There are some wonderful examples of thread painting out there. Almost indistinguishable from photos. This example from Renee of Quilts of a Feather is a stunning example.  But of course aside from artistic skill and copious quantities of thread it takes hours and hours…..But I took a short cut. Yes it is drawing with thread but takes minutes and can be very effective, not in a painterly way but still for the right project very impactful.

Having seen and admired the work of Janet Clare on a whole host of fronts from the author of quilt books, fabric designer and quilt maker she gives classes on drawing with your sewing machine. So when I found out she was coming to Guthrie and Ghani in Birmingham not too far away from me to take a class I signed up…

Its really controlled FMQ but making a recognised shape or picture. Preferably all in one continuous line. Like all good teachers Janet was encouraging and supportive with an air that we’d soon all be good at it. And much to my amazement, given that the group of us ranged from a complete novice to semi professional, by the end you’d be hard pushed to distinguish the difference.

During the class I was on a mission with a very specific objective. A dear friend’s 50th party was that night and I wanted to make a birthday card using a drawing of her West Highland Terrier. I had managed to get some covert photos and then using an app that converts the picture into a sketch got some ideas for the basic outline. With Janet’s artistic eye, sadly not an attribute I have, she made some suggestions and I was really rather pleased with the final result and my friend loved it.

This was one of my Finish Along targets for Q2 #2016FAL