QNM Articles & Patterns

Creative Photo Expansion Quilts

 Instructions

Step 1

Choose a photo that has something going on around the perimeter, such as a change in background or a cropped figure. Candid snapshots are good choices. Transfer the photo to fabric. If using transfer paper, be sure to print the photo in mirror image. Have the photo transfer enlarged or reduced as needed.

Step 2

Place a large sheet of tracing paper over your fabric photo. Place the photo as it will be in the finished quilt, the center, the lower left, or to the right, as you choose.

With a pencil, accurately trace the major lines of the image, paying special attention to the lines at the edge of the photo. Also trace the perimeter of the photo exactly. Tracing the features of the image will help you plan the expansion. The perimeter lines are important to fabric placement.

Extend the lines from the edge of the photo, "expanding" the design to an imaginary background of your choice. Be sure to follow the rules of perspective to make your lines believable. In Mary's Baptism, I finished the man's head and shoulder, the woman's head and upper body, and the baby's hands and dress. Once you are satisfied with the drawing, draw a box around it to indicate the finished size of the quilt.

Step 3

Turn the tracing paper over, and from the back side, trace the pencil lines with a fine-point black marker to create a mirror image.

Step 4

Trace the reversed drawing onto the stabilizer. If using a fusible stabilizer, be sure to draw on the nonfusible side. Identify each piece of fabric needed and plan your sewing order. As with regular applique, think of the drawing as a succession of layers, and number them from back to front; background pieces are placed first.

Step 5

Place the unmarked side of the stabilizer on the wrong side of the background fabric, cut slightly larger than the drawing. Pin or fuse in place.

Step 6

Cut each fabric patch oversized; place and pin to the right side of the background fabric where needed, flip over, and stitch with a very short straight stitch along the marked lines for that patch.

Step 7

Turn over, and trim the excess fabric closely along the line of stitches. As additional patches are added, trim on the side along the previously sewn patches. If another fabric will overlap the patch, trim, leaving about 1/2". Continue adding fabric in this way, following the numerical order.

Step 8

After all other patches are sewn in place, lay the photo on top of the quilt, carefully placing it where it belongs. Pin and sew it to the background with a straight stitch from the front. Trim close to the seam.

With matching or contrasting thread, cover all of the seams with a satin stitch. Sew in the same numerical order used for the patches, ending with the stitches around the edge of the photo. You may vary the width of the satin stitch to use narrower stitches on objects in the distance and wider stitches for foreground patches. Smaller details require small stitches also.

After the satin stitching is complete, you can embellish the quilt with additional stitching. Continue some of the design lines into the photo so the quilt appears as one large photo.

Finish the quilt by pressing and squaring it with a ruler and rotary cutter. Add borders, and quilt as desired. Try using freehand machine quilting around the figures, or quilt other elements related to the photo.