My applique process is quite extensive, and I would suggest starting with a simple image for your first project. Remember, you will not finish the project in the time we have together, but you will be able to make a good start and you'll have the information you need to continue on. I generally stress choosing a subject matter that you really like, as you'll be working on the project for awhile. Here are some examples to demonstrate what kinds of images will work best for this class. PLEASE NOTE! I do not have experience with human portraiture. I would not recommend this technique for those wishing to do such a quilt. There are a lot of other teachers in the quilt world who do "faces" and I would recommend you enroll in one of their workshops instead.

This image has too much detail and is too busy.

Perfect for this workshop. Single image, nice details.

A great barn, but too many tiny details.

A nice simple barn, with great background detail.

Do you really want to applique two million petals?

Perfect for this workshop. Single image, nice detail.

A terrific photo, but very complicated.

If you love cats, choose an image like this one.

My process requires a full-size pattern to work from. After I have chosen an image, I print it out on my home printer in "tiles" and then tape the pages together. You can also visit your local copy center and have the image printed out on large format paper. This can run a few dollars per foot. A grayscale enlargement will work well, as long as you have a good, letter-size color printout for color reference when choosing fabric. You DO NOT need a full-size, expensive color printout for this class. Please do not have your image "Posterized" for this class. Please do not trace your image prior to having it enlarged. Please do not trace your image before the workshop.

After the enlargement is complete, I cover the entire image with Canson tracing paper. Canson, in my opinion, is the best tracing paper available. You can find it in large and small pads at most craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michael's. It is also available on the internet. One of my workshop attendees sent me a link to buy it in 36" rolls! This is how I buy it now, it's perfect! Click this link to order it from DanielSmith.com

Below are some images of fabrics from my stash that are good examples of what I like to use. I love hand-dyed fabrics (from other fabric artists, as I do not dye my own!) and prints that have no obvious repeat! Look for "crusty" fabrics (as I like to call them) - ones that have a lot of detail and color variety in them. I also love hand-marbled fabrics, and use them in almost every quilt I've made. I do use a lot batiks, but I find them a little tougher to get a needle through with hand applique. As I've stated, I like to use simple images and then let the fabrics do all of the hard work. I actually used the leaf print below (upper left corner) as part of "Maynard's" ear. Click here to see a detail.

Below are some images of fabrics that are NOT recommended for this project. Although I have many quilting friends who believe you can use any fabric in your stash for an art quilt, I would try to avoid prints with an obvious pattern, stripes, plaids or those with flat, solid colors. And, of course, I recommend washing your fabrics before starting your project!