Friday, May 13, 2011

Now You See Him Now You Don't

New! Starting a Quilt Along Sept 23rd. Finish this by Christmas. Click here.


You need to back away from your computer to really get the full effect of this quilt.It gets much clearer as you move away. It was purposefully made to be difficult to see up close. 

Can you see him? It's Mr. Spock.


This is my entry for the Spring 2011 online Blogger's Quilt Festival. It's also my newest quilt. It's titled "Fascinating" since that's Spock's answer to most everything.
 It measures 58 x 82 inches.



 Almost all the quilts I make have been given away as gifts or donations. This time I wanted to make something fun that my husband would enjoy. This really started out as a half baked idea. Since we like all things sci-fi I found a great pumpkin carving template of Mr. Spock. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it though. I was getting tired of applique and needed something different. After several months of pondering I decided to try a scrappy quilt. I wanted the quilt to be very chaotic and scrappy up close but reveal an image as you backed away from it. Well, I LOVE IT! It turned out better than I ever expected it to. I learned a lot about tints, shades and tones while working on this.

Design Wall
This was a create as you go project with no real pattern. So I can only explain the process steps in detail for you.

I started with the pumpkin carving template of Spock found at pink ray gun


 I cropped and scanned the image into a cross stitch chart generator to get a grid over it. This step took a few tries to get what I wanted.


The colors didn't matter so much but they had to fall into the category of light or dark. More about how I picked my fabrics in this post.

Layout and Cutting
 Next I began to mark off my block sections. I didn't want the uniformity of visible rows so I pieced large sections and then put the sections together at random spots.

So I wouldn't get lost between sewing sessions I colored in the sections that were finished with a high light marker.


The Cutting Math

To keep it simple my scale was 1 inch = 1 square on the grid. I cut each piece 1/2 larger in length and width to allow for the seams (1/4 inch seam on both sides).

For example. I need a piece that is 2 grid squares by 3 grid squares on my chart. So I cut a piece of fabric that is 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.

Hope you enjoyed the quilt!

96 comments:

Quilt+Bitch said...

A star trek fan? Must have taken you a while to piece.

grendelskin said...

Whoa. You are Too Cool for School! I spotted it right away, it's wonderful!

Cheryl said...

OMG, I love this. SO AWESOME!!!

Ellie Roberts said...

What a great idea, I would love to try that with other pictures! "Live long and prosper!"

Lesly said...

So many nerdy things came to mind as I was typing this comment but I erased them all in favour of saying "you are a quilty goddess". This is the most amazing thing ever - truly magnasplendent! Kudos to you and thanks for the mini-tutorial.

Joanna @ ShapeMoth said...

I don't even want to think how much work it took to make it. The effect is fabulous! And I love the idea of transfering the image into cross stitch grid.

GIO said...

Hey, what a wonderful idea! and a ST one! I love it!
Live long and prosper...

Angela Flicker: The Art of Making a House a Home in Utah said...

Oh my word, this is stunning! And I agree, you really need to look at this one from far away --like a Monet painting ;)

Wonderful job!

janet said...

I am in love with this, it's absolutely amazing work!!!

Patty said...

Live long and prosper. Very nice.

Toni said...

WOW! When I saw this on the Quilt Festival site, I was immediately drawn to it---I'm (family) are big Sci-Fi folks as well...meaning SyFy is always on and not to mention Star Trek fans! Very cool! Create concept and execution! I love this!

Anonymous said...

This is so great! Really, a lot of fun. Great job.

Judy said...

I am so totally in awe of your skills!

Sarah Craig said...

That is VERY cool!!! Thanks for sharing....

Zegi said...

My husband wants one, too!!! Awesome job :)

PollythePatchworker said...

Thanks for sharing the process you used in making this "Very Cool Quilt"

Dee J. said...

Love, love love portrait quilts. Your technique just blows my mind. But what a successful piece you ended up with. thanks so much for sharing how you did this with us.

Paulette said...

That is fantastic!! Thanks for sharing your process too. I love how you got the light/dark effects without doing straight up white and black. Brilliant, really.

Janet said...

This turned out great! A cross stitch pattern was the perfect way to lay it out. Thanks for showing us how you did it.

Milly said...

What an clever method. Well done.

Katie @SwimBikeQuilt said...

Fun!!!

Eileen said...

Fascinating quilt and thanks for info on doing it. I'm wanting to make a memorial for my son's little beagle that was killed this week when he darted into traffic and this might be a way to do the appliqué of him I want to do. Thanks for sharing and have a great day

Justine said...

Amazing!

Lynne said...

I very much enjoyed your quilt - thanks for inspiring this very new quilter!

stitchinpenny said...

The thumbnail display shows Spock perfectly. I am so impressed with your quilt. It isn't beautiful, but it is wonderful and amazing. I just can't call Spock beautiful, I don't think he would like it. Great quilt.

Anonymous said...

Amazing! Wow! I totally love it! You have certainly made a remarkable keepsake and your method is awe inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing your talents and your techniques! I will definitely have to try this out. I am now a follower and I checked out your Etsy shop. I never thought about selling just the quilt tops ... you are a wonder! Thanks again and see you later!

Amy said...

what a nice quilt! I love the method you used.

Anonymous said...

I just loved the method you used in breaking this quilt down into pieces! How novel! Wonderful artistry!

Berlinquilter said...

WOW!!! This is absolutely amazing!!!

greelyrita said...

Perhaps it is hard to see it up close but it's totally obviously Spock in pictures. Really awesomely done!!

Caren Kristine said...

I LOVE Spock! The quilt is truely fascinating!

Michelle said...

Wow, that's ambitious! And it's got to be the neatest Star Trek quilt ever.

Mary-Kay said...

That is too cool!

Lynn said...

Love it!

littlemissmk said...

i am not a star trek fan, but this quilt made me smile. saw him right away- you are a GENIUS!!!! can't even believe how amazing this quilt is!!!

Rosalyn Manesse said...

Priceless! good job

Karen S said...

This is so cool -- just, ahem, fascinating. I really enjoyed your explanation.

Brita said...

Holey moley, that's an amazing quilt! I've thought about making one, too (not Spock, however), but just couldn't wrap my brain about how to do that. Thanks for sharing your process. I don't have a cross stitch chart generator, so I'll have to ponder some more... Whoop Whoop!

Anonymous said...

So neat! I would love to try this technique! Truly inspired.

Vickie said...

Wow. I am so impressed! Thanks for the info on how you did this!

Kelli said...

That is way cool!
Definitely a great way to get your hubs interested in quilting! :)

Kelly @ Vintage Fabric Studio said...

so cool! I bet your husband thinks you are the greatest wife for making him a spock quilt! lol!

Laurel H. said...

Wow; this is just mind blowing. You did a fantastic job with this quilt.

Julia said...

I just found this post on the Spring Quilt Festival. This is really amazing!

~ Val @ PinkPlease! ~ said...

Just amazing!!!

Allie said...

How freaking fabulous is this - totally amazing!

Karen said...

This is such a remarkable effort. Your quilt is amazing!

Melinda said...

I am so impressed that you used a pumpkin carving template for this! I am always looking for inspiration but I don't know that I would have thought to go there! But I love it!

baukje said...

Impressing, amazing. It's not my style but I love it.

BunkHouseQuilts said...

Wowza~! Don't let my brother-in-law see that, he's gonna want me to make him one. Great work.

Kit Lang said...

this is wonderful! Great job!

Taya@TypeB said...

Unbelievably amazing! I hope your husband loves it!

Lauren The Artist said...

Totally dig it!

Anonymous said...

Wow What a creative way to make a quilt! You put so mych time and effort into this quilt and it looks great. I hope hubby loves it!

Marg said...

Wow it is amazing. The thumbnail shows it off perfectly. Totally fabulous.

Pattilou said...

Wow! What a process for making a quilt. Thanks for sharing your process. The quilt turned out wonderfully well--I'll bet Sheldon on Big Bang Theory would APPROVE!

quilthexle said...

I'm a star trek fan - and I did not believe it when I saw the tiny little picture on Amy's site. But here it is, in all its beauty ... awesome, wonderful, absolutely amazing !!

domestiCass said...

That is fantastic!! Nice work! It certainly looks like it wasn't easy.

Lindsay Conner said...

Husbands everywhere would love this!

JanetK said...

I love Mr. Spock! Your quilt is fantastic, and your process highly logical.

Sarcastic Quilter said...

For a half-baked idea, it turned out fascinating! In a great way, of course. :)

Regena said...

way past fab and if the hubs doesn't want it...my addy is........ LOL

Valerie said...

Such an awesome quilt!!

Unknown said...

So awesome! Thank you for sharing!

Baa-Me Kniits said...

'Fascinating' You Bet!!!! Totally Awesome!!!

qusic said...

there are still some trekkies outside:) what a wonderful present! live long and prosper!

KendasCrafts said...

Wow, that's amazing! I always love when craft-world and nerd-world collide. :-)

Morgane @ Bear,Dolly and Moi said...

Your quilt is amazing, such a cool take on Spock!
thanks for visiting.

The Twilight Quilters Coven said...

This is about the coolest thing I have seen in awhile! Thank you for sharing your process...

Anonymous said...

Very cool! Thank you for showing the process and thank you for visiting my blog.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

My son loved this one! Great job!

Anonymous said...

SO original and I like that you didn't just make it as a grid. And generous of you to share the process too - I'll bet people will be inspired to try their hands at this!

Isisjem said...

wow this is so clever! The design really works and I love the fact if you're close to it it isn't immediately obvious that it's Spock!

Emma said...

Absolutely breathtaking! Yours is the first quilt in the whole BQF that I've commented on! My dad's obsessed with Spock...I might have to do something like this! I don't usually use other peoples' patterns...but...this...yeah.

Magoo said...

man that is crazy!!! very awesome :)

Debbie said...

when you put the picture into the cross stitch grid, it ask how many threads you want, how many did you put and what size did you pick?

Elizabeth said...

Fascinating! I love it! What a neat idea for a quilt! Thanks for sharing.

xo -E

Vicki said...

Totally brilliant! I love it, and thanks for explaining how you made it!

Cascade Quilts said...

amazing!!!!

Kate said...

Wow! Great quilt, you did a wonderful job. Love the process you came up with, very innovative.

Kathleen said...

I love how you did this quilt....I am now a follower....very impressive....

Jean said...

Wow...what a beautiful idea. I like seeing your thought processes too, thanks!

Samantha said...

Amazing! Awesome! Wow!

Ava Landen said...

this is one of the coolest things i have seen in a long time. I still can't believe you made a Spock quilt. Awesome!

Lori R. said...

Love it. It's an INSPIRATION! Thanks.

Viv said...

This is the coolest quilt 8 have ever seen! Thanks also for sharing how you did it. I think I can sum up my reaction when I saw it in 2 words: "Oh my."

SewBama said...

Amazing quilt. My man is also a trek fan (and I probably would be if I'd sit down and watch it!). This quilt is so cool. I love the idea of a pixel/scrap quilt. Very creatively done.

I featured your quilt on my blog! Check it out at sewbama.blogspot.com

Quiltgranny said...

Very nice work. You did great on the tutorial as well.

Zanne said...

This is utterly amazing. I cannot begin to fathom the time and dedication it took to do this. I like the cross stitch pattern generator, def going to use this now...the possibilities are endless.
Beautiful work!

Zanne said...

This is utterly amazing. I cannot begin to fathom the time and dedication it took to do this. I like the cross stitch pattern generator, def going to use this now...the possibilities are endless.
Beautiful work!

Zanne said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
MotherOfNerdCrochet said...

my stepdad loves star trek!! Is there any way i could get a copy of ur cross stitch graph??? JW totally understand if u dont wanna give it up :)

Mandy Todd said...

Fascinating, indeed! I was going to do a Super Mario Brothers quilt for my husband, but now I may have no choice but to make him this one of his childhood hero instead.

Originalsbyterry said...

I think this is the most AWESOME quilt I have ever seen! I design needlepoint and crochet Star Trek designs, but I also do quilting. I am definitely going to make one of these!

Hope said...

Thanks for the fantastic quilt along. I made the Spock quilt for my daughter for Christmas and it was a big hit. I didn't find a single mistake in the instructions. Thanks! Here is a link to a photo of the finished quilt.

zenfields said...

I love your quilt and I'm DYING to find the original artist (Pink Ray Gun who was at pinkraygun.com). Their site is down and I'd love to contact them to see about using their work for another project. Do you have any advice at all? I've found people and companies with similar names, but never that person.