Thanks! and yes, I do pat myself on the back ... but do not let my head get swollen over it. While I have completed both the Farmers Wife sampler and the Pony Club sampler, they just weren't the challenge of Miss Mazel (cow's name!). I know my cow and the horse you are about to do are not for everyone, but most can appreciate the work and results, even if it's not something they would do or want want for themselves. I'll look forward to seeing your progress and if you need any help or moral support, I'm just a PM away! Good Luck!!! :)

Yes it is, but if you iron the pellon on before you cut, it gives a nice finished edge and then you can blanket stitch or whatever around it. My Janome has a beautiful blanket stitch....matching the fabric is a must.

I cannot draw. BUT, I know a very professional copy service that can copy a graphic any way I need to have it copied: all of it, exactly like I gave it to them, larger, smaller, all of it, some of it, huge, or minuscule, etc.

Also, there are different types of copies. Talk to the copy people. They are very good at what they do. Depending on what you end up wanting, maybe pricey depending what you want, but do talk to them they will save you grief and your valuable time in the end.

So. What I do is pack up my camera. Take lots of shots of whatever graphic info I am interested in and go home. I shoot digital so when I get home I download what I got on my camera into my computer and take a look at the pictures. If they need to be "fixed," I fix the best of the bunch (lighting, shadows, highlights, etc.).

Then I copy my fixed graphics and it is off to the client to have them make a choice. Or, sometimes with some clients, it is back to the picture shooting stage again.

Once I have got the picture, here of the horse, I head for the kind folks at the copy center. You have already talked to them and know exactly what they can do for you. You get the copy exactly the size you are going to need it for the final picture for the quilt.

Let the cutting and sewing begin!

I hope this helps. I absolutely cannot draw. But I can use my nifty little camera and a computer drawing program. I use CS4 on my Mac. An older program, but I have it and I can make the important parts of it go.

Please let us see the quilt and shams, maybe as you go along.

Pat

Good Luck- and please share photo's along the way.

I took a class from Charlotte Anderson. We took a photograph, put a transparency on top(a light box was useful at this stage) outlined with a sharper, then we put it onto a projected onto the wall where we had freezer paper hung and traced the lines. We then had our pattern to applique. We could applaud any method we prefer. She does needle turn.

I have used this pattern to help me make picture quilts. http://www.befunky.com/

Here are two pictures I made with the program http://www.befunky.com/. I used the cartoonize to simplify easily then used the trace and make patterns method. The cat picture I also used a clear plastic over lay so I could make sure all pieces went where they were suppose to . The dog was simpler and most details were done with thread . Good luck with your project its a challenge for sure.

Yes, that would actually be a nice idea....I also just saw online last night( but sorry don't know where...try searching ) a site that you can take any photo and digitize it for appliqué....it was pretty cool....I bet someone on here will know the site.

Your braver than I am. Good luck.

I am doing a bust of my dog and I used a projecter to put the image on a very large piece of paper on the wall, then scetched it on the paper. Once that was done I drew it in so there were actual pieces . Then i placed very thin interfacing over it and traced the image on to that. I then cut out the pieces of interfacing and ironed them on the back side of the fabric piece I had selected. I took a class from Janet Fogg on this process. Maybe you can find a web site on her process. Mine is sure coming out nice! good luck.