picture of a picture of my dog... and his quilt

When I stated this blog, I vowed that I'd never post pictures of my dog or my kids!

Well, I am granting myself a concession for a picture of a picture of my dog - and the quilt that picture will eventually become.

I'm working on a pictorial applique of Chip, using David Taylor's pattern technique. The idea is to draw your own original pattern based on a photo. The lines of the pattern follow the bone structure and natural lines of the animal, not the animal's color.  The magic happens when you create the color with fabric... and then quilt the whole thing together.

It looks kind of weird right now (and the colors are probably off in the photo), but in a couple of months, all of these pieces will be appliqued down to a background fabric and I will quilt it with black, gray and white thread to recreate the smooth look of a dog's fur.  The fabrics underneath will be muted somewhat compared to what you see now, but they'll provide a rich foundation under the thread to create interest and texture.

"Chip" - a work in progress. Teresa Wong. 2013
There are over 200 individual pieces of fabric in this image so far. The finished piece will be roughly 40 inches square... and I'm about 3/4 of the way finished in creating the applique pieces. Although... that stat keeps changing as I take certain pieces off and redo them in a different fabric.

I am having a lot of fun with this puppy...!

The real puppy, Chip, is now 15 years old. He has slowed down immensely, but he is still a happy dog. All his gray hair is so much more interesting than when he was young and strong and all black dog!

More to come...

I am linking up with Nina Marie's online art quilt community. Check out all the amazing work.

http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

Please leave me a comment. I love reading your feedback. Thanks!

Comments

  1. This is going to be just fabulous when you finish! The fabrics are already wonderful- I love the depth all the pieces bring.

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    1. Thanks! I worked some more today... only about 30 more pieces to make. Then the applique begins...

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  2. Well you are certainly coming along very nicely....this is going to be fantastic!

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    1. thanks for your comments. i am having way too much fun!

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  3. It will be fun to watch this develop. You are off to a great start. BTW you have nailed the eye! Perfect!

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    1. Thanks Norma. I do love the eye... the center of all the emotion. Hope it stays perfect when I put it all together. Appreciate you taking time to comment.

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  4. Hi Teresa, your "puppy" is coming along great!. I think you can see the end in sight. I need to gear up for a piece to send to a show by Jan 1st. Lacking in inspiration but something will come in time - I hope. Loved your "What is an Art Quilt" article. Carolyn Castaneda

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    1. Hey Carolyn. Thanks for the comments! I decided to follow through and hand applique this, so it might take a bit longer, but I am making progress. No other method seemed to work as well as by hand. As for your next entry - I can't wait to see what you'll do next. I know it will be cool.

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  5. Oh, I did a quilt of my black labradaughter and it's so precious to me now.
    I like the movement of the curved pieces. I have done some whimsical poodle pieces, but no true to life ones yet. All that fluffy hair...I do like my Picasso Poodle, look for it under the STAT label on my blog if you like.
    LeeAnna Paylor
    lapaylor.blogspot.com
    leeannaquilts@gmail.com

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    1. Lee Anna: I will definitely check this out. Sounds quite fun! Dogs are such amazing creatures... so much emotion in their faces!

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