The late, great Gracie was a Plott Hound-Pitbull mix that our family adopted in 2012. She was my friend and waking partner and was always with me when I sewed. I referred to her as my qulting mascot since she posed with my finished quilts and sometimes modeled my projects.

After she passed away in November 2023, I knew I wanted to make a collage quilt in her honor. Using freezer paper, I traced the image over an enlarged photo of her. I mapped out the dark, medium and light areas.

I used techniques from the book, “Collage Quilter, Essentials For Success With Collage Quilts” by Emily Taylor. I used Kaffe Fassett fabric scraps for the body and Kona Cotton for the bandana.

I free motioned quilted this piece with an Orange Peel on the background and a swirl motif on the bandana. The individual collage pieces were zigzagged on my domestic machine.

The quilt was trimmed to the size of the gallery canvas and a plum colored border was attached to give the edge a clean finish.

Blue Gracie

February 2024

24“ x 30”