I am making a quilt for my son's kindergarten teacher with self-portraits of each of the 16 students. The top is now finished. It is about 40" square. I got the idea from Kathy at Pink Chalk Studio, but have seen these quilts at a number of blogs. I actually bought a collection of fabric permanent pens initially thinking that the children would just draw their portraits directly onto fabric. I soon realized this would be a very messy & permanent mess which parents may not embrace. The kids drew their picture using markers on white paper, and signed their names separate from the portrait. I scanned them and added the signature to the portrait using PhotoShop. They were printed onto C.Jenkins Miracle Fabric Sheets. This is a bit pricey of a way to do this type project, but it gives me more control, keeps child cleaner. Use of PhotoShop allows me to "clean up" little messes on the art too.
Julie (aka Floribunda) showed this quilt earlier this year, which I just love. So I incorporated the concept of the shadow drop borders with the portraits. It has a totally different (& better) effect on her quilt of making them look like shadows. Since I wanted the tonal print black fabric on my quilt because it helps to make the artwork stand out, my "shadows" done in color stripes do not show off as much. Oh well. I like the look in general, and think it will be fun and appreciated once I get it quilted.
Julie (aka Floribunda) showed this quilt earlier this year, which I just love. So I incorporated the concept of the shadow drop borders with the portraits. It has a totally different (& better) effect on her quilt of making them look like shadows. Since I wanted the tonal print black fabric on my quilt because it helps to make the artwork stand out, my "shadows" done in color stripes do not show off as much. Oh well. I like the look in general, and think it will be fun and appreciated once I get it quilted.
Here are a couple of closer shots. They are adorable & amusing.
thanks for the link and the compliment! I love your quilt -- the multi-colored "shadows" play really well with the colorful self-portraits. I'm sure the teacher will adore it.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely gorgeous and sure to be treasured by the recipient. Children's self portraits are so revealing, a little character snapshot in one go!
ReplyDeleteThis quilt is just so precoius! The teacher is going to love it!
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed supermom! It's a wonderful quilt, the "shadows" are terrific, and the artwork is awesome. An amazing gift that will be cherished, I'm sure, and the kids must be very proud, too.
ReplyDeleteI love your classroom portraits...was that done in secrecy from the teacher, and if so, how did you manage the secret?
ReplyDeletere swap-(sorry lost your email address) Yes I know, I try to give the benefit of the doubt for any rcvr--for instance, who knows what might have been happening in rcvr's life during that time? I always, sadly, envision bigger problems/drama on that end and assume I should sit tight and be happy for what interaction I do have and wish them all well.
And you know, the new swap and this post alone, has set my sail in place; I'm thrilled to be trying another and am confident in what I want to send...chalk it up to experiences...
Super!!!!!
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