Portrait quilt

[wendy w.]

I've made a portrait quilt from a photo and am now having some problems.

I fused the face and sewed round the elements then fused it to some pale fabric so the background doesn't show through. I sprayed it with 505 and placed it on the background. Then quilted the background but didn't quilt the face as it would have caused ridges. I'm really pleased with the result but the face is now starting to pucker. I think the 505 has lost it's grip, I've ironed it from the back but it's not made any difference.

Any tips please

This is my quilt it's just 10.5"

[Rita C.]

Wendy that looks fantastic! I can't help you with regard to puckering on the face as I have never done one. Hopefully somebody might be able to help.

[Renata L.]

I don't have enough experience to offer a recommendation for the puckering, Wendy, but your portrait is gorgeous in every detail of color, fabric selection, choice of subject and execution. You possess rare talent in doing the portraits.

[wendy w.]

Thank you and thank goodness for batik and tippex

[Nancy R.]

Hi Wendy -

That is just gorgeous! The 505 is a temporary basting spray, so I think you'll need to just add a few quilting lines to the face to keep it from puckering. It's just too large a space to leave unquilted. Of course, where to put the lines is the difficult part! Human faces are really hard to do (based on looking at other's quilts, not on ever trying anything like that myself!). You've done an incredible job!

Nancy

[E.M. T.]

Hi ! Wendy...Think you.re prob'ly right about the 505 letting go. Of course..it is a temp. adhesive. I try to use some perm. adhesive
if an area is not to be quilted. Not sure what the fix might be aside from quilting ...some artists do quilt the faces with good results.
Good luck and keep us posted ! That baby is cute !!! Btw, what is tippex ?

[Eileen K.]

What about some minor stitching around the eyes, and anchoring the nose and mouth? You can try it with matching thread or invisible. This is just a suggestion, and I'd try it on a test piece first.

[wendy w.]

I was going to do that originally but it's puffed out so much it'll make it worse so unless someone tells me it's fine to inject glue from the back or something I'm going to leave it. I'm considering cutting the backing and wadding away from the face area and attacking it from the back and inserting fusible but it could go disastrously wrong.

I was only doing this quilt as an exercise to get my confidence back after abandoning another one before Christmas.
It's my best friend's grandson, hope she likes it. I'll give it to her quick before it puckers any more :lol:

Next time I'll use fusible throughout, then it won't move!!

Tippex is paper correction fluid. Used it for highlighting eyes and for the teeth.

[Renata L.]

Wendy, your comment on cutting out backing and wadding just gave me an idea... what about if you just cut out the backing, add a piece of wadding where the face is and make it a trapunto area, then patching in another piece of backing to cover the cut area in the back? It would give a bit of 3D dimensionality to the face and perhaps correct the puckering. Your trapunto could be around the outline of the face without having to do quilting. However, if there were a few places on the face where you wanted to put a few lines of quilting after all, then, either silk thread or Bottom Line might diminish the visibility of the quilting in the face. You know, this is an idea not backed by experience, just something I would try if I needed to address that kind of pucker. I will be very interested to find out what you do and how it works out for you.

[Renata L.]

From my experience of adhesives used in fabrics, once they break down there is no reviving them.

How about stretching the panel over a frame?

Seriously impressive piece of work, I wouldn't know where to start....

[E.M. T.]

Another thought....rather than machine quilting ...just a few stitches to contour the face,,,,after releasing the back?? Releasing the back might
just do the trick by itself .

[Nancy H.]

Wendy, your art quilt is fabulous. In regard to quilting on the face, you might want to check out Hollis Chatelain's web site. She does absolutely beautiful quilting on her portrait quilts. This might give you some ideas. Her web site is "hollisart.com"

[Margo C.]

Also check out TQS Pat Durbin: community/my-profile/Patsquilts

http://www.patdurbin.com/

See her baby quilt here: see-quilts/quilt-gallery/
and navigate to her Member Blog instructions explaining to us how she did it!

[Susan B.]

Stitch it down!
I think the key may be getting flesh colored thread and following the contours.

Patt Blair is a superb portrait painter and quilter. Check her blog for more ideas.
http://pattsart.blogspot.com/2011/02...-quilting.html

[wendy w.]

Thank you for all the suggestions and links. That last one says it all and I'll put this one down to experience. I know Jane is going to be happy with it, she's a quilter and will understand. She's amazed at the photo quilts and wants me to teach our group. Ha ha

I love the links to portrait artists and am in awe of their work. They achive it with paints, a wonderful talent.

I've been following Pat Durbin's blog isn't it inspiring, she even paints and prints the background fabric