The following process is simple and accessible with any smartphone and a free app. What you will need is;
- photograph cropped to the specific area of interest
- smartphone with the MOLDIV free app
- paper large enough to trace the pattern. This could be A4 sheets joined
- glue webbing (such as Steam-a-Seam Lite 2)
- selection of fabric to use for your picture
- calico foundation fabric cut to the size of your collage piece.
- backing fabric cut to the size of the collage quilt you are making
- Lightbox or window to trace the image
- pencil
- coloured pens
- fabrics
You will also need access to a printer and, if necessary, to be able to enlarge the image created
Step 1
Using the Moldiv App, select the edit function and import your photo. Select filters and pick the Art Filters. Select the ‘Hope’ filter and save your work. You can do this to you photos using a screenshot.
Original Picture
Cropped Picture
Using MOLDIV ‘Hope’ Filter
Print your new image and enlarge it to the size of the quilt you wish to create. This image will be a representation of your cropped photo but now graded in colours. It is these new areas of colour that we will translate into fabric in the coming steps. For example, all the colour grey in my new image became where my metallic Essex linen would be placed.
Step 2
Using a lightbox or a window and a pencil, trace all the new image elements on paper. Everything outlined should be a complete element, always returning to the start point, allowing fabric pieces to be cut from these shapes later.
Step 3
Select your fabrics. As a first pass, I suggest you look for one large piece of the traced image, which will act as a base onto which everything else can be placed.
For my image of Rory, I used a grey base layer. For Wally, I used a black base layer. When you have identified the most extensive area to build your picture, trace it onto the glue webbing. Next, transfer it to the fabric using the manufacturer’s guidelines. If you do not want a mirror image of your picture, reverse the traced image before re-tracing onto the glue-webbing.
This base part of the picture is placed onto the calico foundation fabric.
Step 4
The original traced image is a detailed map of lines, similar to an ordnance survey map. We now need to build up the image by stepping through each colour in your photo. To make it easier, I used a different colour pen to draw over the pencil outlines for each shade in my image. This will largely eliminate mistakes.
Don’t be tempted to trace everything out at this stage. Instead, build it up colour by colour.
Step 5
Once the piece is assembled, you may now decide to change some colours or alter some of the pieces’ size. Steam a Seam Lite 2 webbing is excellent to use because you can stick and re-stick the image down before finally fusing it entirely with an iron.
Step 6
Once you are happy with your image, cut around it and applique it onto the final background. This last background could be a pieced or plain background—quilt as desired and frame or hang your work.
