of many alternative values. You need the background to be made up of various shades of blue. By collaging the background across the picture you could be very explicit about which worth of blue will get positioned the place. More often than not will probably be a case of highlighting the principle picture relatively than having it mix in with the background. You’ll doubtless place the darkest blues towards the lightest areas of the picture and vice versa.
The 2 turtles beneath each have collaged backgrounds. The primary won’t look collaged, however there are darker and lighter areas of various materials. I prevented inserting the lightest worth materials near the turtle, which could have brought on it to mix in. (Plus, I needed to work in my child turtle cloth with out being so apparent about it!) For the second, I knew I needed some nighttime “sky” cloth to set off my vivid “rainbow” turtle. The moon, star, and “spiral galaxy” (in my thoughts anyway) batiks I discovered in my stash match the invoice completely. The large ol’ flowers had been a little bit of a why not? afterthought. They had been initially leftovers from the leaves I lower to go across the shell, but when I simply fake they’re “planets,” they now match the theme as nicely.
Collaged backgrounds from a number of materials at the moment are my favourite manner of working. It encourages extra creativity and serendipity. Relatively than merely constructing a field or body to place the picture in, the chance arises to do one thing really distinctive.
Which brings up one other concern: How do you resolve what the background ought to appear like?
Backgrounds: How do I select?
Okay, so when some college students end their predominant picture they’re simply able to be finished. The only background is simply nice with them, being little greater than a body. And that’s okay. A bit of entire material or a easy field building they usually’re completed.
Different college students, nevertheless, attempt for one thing extra formidable and that’s when it could actually change into overwhelming.
Should you aren’t utilizing a complete material or boxy background, the alternatives change into infinite. And the infinite is horrifying. The best way to defeat the infinite is with the actual. What’s the explicit story of this picture?
When a pupil at school is struggling together with her background, I ask questions as a way to draw out the story behind the piece: What’s the topic? The place is the topic? What’s it doing? Why did you select this topic? What’s essential concerning the topic?
The solutions to those questions nearly at all times lead us to our backgrounds. For instance, let’s take a look at a number of of my quilts.
Gombessa
Let’s begin with a straightforward one. “Gombessa” encompasses a life-size coelacanth on a whole-cloth background. This can be a massive quilt. The fish is life-size, about six ft lengthy. Doing a whole-cloth background is uncommon for me—I often want one thing extra visually wealthy and complicated. However once you look at the story of the quilt, by asking the questions above, you’ll perceive why it’s so acceptable.
- What’s the topic? A coelacanth, also called the dino fish because it was thought to have gone extinct 65 million years in the past, across the identical time because the dinosaurs.
- The place is the topic? It lives in two locations within the Indian Ocean: off the coast of Madagascar and within the waters off Indonesia.
- What’s it doing? Don’t know. Hanging out?
- Why did you select this topic? Due to its distinctive story: it was rediscovered in a South African fish market in 1938.
- What’s essential concerning the topic? I’m fascinated by its story.
Essentially the most pertinent reply on this case turned out to be the place the fish was from. Because it has been present in solely two populations—off the japanese coast of Africa and the coast of Indonesia—I attempted to discover a approach to characterize that in cloth. Once I learn that the fish was many shades of blue with white spots I instantly considered Indonesian batiks, so I made the fish with plenty of these materials.
On the time I used to be contemplating what I might do for the background, I occurred to go to our yearly Maine quilt present. I used to be pondering of one thing in golds, since that coloration would complement the blues. At a specific sales space had been plenty of worldwide materials, and the universe stepped in. The sales space proprietor had one piece that was large enough and within the colours I used to be searching for. The clincher, nevertheless, is that the material was a hand-painted piece from Africa.
So, between the fish itself and the background, the materials I used place the fish in its two habitats. Good.
Redfish
Right here’s one other fish. This one is purely from my creativeness (there’s a species of fish by that title, although it doesn’t appear like this). As I’ve mentioned earlier than: a head, some fins, and a tail and also you’ve obtained your self a fish. I might have used whole-cloth for the background as I did with Gombessa, however as soon as I requested myself the questions, I got here up with a distinct resolution.
- What’s the topic? A made-up fish.
- The place is the topic? Within the ocean.
- What’s it doing? Swimming.
- Why did you select this topic? As a result of I needed to play with coloration.
- What’s essential concerning the topic? Nothing particularly.
So, right here the reply to query quantity 4 is the essential one. If I needed to play with coloration, then the background wanted to be quite a lot of materials as nicely. However because the fish was just one coloration, crimson, I made a decision the background ought to be one coloration, aqua. In looking via my lower scraps for aquas, many had been strips of material, or had straight edges. So I positioned many as horizontal stripes to offer a way of water present flowing previous the fish, satisfying query numbers two and three within the course of—swimming within the ocean.
Crocodylus Smylus
When it was time to consider it, I noticed Stevie the saltwater crocodile on a background of rectangular items of material. However as soon as I had completed the principle picture and began enjoying round, auditioning materials right here and there round her, it turned complicated with no focus. This was a case of being overwhelmed by the infinite. I simply had too many decisions and wanted to discover a approach to slender them down.
So let’s take a look at the questions once more.
- What’s the topic? A saltwater crocodile.
- The place is the topic? Australia.
- What’s it doing? Strolling on the seashore.
- Why did you select this topic? Due to their superior dimension (20 ft common in actual life!).
- What’s essential concerning the topic? Their superior dimension!
Once I examine salties browsing—that’s proper, browsing—on waves within the ocean, I knew I needed to put her on a seashore. On this case, the second and third questions had been those that basically helped me outline the background—strolling from underbrush and throughout the seashore to the ocean. It turned a extra straight-forward job of suggesting bushes and grasses behind her, sand beneath her, and water forward of her. I nonetheless saved my rectangular shapes, however the reply to the place she was and what she was doing outlined the location and coloration of these cloth rectangles.
Years in the past I taught in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, nearing the Arctic Circle. Donna McDonald was my guild contact and earlier than I left she gifted me some items of material she had Shibouri dyed. I lastly discovered the proper place for them, within the background of “Crocodylus Smylus.”
Dixie Dingo Dreaming
I’ve talked concerning the background of this quilt fairly extensively in a earlier Quilts Story, so I received’t repeat it phrase for phrase right here, however let’s apply the questions above to this quilt.
- What’s the topic? My canine Pippin.
- The place is the topic? She’s sitting within the solar by a sliding glass door.
- What’s it doing? She’s snoozing, sitting in a posture that was explicit to her.
- Why did you select this topic? As a result of she’s particular to me.
- What’s essential concerning the topic? She’s a part of our household.
The solutions to those questions led to me a really explicit resolution to the background. On one stage it’s fairly apparent: I created the impression of a doorway with two straight edges, a vertical and a horizontal. Then I created a stylized solar that’s shining via the doorway. In essence, I positioned her the place she was once I took the image—just a bit extra fanciful than in actual life.
However it’s the solutions to the final query that makes this background explicit: Might I one way or the other present how she was a member of our household? The answer was to do it symbolically. As I am going into in some depth in my Quilt Story publish, I borrowed from and tailored Australian Aboriginal symbolism to perform my purpose. The middle of the solar represents a campfire (or our residence). The grey U-shaped symbols across the hearth characterize the 4 of us in our residence: the three folks and one fur-person. The crimson wavy traces characterize our paths via life. And so forth. (Learn Quilt Tales: “Dixie Dingo Dreaming” for a whole clarification.) Ultimately, this quilt of Pippin consists of our entire household—three people, two fur-people, and one feather-person—at that second in time.
Final Ideas on Backgrounds
Use the background to accent your predominant picture. Ensure that the background provides to and doesn’t distract from or overwhelm your topic.
A method a background can distract is by making an excessive amount of of it. It’s not unusual for my college students to heart their picture on a big whole-cloth piece of material the place it could actually look a little bit misplaced.
I are likely to crop fairly near the topic. Generally, as within the little fish with the field and border above, the picture really breaks into the border. It’s extra fascinating to be a giant fish in small pond than vice versa. Except there’s cause for extra unfavorable area within the background, I might crop fairly shut.
Backgrounds could be easy, simply colourful squares or stunning cloth to border the work, or they are often as complicated as you’d like. I encourage you to have your background inform a narrative. Take into consideration the questions I ask my college students. These solutions could maintain the important thing to unlocking the story your quilt is making an attempt to inform.
Bonus Video
Luana Rubin of equilter.com interviewed me concerning the my Specimens present whereas on the Worldwide Quilt Competition in Houston this final November. Thanks, Luana.