Turning Photos in to Quilts Part 1

Choosing the Perfect Photo

This weekend I’ll be heading up to the NC mountains to do some photo shoots for my upcoming book! To be honest, I’m a little nervous. Even though I’ve taken thousands of photos throughout my travels, including photos of all my quilts, this time I’m specifically trying to capture the perfect image for the book cover. No pressure, right?

that got me wondering, what do you do with all of your travel adventure photos?

Usually, about 90% of those photos never leave my camera/phone/laptop. Some will end up on my website, of course, or in these fun newsletters. But, what about those ‘perfect’ shots that you just can’t stop staring at? The ones that encapsulate all the emotion from that one amazing trip. Why not make them into a quilt!?

A few years ago when I took the Quilt Tour to Ireland, there were a few specific photos that I KNEW I wanted to make into a quilt, even as I was snapping my camera. Specifically, these doors we found in the fabulous little fishing town on Kinvara.

The contrast in colors along with the linear imagery made this a perfect photo to use as the base for a quilt. So, I got to work drawing out the image in straight lines on my giant graph paper and calculating the size for each shape.

The Doors photo quilt | Rona the Ribbiter

Then, I built my quilt top. Now, this one isn’t completely finished yet because I still have to quilt it. But, for the quilting I plan to use a little bit of Trapunto (creating 3-dimensional “stuffed” texture) and thread painting to give the doors and windows texture as well as get those crisscross lines on the glass. Don’t mind my messy design wall! 😀

Once the Doors quilt is complete, this fairy house photo will be my next big project! I just LOVE all the Fairy houses around Ireland. So much so that we also have one on our property here in North Carolina.

What Makes a Great Photo?

So, what makes a great photo to use for a quilt? That’s a loaded question that I’m actually working on a new lecture series to cover. However, the basic rule of thumb is to look for images that have one centerpiece to draw your eye. For instance, the Fairy House.

Then, you want to make sure that the background is fairly simple (the forest floor in the Fairy House example). You don’t want anything too extremely busy because it will actually detract from the overall quilt design. Not to mention all those tiny pieces!

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In a later newsletter I’ll talk more about the different processes I use to complete my photo quilts. I’ve made them with traditional piecing, like the Doors quilt. And, I’ve used various forms of applique.

On a side note, I’ll also be teaching my applique process in ICELAND!! What can I say, I’m sew excited! 😀

The next time you’re out on an adventure, even if it’s in your own backyard, practice taking some photos with a specific quilt idea in mind. It could possibly change the very way you look at the world!

Do you know someone who’d like my photo quilt tips? Click the buttons below to share with your friends! Then be sure to join us in the Traveling Quilters group on Facebook to for more travel adventures!