Susan Carlson - Serendipity Quilts: Cutting Loose Fabric Collage

Text, artwork, and illustrations copyright 2010 by Susan Carlson

How-to photography copyright 2010 by C&T Publishing, Inc.

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Acquisitions Editor: Susanne Woods

Editor: Deb Rowden

Technical Editor: Carolyn Aune

Copyeditor/Proofreader: Wordfirm Inc.

Cover/Page Layout Artist: Kerry Graham

Book Designer: Tom Allen

Production Coordinator: Kirstie L. Pettersen

Production Editor: Julia Cianci

Illustrator: Tom Allen

Photography by Dennis Griggs of Tannery Hill Studios, Topsham, ME, unless otherwise noted

Maine photography by Susan Carlson and Tom Allen

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Carlson, Susan E., 1960

Serendipity quilts : cutting loose fabric collage / Susan Carlson.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-57120-830-9 (soft cover)

1. Quilting--Patterns. 2. Appliqu--Patterns. I. Title.

TT835.C374123 2010

746.46041--dc22

2009038314

Printed in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my son, Sam,
who constantly delights and inspires me to cut loose.

A thank you to my past and future students for challenging me with your projects and questions. Helping to solve your problems helps me to know what to focus on. Your curiosity and inquiriesHow would you do this? or Is this how you work? inspired both of my books. You have also, knowingly or unknowingly, contributed to my scraps of fabric. Sometimes you gifted them to me, and other times I picked them up off the flooror from the trash pail!after classes. This, even after I told you to save those scraps!

Another huge thank you to my husband, Tom, for his encouragement and expertise in creating this second book. He (usually) understands what I am trying to say and helps me get the right words in the right order. If this book is clear and concise, it is due, in large part, to his editing and design skills.

Samuelsaurus Rex, 48 40, 2001

Photograph by Andrew Edgar

My fierce dino-boy.

About ten years ago, I started writing my first book, Free-Style Quilts: A No-Rules Approach, which documents and describes my work of the previous decade. It presents my experiments in fabric collage, using glue to adhere fabric prior to quilting. The book received a great response and has been a useful tool for teaching the collage process.

However, professional success is not always conducive to creativity. Soon after the books publication in 2000, I started to feel a self-inflicted pressure to make my quilts perfect. Predictably, that took the fun out of the process. I got stuck in a rut. My work was becoming stiff, figuratively speaking. I needed to loosen upeven more than the free-style approach promotes.

Ive played with fabric for much of my lifestitching, manipulating, painting, and drawing on it. Its been experimental and fun. I enjoy looking for new ideas and subject matter. So, I started searching for that spark to add more interest to my work.

For me, fabric collage is an immediate process, similar to painting. I pick up a piece of fabric, cut it to size as I hold it, and lay it down. Sometimes I cut more off or add another piece to make it larger. More and more pieces of fabric are laid in placeone on top of the other. When Im satisfied with how things are looking, I glue the fabric down. When the image is complete, I quilt it for final details and texture. I had always been happy with that way of working, but the resulting images were becoming stagnant to me. So, what to do?

I concluded that if I were a painter and wanted to loosen up my style, I might try an impressionistic approach la Monet and his water lilies. Instead of wide bands of color, I would use smaller strokes of paint, dabs of color placed one next to another. Up close it would look abstract; from a distance it would pull together and form the image I intended.

Tiny pieces of fabric are tossed into old suitcasesmy scrap-cases!

Larger (foldable) cuts of fabric are organized by color on shelves in my design area. Smaller pieces are grouped in baskets or open bins.

My design boarda flannel-covered 4 6 sheet of fiber board clamped onto a rugged drawing table and tilted so I can work at an angleis especially helpful when working with scale and proportion.