Project-DIY-Quilting Picture

So like last year at some point, I decided that I was going to make quilted pictures of various pets. It was part applique, part quilting, part fabric stained glass. It was an ambitious project and when I finally got started on it again, it went pretty quickly. I learned a lot of things while doing it.

Step 1-select your pictures. I printed mine off as 8x10 color photos. It was expensive. 8x10 only allows you to make individual quilt squares OR potholders. Next time, I'm going to try printing the photos off to poster size to make a wall hanging.

Step 2- Buy your supplies. You'll need some fabric (I used fat quarters.) for every color in the photo. You can go pretty basic. Use some fun patterns. Its up to up. Also embrodery thread to match the fabric. Quilt padding, white fabric, sharpies (black and silver) and needles will be needed.

Step 3-Trace the picture where the colors change with sharpies-I used black and silver for dark areas. Then I traced over the picture onto paper and white cloth. I learned that you should use one really big piece of white cloth and not cut it down to just larger than 8x10. This will come in handy later.

Step 4- Label your areas with the appropriate color code. Then start cutting them out of the paper and fabric. You'll have to wait on some of the pieces that are really small or inside larger colors.

Step 5-Layer your white cloth and quilt backing. Pin it together. The light green fabric I have here I didn't use in the layering but quilted it on later. 

Step 6-Start sewing small pieces of fabric on. Pin them on like puzzle pieces and sew them with even stitches using an appropriately coordinated thread. Originally, I used a small embrodery hoop but abandoned it because it was interferring with the pins holding the whole thing together. It also was wrinkling the whole thing. I think using a bigger frame and larger white fabric and quilt backing pieces will prevent this.

Step 7-There were a few things that just needed to be embrodered versus having small fabric pieces. I also decided that the small pieces like the eyebrows and eyes needed to be added on top of the face rather than cut out. Because in this instance, it was going to be black on black, I highlighted the eyes by adding gray to the black thread.

Step 8-I pinned the fabric to the back and quilted it on. I don't know how to quilt. Originally, I was planning on going all the way through but it didn't look good with the pattern that I was using. I ended up going through the white cloth in the areas around the dog.

Step 9- I folded over the edge of the backing cloth into a neat pattern and sewed it on my machine.

Then ta-da! A beautiful potholder! Or whatever else you want it to make...