I have a fabric collage in my sewing room that my late mother-in-law brought home from one of her cruises. I don’t know which country it originates but it was from somewhere exotic as it depicts hummingbirds hovering over flowers. I look at it often and wonder where it has travelled from.
It was this fabric collage that inspired me to make picture of Jay in fabric. I have appliquéd before by attaching various designs on to cotton bags however this time I had to design the pieces myself from scratch. First I took a photo head shot of Jay and then sketched it on to an A4 sheet of paper. From there I traced the design on to pattern paper and cut out the various pieces that would make up Jay’s face, neck, etc.
Next I chose the fabric that would blend to make the collage. I have lots of fabric scraps and by making up a mood board, I established which looked good together and would work for Jay’s features.
In order to stabilise the fabric, stop it fraying and make it easier to sew around, I ironed on a stiffener on the back of the fabric. Once it is bounded to the fabric, the templates are ironed on and cut around. The stiffener is glue double sided and once the paper is removed and heat applied, will stick to the background fabric. I assembled the main head and neck pieces, ironed them in place and then machine stitched around the edge with a straight stitch. The head is built up of layers so the nose shape was next with the ears, nose, collar and lastly the eyes making the collage complete.
I intended to frame the collage however I thought it would be more appreciated and seen as a cushion. I tried different fabric combinations and decided the left over red from my curtain alterations showed Jay off to his best. Using this at the top and bottom as a border and for the back and once the zip was inserted at the bottom edge, he was good to go.
It has turned out better than expected and I love it, but not as much as the real Jay dog. Bless him.
Jay Dog Designs 