Supply List

People in Places

Linda Schmidt, Instructor

Please note that I cannot know what techniques your particular photo will require, so the following supply list is an educated guess, with a few contingencies thrown in.  Do not let it stress you out, because you are in your own sewing room, so you should have everything you need.

Fabrics

For the first project, you will need fabric to paint your sky and maybe some of your water, a piece about 14" wide and about 10" tall.  I use Mercerized Combed Cotton Broadcloth PFD (Prepared for Dyeing) from Dharma (www.dharmatrading.com), but many quilt shops are starting to carry the PFD fabrics.  Any good quality fine muslin (like a good white sheet) about 144 thread count that has been washed and dried without fabric softener will work, as well.   If you flick a drop of water at it and the water sinks in, it is fine.  If your fabric’s weave is not tight enough, the paint will seep through to the back and you will not have enough color on the front and it will look tacky. 

You will also need a small piece (about 6" x 10") of either the same fabric or a flesh toned broadcloth with which to create your dancer.  The rest of the fabrics you need depend on the color you paint your sky, but you want a range from light to dark, preferably batiks or hand dyes to get the best effect. 

The fabrics you choose for your own individual fabric hanging will depend on the colors of your photo, and you may or may not need more fabric to paint for sky.

To create the shimmer on the sea, get a bit of opalescent organdie (they often call it sheer metallic in the fabric store), sparkle organza or both.  You will only need about 10" wide x 4," but it makes all the difference in the world. 

A Photo or Two

Choose a picture, preferably of a favorite place, possibly one you took yourself, that you wish to recreate in fabric.  If you want to use a picture taken by someone else, you must be sure that it is not protected by copyright.  Assume that anything that does NOT give you permission IS protected.  There are many copyright-free photos available on the Internet.  Just put the words "photos copyright free" in your search box. 

Here are some sites:

Sometimes starting with a good photo is the key to a great quilt.  After all, just because you are a great quilter, doesn’t mean you are a great photographer, too!

Supplies

You also need fabric paints for painting sky and people.  My favorite paints are Setacolors by Pebeo.  These are available now at Michael’s craft stores, or online at www.prochemical.com or www.skydyes.com and lots of other places.   If you already have some fabric paints and like them, that is perfectly fine.  The colors of Setacolors I use most often are:

  • Opaque Titanium white (10)
  • Pearlescent
    • Gold (45)
    • Silver (60)
    • Pearl (44)

 

 

 
  • Transparent
    •  Cobalt Blue (11)
    •  Ultramarine (12)
    •  Raw Sienna (25)
    •  Cardinal Red (24)
    •  Lemon Yellow (17)
    •  Black Lake (19)
    •  Emerald (15)
    •  Parma Violet (29)
    •  Velvet Brown (14)

OUTLINE

Lesson One

Lesson Two

Lesson Three

Lesson Four

Lesson Five

Lesson Six

RECOMMENDED READING

I highly recommend the following books for people who have the ICD (I Can’t Draw) syndrome.

The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (yes, there are significant changes in it from the original Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) by Betty Edwards.

Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces by Carrie Stuart Parks

These books are usually available in public libraries, but are also in print and available at most bookstores or www.amazon.com.

My favorite book for basic design rules and all-around designing quilts is Joen Wolfrom’s The Visual Dance.  For the use of colors in landscapes to create the illusion of depth, my favorite is her Landscapes and Illusions.  Second best is her The Magical Effects of Color.  All of them are excellent, but they are out of print.  Used copies tend to be very expensive, but you may find them in a library (try your quilt guild) or a friend might have a copy.

For painting skies and other things, my favorite book is Mickey Lawler’s Skydyes, available from many sources, including her Web site: www.skydyes.com.

Acetate tracing paper is a plastic tracing paper that you find in artist's supply stores for about $4 for a very large sheet.  It looks fairly milky if you hold it up to the light.  If you lay it on top of a photograph, you can see through it almost perfectly, far better than through tracing paper.

It has a rough side and a smooth side, and you can easily draw and erase on the rough side, preferably with a very fine line mechanical pencil. These lines will be smaller, when enlarged, than the lines made by an ordinary pencil.  If your photograph is not complex, if you can see your shapes well, then you do not need the acetate tracing paper.

If you do need it and cannot get it, an alternative is to lay a clear plastic or cellophane over your picture, and trace it with an Ultra Fine Sharpie Marker.  The only disadvantage to this is that once you draw the line, you cannot erase it.  Just start over, if you have to!

You may check the Class Supply Glossary in the Library for generic descriptions of products that may be sold under various names in different countries. 

If you have trouble finding your supplies locally in the US, many of our items are available online at Batiks Etcetera & Sew What Fabrics.  International students can check our Class Supply Sources.