Paint-by-Number Quilts
Posted by Kerry Foster on Jun 1st 2018
Excerpt from the introduction of Paint-by-Number Quilts: 4 Animal Appliqués with Vintage Style by Kerry Foster.
In 2012, I sent my first-ever pictorial quilt to exhibit in Birmingham’s Festival of Quilts—Europe’s largest quilt festival.
Since then, I have continued to refine my techniques, and I share them with you in Paint-by-Number Quilts. My favorite part of the process is removing the freezer paper to reveal a juxtaposition of color, shade, and pattern. Usually I am pleasantly surprised. I have tried to reduce the risk and unpredictability of choosing fabrics by providing color keys for every project.
I love contemporary fabrics—the vast variety of solids and the endless designer collections that we can now cherry-pick from for our stashes. So many awesome blender fabrics can give a modern feel to pictorial quilts. Designers Alison Glass and Carolyn Friedlander are just two of my stash champions.
Perhaps you will be inspired by these designs and create your own paint-by-number quilts using the same appliqué technique. Each of these projects started life as a photograph that I simplified by outlining the main shapes, highlights, and shadows. Then I enlarged them to quilt size. I hope you will find making these as much fun as I do.
Raccoon Mug Rug
Grizzly Bear Wallhanging
Fabulous Mr. Fox Wallhanging
Whitetail Stag Wallhanging
