Category Archives: quilt photography

Quilt Photography Tips

August 29, 2022 kittywilkin 2 Comments

I’ve long been a fan of the Summer Sampler Sew Along put together by Lee Heinrich, Katie Blakesley, and Faith Jones each summer, so when Katie asked me if I would be a “guest expert” for her 2022 Summer Quilt Along, I couldn’t say no. Plus, what a great spark to get me writing here again!

I used my Summer Sampler 2019 quilt top as my example quilt for this post, which I assembled in my own alternate layout to create space for me to participate in the fun of the sew along without the stress of “keeping up” and making every block. You can see (or buy) this year’s sampler here. If you’re participating in this year’s Sew Along, you might be at the point where you are almost ready to photograph your finished quilt top!! If you’re not there yet, no worries–these tips are timeless. Just bookmark this post, and come back when you’re ready.

I could easily talk for weeks about quilt photography, but wanted to share two of my top tips for photographing your quilts (or quilt tops!) since sometimes a little bit can go a long way. If you want to dive into quilt photography more deeply, be sure to check out my on-demand class Take Great Quilt Photos Now!

Light

First and foremost, LIGHT is the most important thing to consider when taking photos. I’m a big fan of capturing natural light, so I almost always take larger quilts outside for photos. In addition to having abundant natural light outside, there are gorgeous natural locations that help complement and celebrate the quilt being photographed and it’s wicked fun to find them!

That said, a bright overcast day provides the ideal lighting for photography. That’s right–overcast. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “I finished my quilt but I haven’t been able to take any photos because the sun hasn’t been out!” You don’t want direct sun for photos, and I’ll show you why:

My Earth Song Quilt (an alternate layout using blocks from the 2019 Summer Sampler Sew Along) photographed in a gorgeous spot at Medomak Family Retreat Center in bright direct sun.

Add a bit of wind, a different angle, a few more wrinkles, and you can really see how bright direct sun is not your friend when you’re talking quilt photography.

My Earth Song Quilt photographed in a gorgeous spot at Medomak Family Retreat Center on a wonderfully overcast day.

As you can hopefully clearly see in the photos above, the quilt photographed in the full shade/overcast day is the most accurate, vibrant representation of the fabrics and colors in the quilt.

Bright direct sunlight washes out colors and creates dark harsh shadows in every little wrinkle or wave of the quilt. When you’re photographing a finished, fully quilted quilt, you can imagine the shadows that are created along every stitch line. If you have the flexibility to wait until an overcast day, I strongly recommend you do that for your next quilt photos. If you live in a place that rarely has clouds, taking photos early in the morning or right before dusk will be your best bet!

Clear Communication

Photographing a finished quilt often requires a quilt holder, and I’ve often heard questions about how to “get your quilt holder to….” do any number of things. The answer is a tool that will take you far in every relationship, even beyond the relationship of you as quilt-maker/photographer and your quilt holder: clear communication.

BEFORE you head out to the gorgeous location you’ve chosen for quilt photos, have a solid conversation with your quilt holder about your hopes and expectations for the photos and quilt display. Especially if your quilt holder is not a quilter themselves, taking the time to clearly show and explain how you want them to hold the quilt will make the actual photography much much smoother.

Personally, when I’m taking quilt photos, I want to see as little of the holder as possible. My partner Garrett is my usual quilt holder, and he knows that I don’t want to see him (hah!). For these photos, my friend Allie aka Exhausted Octopus stood in as my quilt holder, and did a great job being invisible behind the winner photo (above). You can see her fingers a bit along the top edges, but that’s it.

I am a big fan of saying yes and talking about what you CAN do, but I think for this, it might be easiest to show you a bunch of commonly seen photo scenarios, with what not to do, and things you can communicate to your quilt holder BEFORE the photoshoot (in a kind and supportive way, of course!) Please note that everyone’s definition of a good quilt photo is different–so if you enjoy using any of these photo styles, that’s ok! This is just based on my own personal preferences when taking photos of quilts in beautiful locations.

What not to do…

I DON’T want to see your legs.

I DON’T want to see your head or arms.

I DON’T want the quilt to be crooked. This is something that is sometimes difficult for the quilt holder to perceive while standing behind the quilt with their arms extended, so you can use an “in the field” communication code when actively taking photos. I will say “level!” and my quilt holder will level the top of the quilt, and I’ll either reply with “other way!” if they angle it more, or “good!” when it’s perfectly level and I’m ready to take the photo.

I DON’T want the corners of the quilt to fold over–I want to see the full quilt if at all possible. This is something that is easily attained with hand placement when holding. When the quilt holder grips the quilt right inside each corner, it allows the quilt to be fully displayed and still have the actual corners visible. Note that some quilts are just too large to hold, in which case I’ll bring two quilt holders along–and sometimes chairs for them to stand on–so that one can hold each corner.

I don’t want there to be a sag along the top of the quilt. Before photoshoots I’m always sure to establish that if I say “taught!” when my quilt holder is holding the quilt, that means that there is a slight sag at the top of the quilt and they need to gently pull their hands away from each other a bit to tighten it up.

Code words often shouted from photographer to quilt holder include:

Taught! (to straighten the top of the quilt)

Level!… other way! …. good!

Head/arms/feet (if they are showing)

Break! (if I’m changing settings on my camera, I make sure to tell my quilt holder so that they can rest their arms!)

The conversations that happen before the photoshoot are absolute gold, and can make the process more enjoyable for everyone. As with everything, the more you practice the quilt holding, the communicating about it, and the photography of quilts in unique and gorgeous locations, the easier it will get. You’ll build a relationship with a quilt holder who knows exactly how you like your quilts to be held for photos AND you get gorgeous quilt photos that show off the full glory of your quilt without any distracting bits. If that’s not a win-win-win, I don’t know what is.

I hope these tips are helpful to you and you enjoy documenting your gorgeous makes in stunning locations. You take so much time and put so much love into making the quilt top, taking a gorgeous photo to document it is absolutely worth it! I go into much more detail in my on-demand class Take Great Quilt Photos Now! so check that out.

Also be sure to check out all of the other great tips shared by the other Guest Experts–you can see all of the Sew Along posts here and there are tips ranging from fabric selection to organizing your sewing space. Many thanks to Katie for inviting me to be a part of this, and happy sewing everyone!

Life, quilt photography

A Color Crush Hike

March 11, 2021 kittywilkin 2 Comments

I’m due for a solid catch-up post here on this blog, but let’s just pretend we’re all up to date and have been sharing stories and inspiration like days of old. So many challenges were faced and lessons were learned in 2020, but I’ll reflect on those a little later. Today, let’s go on a little relaxed hike through a forest of whimsy, shall we?

I’m excited to share a fun little post I wrote for the Aurifil blog, which goes live on AuriBuzz today! Just over one year ago, I excitedly introduced my inaugural Aurifil thread collection, named Color Crush. I wrote about it here, so you can check out the threads in all seriousness before heading into a magical land of imagination if you want.

We had a super fun kick off party in Austin at QuiltCon, and then shortly upon returning home, the COVID-19 Pandemic hit and life was turned on its head. Fast forward a full year. Now that vaccine distribution is increasing, spring is beginning to show its face once more, and things are possibly looking up, I thought I’d finally share a introduction of the specific threads I selected for inclusion in Color Crush, as seen in their natural habitats.

While the whole world was locked down, my family and I found solace in nature. As any good tree hugging quilting photographer would do, I brought my threads along on many hikes and adventures, seeking out their natural habitats and color inspiration roots. My Color Crush threads trekked in every season, and I highly recommend heading over to the Auribuzz blog today to read about their personalities and see them in all their glory, out in nature. You can read it HERE.

Here’s a sneaky peek at one….

Enjoy the journey, and let me know which photo was your favorite!!

Community, Design, Hand Stitching, Life, Patterns, quilt photography, Quilting

Irons on the Fire & Return to Blogland

November 29, 2018 kittywilkin 9 Comments

Heading into the summer, I had too many irons on the fire, as the saying goes. I began writing this post back in June, and not only did it not get published, but I haven’t blogged since. This past summer was full of so many fun things, and between a summer of family adventures, big projects, and exciting opportunities, I just didn’t have the time to dedicate to blogging about them. I take pride in the quality of the posts that I share, which means that each blog post requires forethought, a photo shoot, photo editing, writing, formatting, and of course the sewing part! With all of the deadlines I had on top of an already full summer with all three kids home and ready to rumble, blogging needed to take a back seat. I needed to let it fall off my mental (and written) to-do list.

Fast forward through summer, then back-to-school, then how are we already past Thanksgiving?! I’ve been thinking about returning to this space and I figure now is as good a time as any! I will certainly need to reevaluate the frequency and depth at which I share, but I do hope to be sharing something here with more regularity.

I thought it might be fun to return with just a few peeks at what I accomplished over the summer, some complete and some still in progress. For those of you who want to be sure to stay in the loop, you can opt in for my emails, follow me on Instagram @nightquilter, follow my Night Quilter Facebook page (which is mostly another place to view my IG posts and fun announcements), or join my Pollinate EPP Garden Party Facebook group, where there’s a fun group of stitchy friends gleefully hand-stitching my Pollinate EPP quilt (there’s so much I haven’t shared here!).

Anyway, here are some highlights of my past few months:

Quilter’s Planner 2019 Photography

Once again I was honored to have the task of doing the quilt photography for the 2019 Quilter’s Planner, and it was loads of fun this year! I’ve learned a lot each year as I have tackled the monumental task of photographing 12-15 projects out in the wilds of Maine with the help of my strong, tall, patient husband, usually in a fairly short timeframe.

This year, we were definitely a lot more relaxed and peaceful during the photoshoots, which I’m sure Garrett appreciated!

With projects photographed all through Maine, next year’s planner is sure to inspire, and if you haven’t ordered yours yet, I definitely recommend doing so! As an added bonus (and added irons on the fire) I also contributed a pattern to the Quilter’s Planner 2019 Companion Magazine (the Pollen Pillow, which is shown above and is a baby bite from my larger Pollinate EPP pattern, which I’ll talk about soon!), and I wrote an article with the basics for English Paper Piecing (EPP). There’s so much value to the package you get with the Quilter’s Planner, and I’m grateful to have been able to contribute so much to it this year. See more and order yours HERE.

Summer Adventure Quilt Pattern

In the beginning of the summer, I released my Summer Adventure Quilt Pattern, which was a project I realllllly wanted to get out before the summer months hit. It was actually my very last blog post on here before I began the summer juggle, so you can read more about it HERE. With everything else on my plate, I wasn’t able to do as much with the Summer Adventure Quilting with Kitty Wilkin group on Facebook, but there’s always next summer! The pattern is out and available in both my Craftsy and Payhip shops, which are linked in the blog post.

Pollinate EPP Pattern

Perhaps the most exciting and monumental project I tackled over the course of the summer was the design of my very first English Paper Piecing pattern with Karen the DIY Addict! My pattern is called Pollinate and it’s absolutely wonderful (yes, that’s a proud mama’s take on it, but from what I’m hearing, a lot of others agree!).

Perfect for both beginner and experienced EPPers alike, Pollinate is a diverse pattern that has endless possibilities for design and color play. Plus, the “filler” sections look like bees!! You can see the many different Pollinate quilts taking shape on Instagram by checking out the #pollinatequilt hashtag (you don’t have to have an Instagram account to see them, I don’t think). There are 3 finished quilt tops so far, and each completely different! I will definitely share more about that here soon. In the meantime, you can read more about the pattern and order yours (if you want to join in on the Garden Party fun) HERE. Join the Pollinate EPP Garden Party on Facebook for more inspiration, a joyful group of stitching cheerleaders, and a community of help! Or you can watch my totally amateur videos on YouTube. Yes, I have finally created a channel, and with my phone taped to a tripod, I’ll slowly add video tutorials all about EPP and anything else you want to know!

Aurifil Photography

This summer I was honored to work with Aurifil to update the photographs on their website. As you all surely know, I love photography, and combined with my favorite quilty notion, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.

I photographed all 9 different weights of thread offered by Aurifil in a variety of stagings, and truly enjoyed the process. You can scroll through the photos on the top of the Aurifil Thread website to see a selection of my photos, and I’ve included a couple of my favorites here. There’s also a fun interview with me on the Auribuzz blog HERE.

100 Days of Sew Smaller Challenge

This summer I also tackled the 100 Day Project, and chose to go with 100 Days of Sew Smaller. My goal was to sew a teeny tiny quilt block that finishes at 1 1/4″ square each day for 100 days. I created foundation paper piecing templates as I went, stretched my comfort zones in both minuscule piecing and fussy cutting at a tiny scale, and really had a great time. AND I actually finished all 100 blocks!! The progress photos and finished mini quilt will be exhibited in the special exhibit at Quilt Con in Nashville in February of 2019, so be sure to check it out if you’re planning on attending QuiltCon!

The Splendid Sampler 2

I’m excited to be one of the contributing designers to the Splendid Sampler 2 book by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson, and have been sewing along as much as I could fit in. They released 20 free blocks to kick off the Sew Along beginning in June, and now we are diving into sewing the book! My block will appear somewhere along the course of the sew along, but you’ll just have to wait and see which one it is!

Here is a screenshot showing some of the blocks I’ve made so far. You can see all of them on Instagram HERE, and I’ll aim to share updates here as I make more!

Phew! There’s surely so much more that I’ve forgotten to share, but this is a pretty decent start on catching up! What have you been up to this summer?

quilt photography, Quilting, Sewing

Arrow Point Path True Love Pillow Finish

June 9, 2017 kittywilkin 10 Comments

Today I’m sharing a finish that has been completed since early May as a gift for my husband’s birthday, but could not yet be shared since the pattern hadn’t been released. Now that the pattern has been released, the pillow has been gifted, and it has lived in our rough and tumble home for a month, I thought it would be fun to share all the details, as well as a sneak peek behind the scenes of my quilt photography process!

My husband has been requesting a pillow made with Libs Elliott fabric for a while, and so when the latest round of Quilt Theory pattern testing came around, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to get his pillow made. I tested Cheryl Brickey’s pattern Arrow Point Path, and the pattern struck me as the perfect choice for the bundle of True Love fabrics I had patiently waiting for a project.

I made 16 quick blocks using the white heavy fabrics and black-heavy fabrics from True Love, Libs Elliott‘s first fabric line for Andover Fabrics as the color/background pieces, and added a few pops of the awesome neon print. I love the way this pattern looks as a pillow, and it’s also really fun to see the pattern in a completely different aesthetic style.

I quilted it with straight lines on my Bernina 560 using my walking foot and 50wt Aurifil 2600-Dove thread.

I threw in a few sharp angles to help keep the edge, and staggered the distances between lines for some fun.

I used the large scale Wound Up in Bright for the pillow backing, and closed it with my first ever side-seam zipper.

I love how this magenta zipper I had on hand coordinates with the pink from the Wound Up print. Perrrrfect. I do need quite a bit of practice with sewing zippers, but we won’t focus on the wobbles and such. The pillow was well received and lives happily on our couch. Now I just need to make about 5 more to cover the rest of our *cough-cough-ugly-cough* couch pillows, and then redo our living room decor to match our more modern design aesthetic. All in good time, right? (haha laugh with me here).

I did enjoy making this pillow, though, and I’m happy I can finally say I’ve sewn something for my husband. Today is our 10th wedding anniversary, too, so it seems fitting that I share this true love pillow gift!

Behind the Scenes at a Quilty Photoshoot

Just for fun, I thought I’d share a little peek at what goes into getting the perfect quilty photo, since while I absolutely LOVE these photos, I very easily could have gone home without them.

Rather than photograph this pillow on our couch, which is brown and doesn’t coordinate *at all*, I wanted to photograph it out in the wild, as is my preference. I again borrowed this awesome chair from my friend Emily, and requested that she bring it on our Mommy hiking club hike yesterday. While trying to get it into her trunk, one of the legs snapped pure off. Yikes! Fortunately, the leg was able to be propped on, AND it seems like something that should be able to be fixed. Talk about a wrench thrown into the day, though!

After that rough start, we all met at a hiking spot with our babies and toddlers and went on a 3 hour hike up a mountain. There was plenty of fun, plenty of whining and crying, and a good dose of bug bites and skinned knees. Overall, though, it was a fabulous day and my boys got good and tired out. My plan was to find the perfect photo shoot spot along the way home, and because I wanted to photograph this pillow in more of an urban scene, I stopped at the one town between the hike and our home, in search of a good alley or building face in the shade. Not so easy to find in Maine at 1pm on a bright sunny day!

The first spot that seemed like it could potentially work was the shaded side of a cafe. The dark blue-grey surface first attracted my attention, and the fact that it was in full shade was a big plus. However, it seemed flat. Above you can see try #1. I did a full photo shoot here, just in case I didn’t find anything better. Fortunately my nearly 5 year old son was asleep in the car, and my 2 year old was content to watch from his carseat. After the shoot, I drove around a bit more seeing if I could find a better spot.

The second spot I tried was a rusted metal shed in a back parking lot, which I spied while turning around to get back to the main road after my first attempt. This was a bit more of the urban feel I was looking for, but still a bit flat. A bit of graffiti or added interest would have made this potentially a winner, but still, I felt there had to be a better spot. While running back and forth from the shed to the trunk of my car, I spotted the back of a red brick building. The big concrete slabs and tall seeded dandelions are what attracted my attention most. Rather than move my car again, I simply carried everything the extra 50 feet to this next, winning location and had at it!

Definitely my favorite of all of the attempts, and the photo shoot location winner of the day! The moral of this story? When seeking that perfect photo location, don’t be afraid to experiment and try a few different spots! That perfect shot will come.

If you’re interested in learning ALL about how to take epic quilt photos, you’re in luck! I’ll be teaming up with Michelle Bartholomew to teach both Basic (MSC 101 or 102) and Advanced (MSC 300 or 301) Quilt Photography at QuiltCon 2018 in Pasadena in February! You can see the full Quilt Con 2018 Catalog here, and I do hope to see you there!

I’m linking up with TGIFF and Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday.

english paper piecing, Paper piecing, quilt photography, Quilting

Works in Progress: A Little of This, A Little of That

July 25, 2016 kittywilkin 11 Comments

I have a lot of simultaneous projects going on right now, which is pretty typical of my sewing style. I like to have a selection of projects so that when a free moment arises, I have something to work on, but also have a choice as to what I work on each day. It helps my creativity feel refreshed and helps avoid inspiration slumps. When in doubt, I start a new project since I have no shortage of projects I *want* to create, and there’s nothing like curating a new fabric pull or cutting into a new project to renew my excitement for sewing.

It’s been a while since I’ve showed you my ongoing projects, so I thought today would be a good day! These are my most frequently worked upon projects; there are scads more on the semi-permanent back burner that I will pick up again when my plate clears *just* a bit. Today, the highlights!

First up is my ongoing epic Carolyn Friedlander Modern Hexies project. This is my on-the-go English Paper Piecing (EPP) project that lives in my purse. I’m making progress at a bit slower than snail paced this summer, since somehow those free moments that allow for hand stitching while the kids are occupied are few and far between. And oddly, all three kids have not simultaneously fallen asleep in the car on the way to a store even ONCE! What was somewhat regular with two kids is likened to a golden unicorn with three. But still, one stitch at a time, one hexagon at a time, this project progresses.

Another project I’m plugging away on is a fun one for Andover Fabrics. They were awesome enough to send some Alison Glass Handcrafted Patchwork to me, as well as some yardage of Constellation by Lizzy House from her Whisper Palette collection. I picked up some Andover textured solid from my LQS Fiddlehead Artisan Supply to round it out. I’m working on a new geometric foundation paper pieced pattern, with meticulously cut sections of the gorgeous Handcrafted Patchwork fabrics. There will be a tutorial going up on Andover’s blog very soon, as well as the pattern release, so keep your eye out!

I’ve also been out on three different quilt photography adventures with my amazingly gifted quilt holding assistant, aka my husband. We have been having a blast photographing the quilts for this year’s Quilter’s Planner in a sampling of the gorgeous natural locations in Maine. The planner is now available for preorder! Reserve yours HERE… there are a limited number of early bird specials and some really fun extra bits this year! I’ve shared one fun outtake above, but more will be revealed in the coming weeks. Hint: Shown here is one of the 14 patterns that will be included in the planner this year, this one by the ever talented Karen Lewis! It’s so gorgeous; I can’t wait to show you more! Be sure to preorder yours now; you can read all about it on its Indiegogo page here.

There are many other fun projects waiting patiently on the decks, including a Terrazzo Quilt (pattern by Lee Heinrich of Freshly Pieced) made using all of Alison Glass’s Sun Prints 2016 provided by Fat Quarter Shop (the fabric pull is shown above!), a simple new pattern I’m making for a secret side project with some fellow designers, a baby quilt for one of my best friends from college who is having her second baby soon (see the quilt I made for her first baby here), a quilt pattern that will appear in a magazine early next year, and more!