“Good morning! I was looking for a class to take with my mother-in-law… in early March and didn’t know if you were offering one?! It’s her birthday and it’s been some time since both of us have dusted off our machines.”

Back in early 2019, I received the above email and thus began my first pet portrait class. 

Emails flew back and forth as we ironed out details. I talked about my teaching style. While they would work from a photo, they would be layering instead of piecing and they’d make their “pattern pieces” from the enlarged photo or freehand. Since some people feel they cannot sew without pre-printed pattern pieces, I make a point of explaining this. Sometimes a student’s feelings of “I can’t do this” are so overwhelming that while the individual may have a great vision, they just can’t make that first experimental cut into the fabric.

Leah was thrilled since she had always wanted to try fabric art and was happily discussing possible pets for her portrait. The more emails we sent back and forth, the more excited she got. “… (this) out of the box opportunity was just too great to pass up!!” She shared that her mother-in-law might be a bit hesitant as to whether or not she could do this new art form. I said something to the effect of between the two of us, she’ll be fine.

Their photos enlarged and pinned on my design wall, waiting for them when they arrived.

Pet Portrait Class Preparation

The list of supplies and tools for the day was emailed. I requested the photos they were considering as reference photos ahead of time so I could see if there was anything that might be too advanced for a first attempt.

“So as you are thinking of what photo you’d like to recreate in fabric, try to first pick one that “speaks to” you. It could capture a certain look of your pet or just have a special memory. The clearer the picture is, the easier it will be to work with… however, we can work with ones that aren’t that clear if we have other photos to reference.”

Knowing their choices prior to class day allowed me to get the photos enlarged. I pulled out class material from years ago when I was teaching Beginning and Intermediate Fabric Art Quilts at Saratoga County Adult Continuing Education, reworked some of it, and into folders it went.

Betsy and I had a number of emails discussing her reference photo possibilities. Irises, sunsets, or her Mickey. While she wasn’t confident that she could make a black cat out of fabric look anything like her Mickey, I had enough confidence for both of us, so Mickey it was. The fact that Mickey was transitioning through that end-of-life time of his life added a poignant dimension to the whole process.

“So, just something to be aware of, as you choose colors for your picture when you are here with me, go for what speaks to your heart/ soul. It’s okay to cut fabric up, put it down, and if something isn’t right, take that fabric off and cut up something else. And then something else… and then go back to the first one. I call it ‘auditioning’ the fabric.”

The day before Betsy wrote: “She (Leah) is so much fun and we have a great time when we are together. This class will be so much fun with the 3 of us!!!” It’s nice knowing one’s students are excited before we even start.

Fabric Art Creation Day

This mid-February day began (and ended) with no snow, so that was a joy. Leah was coming down south 3 hours and Betsy had to come over the mountain, which can be treacherous in winter storms. The day began with setting up their machines, followed by information about different techniques, and then the making began. Pet portraits can be made as wall hangings, mounted on canvas, or as pillows. They both chose to make theirs as wall hangings.

Similar to what is in my blog post, Making a Fabric Pet Portrait: Cooper’s Memorial Pillow, the second copy of the enlarged photo was cut out in muslin for the base. Each part (ears, jaw, face, mane) was also cut out to be the pattern for that particular area.

What always is interesting to me is to watch the approach individual students take when they begin to add color on top of that muslin base. Some approach it with abandon, quickly rummaging through their fabrics, choosing what feels right quickly and cutting away with the scissors; others lay out all the material choices around the base, move them around a number of times, step back, make some changes and even then, hesitantly make that first cut. Both styles were present in this daughter/ mother-in-law pair.

Leah worked on her horse, Moon. She had initially written to me: “I have an old man (27 years young) black (graying though) horse who I’ve owned for 22+ years and was thinking of maybe doing something of him. I didn’t know how difficult doing a BLACK animal would be though.” I had sent them photos of different completely black animals I had done and I suspect that helped move the needle. She wanted to have it be whimsical and magical as this gentle creature exudes that essence. Her material choices reflect that vision.

Note how the fabric choices portray the fanciful nature of her horse

For Mickey, I recommended that Betsy start with the head and eyes first. Often just having a complete face cut out allows students to go forward with more conviction and confidence.

We talked about how to get the shine in his coat from different black fabric, how to show the contours of his body through patterns in the material, and how taking a photo of the work helps one see what sometimes is missed with your eyes.

The first draft of Mickey pinned. Notice how the pattern in the face material adds depth to his face.

Both Leah and Betsy worked diligently through the morning. Leah and I had previously arranged to have a luncheon meal here due to the fact it would save time and it was Betsy’s birthday weekend. Leah brought soup and bread; I made salad and had some cupcakes from my daughter, Fancy Pants Cakes. The food break served them well, and then they continued their cutting and Leah began sewing her art piece.

Leah sewing her pet portrait, and Betsy practicing the machine applique stitch.

Since Betsy wasn’t sure what she wanted to do for her background, I had her practice the blanket stitch on a flower shape that I had left over from my previous classes.  

Creating the Pet Portrait Background: Six Months Later

I received an email from Betsy wondering if she could come over to work with me on the background for Mickey. She had some ideas, yet she wasn’t sure whether or not the colors worked well enough. So over the mountain she came with a basketful of material and Mickey, the fabric Mickey, that is.  

Betsy spoke of how during these months she had received compliments from friends and co-workers on her portrayal of Mickey. A number of them had encouraged her to finish it. “It’s going to be amazing!” they said.

Betsy knew she wanted her cat to be outside on grass with a soft sky in the background. She auditioned a number of grass materials. We dug into my scrap drawers and fabric bins to add to her sky options.  

Watching Betsy cut out the strips for the sky brought a smile to my face as there were no patterns for the layers of the atmosphere, just freehand cutting. She was doing what six months ago seemed impossible and doing it well. Most importantly she felt good about her progress. 

Mickey in the grass at sunset.

A Finished Pet Portrait: Mickey at Home

Almost a year from when we had the class, I received the photos below.  Mickey was finished and had his place of remembrance and honor in Betsy’s new house.

Musings on Fabric Art

I know how challenging it can be for people new to art quilts and fabric collage to overcome the mindset gremlins. I have been there.  

There was a time in my art and business journey when I had convinced myself:

I couldn’t put colors (fabric) together correctly.

Without any formal art training, my work would never be good enough. 

I wouldn’t learn to create pets that look real enough.

I couldn’t paint eyes or noses.

I couldn’t do Instagram, create a monthly newsletter, or write a blog.  

What I found out over time:

I can combine colors together well when I listen to the fabric speaking to me.

I can view fabric with different eyes, seeing shapes within patterns and colors.

My skill set improved through practice and the many portraits I created.

Practice works. 

I enjoy writing/sharing my art journey, observations, and techniques with others.

A joyFULL art piece is as valuable as one that is technically correct

When you create from the heart, it all falls into place.

These days when there is something new for my business, my phrase is “ I haven’t learned how to do that YET.”  And when those “You Won’t Ever Be Able to Do That, Martha” gremlins come marching up to my door, I invite them in, acknowledge the fear and doubt that surrounds them, and send them on their way gently with a “Oh but I will. I will learn it over time. You don’t need to protect me from failure. It won’t be perfect at first and I will keep improving the more I do something.” 

I can hear the Pinterest gremlins in the distance. I am armed with my “I haven’t learned Pinterest, YET” shield.

Q: How do you turn all those pieces of fabric into a picture of my dog?
A: One step at a time, one step at a time.

Let me walk you through the process of the co-creation of a pet portrait, using a recent example of Cooper. First, here’s some background information. The woman who commissioned Cooper’s memorial portrait saved my business postcard for 2 years. When her daughter’s family lost their beloved furry companion, she knew this would be the perfect sympathy gift for the loss of such a devoted pet. She wanted a pet memorial pillow of “the sweetest boy ever.”

Step 1:  The pet’s photograph

A portrait piece or pet memorial is created from a photo, usually sent to me digitally. I will not create a portrait from another artist’s work or any copyrighted or trademarked design unless I have written permission from the artist/ photographer.

The sharper the picture is, the easier it is to recreate. Receiving several images is helpful as I look to see which of those matches up best with the pet’s personality as described to me. Frequently that comes forth in the eyes but sometimes I can see it in the ears, a tilt of the head, or the tongue.

Step 2:  Logistical Questions

What will the final product be? A pillow, an art piece mounted on canvas, a wall hanging, a matted picture or a finished piece that will be framed?

Will this be a headshot, full body or partial body portrait? For example, a full body would lose details in a 12×12 inch (31×31 cm) size.

What size will the final product be? The smallest custom size is canvas-mounted at 12×12 inches (31×31 cm); the largest portrait to date is 40×36 inches (102×91 cm). My largest work to date (view of mountains outside) was 9 feet by 9 feet. I can make any size! 

By when is it needed?  Knowing the date it needs to arrive at its destination allows me to fit each order into my schedule. If there are any potential conflicts, I send an email outlining when I could start, such as “The soonest I could begin your order would be 3 weeks from now. Does that work for you?”

Is this a gift? If so, I offer several options. 
1. I can create a finished piece.
2. I can work through a first draft, completing the process with the giftee.
3. With the purchase of a gift certificate, I can work directly with the giftee. 

Step 3:  Background for a dog or cat portrait

There are times when the existing photo background is just perfect and I translate that into fabric mountains, water, a deck or whatever is there. Other times folks tell me what they envision. “He accompanies me on so many walks in the Colorado hills, Can you do that?” It could just be a portrait background. The color choices are made by the customer. If a light blue is desired, I’ll send a photo with all the light blue fabrics I have so the client can choose.

Different backgrounds: Winky the Boxer and his Colorado hills, and Moxie in front of a perfect orange background.

The good part is that, until I start sewing, the background is only pinned and can be switched out further down the line.

Because Cooper was to be on a pillow, she chose to go with a head shot. I suggested we use the photo of him in the leaves as his expression spoke of his love of the outdoors and his “sweet nature.” She chose green fabric for the background as he would have been lost with the autumn tones of the original photo.    

Step 4:  First pet portrait draft – Flowered pins, Goldilocks questions, and tweaking

I have bins and bins of fabric. There are ones for medium and bigger sized fabric (fat quarters and yard lengths) and then there are drawers that just hold scraps. Before beginning, I will comb through all of these to find all the fabrics that are represented in the selected reference photo.

Since Cooper’s fur looked different in each of the photos, I arranged four different hues from which she selected the initial fabrics.

Having enlarged the dog or cat’s portrait to a black and white photo of the appropriate size, I cut a muslin base of their face or body using that photo as my pattern. That helps me have a framework within which to place the body material.  It sometimes happens that the initial fabric choices are not correct. For Cooper, even though two of the three photos had him with darker, rusty fur, it became obvious that these fabric colors weren’t his.

You can see the white base in the 2nd photo. The colors weren’t correct in the first cutting.

There are two different methods I use for cutting the fabric pieces. Let me call them “freestyling” and “traced.” Freestyling is where I cut out the pieces of the animal from the enlarged photo. This gives me the exact correct shape of a particular body part, i.e. ears. Then I eyeball the different colorations within that shape and cut fabric to represent those fur shades or colors.   This tends to give a more representative look, more feeling/soulful than photographic. The other method is where I trace each of the different color/shade changes in the enlarged photo onto paper. These then become a pattern piece. I used the freestyling method for Cooper.

The eyes, oh the eyes. I’ve learned over time to begin with the eyes. When a pet’s personality is captured in the eyes from the beginning, the viewer can see more of him/ her in each of the steps when I ask for feedback. The eye sparkle, that “twinkle in their eye” is done with thread. Eyes are currently created with fabric although I am learning to express eyes with acrylic paints.

The dark brown eyes often blend in with the overall eye look, yet it’s there. The “twinkle” shown here was fabric so she could get the idea of what it would look like with thread. Eyebrows have not been added yet.  

Now it’s just a matter of auditioning the right fabric piece, cutting and placing, over and over again. I no longer pin at this stage unless the piece is very tiny. I go for the “overall at-a-squinty distance” look. Often I’ll take a photo to see if I’m even close to declaring it a first draft.

Next I send a first draft email with 1) a statement of the things I know I still have to fix, 2) a list of questions, and 3) several photos. I use pins with flower heads to refer to a particular piece of fabric. “Is the yellow flower pin too light, too dark, or just right?” These are the Goldilocks questions. I’ll also ask what else do I need to tweak?  Note, this isn’t a “Do I need to?” question; I know there are other things that could enfuse his/her personality into this pet art piece. 

Step 5:  Second draft and maybe more 

This is when the magic really happens. Usually this is filled with a number of photos/ emails/ responses going back and forth. A customer’s input is critical to this part of the portrait creation process so I can finesse the fabric details. 

The first picture is the 1st draft. Each of these flowered pins represented a question I had for her. The second picture is the 2nd draft. Notice that colors were changed around his snout.    

Step 6: The sewing begins 

Once I’ve received a stamp of approval, it’s time to sew it all down. Most of my work is sewn with a blanket stitch. In Cooper’s case, he was completely sewn except for his snout after his second draft. It took a few more tries before the snout was just right.

Cooper’s chest getting sewn.  You can see his tongue sticking out.

Step 7: Finishing

Once I get a final thumb’s up, a pet portrait is ready for the finishing process. That could be sewing the back and hanging sleeve for a wall hanging, stapling it on and attaching the hanging wire for a canvas-mounted piece, or sewing the back of a pillow. In Cooper’s case, she chose a paw print fabric for the back with a memorial heart pocket for his collar.  

Step 8:  Homeward bound –  The photo shoot, wrapping, and trip to the post office

Each of my pet portraits gets their own official photo shoot (studio lights and all) since I want a good picture of each of these fabulous pets with whom I’ve spent some time. 

Then each is wrapped in paw print tissue paper, tied with paw print ribbon, and placed in a USPS Priority Mail box. It’s just a hop, skip and a jump to my local post office where the insured order is on its way. I then send an email with the expected delivery date.  

I always appreciate it when folks send me a photo of the portrait in its home.  And here, my friends, is Cooper watching over his family.

I would be delighted to create a custom pet portrait or memorial for you or someone you know. Feel free to share my blog, and contact me at any time to start the conversation.