Truth be told, I have not seen this particular movie at this point in time. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to. It’s one of those “I’m going to get a copy of the dvd as soon as it’s released” things.  What movie? Emulsion, starring Sam Heughan and directed by Suki Singh.

My first order of business was to get permission to work with the photo. I’m grateful Mr. Singh was so receptive to my inquiry. From there, it was processing the hi-res image when it came in. It took a couple of days to figure out what I wanted to do and which way I wanted to do it. The options of taking this into a black and white image would have been way easier. However, the photo arrived in color; I would make it in color. (It’s just lucky for me that the color scheme happens to be one I’m well versed in.)

Once I had my base pattern printed out, I set it aside. Why? Because I needed to start finding the right fabrics to work with. Black wasn’t “black”. It was a rich, dark, chocolate brown so dark that it first appears black. This was going to be the difficult one to find. Seven stores later (2 big box fabric stores, 5 quilt shops), and I think I’ve found what I’m looking for.

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When I started getting the background fabric prepared, I figured out I was a little short of what I needed. The local quilt shop that I’d found the rich, dark, chocolate brown fabric didn’t have the extra yardage I wanted. They did, however, have a couple of fat quarters (18″ x 22″) and a chunk in the scrap bin. Those came home with me. A little bit of strategic cutting and sewing made sure I had the size of background I wanted. If I do the applique work right, you won’t notice where the seam lines are.

I did spend some time looking over my base pattern. I still hadn’t figured out where I was going to start. All I knew is that once I started cutting fabric, I’d get into my groove. Where to start? 

Doesn’t look like much, does it? Heh. The first couple of pieces are usually the toughest. The bigger piece I traced out next would really start to bring the detail work in. I still marvel at how much the really large pieces remind me of some strange coloring book page. 

About 10 1/2 hours later, I had something that was more of what I was looking for. 

My previous art quilts were usually done on a background of a lighter color, and then I’d add in the darker shading as needed. This was the first time I’d started out with a darker background. The effort seems to have saved me a fair amount of time and no small amount of effort.

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The general framework was now in place. It was time to start adding some of the face shape. I’m not exactly too pleased with this fabric. At this particular time, I was still debating whether or not to recut the gold or leave it. 

When I first put the gold piece in, I was struck by how much more detail it added. Then, I started to really look at it. If I make the next few pieces work right, I won’t recut. However, if it still bothers me, it’ll be changed out.

As you can tell, I haven’t quite matched everything up with the photo. The angle of the head is way off. It’d take me another 3+ hours of pinning and repinning to get the angle and shape that I was looking for. 
This was definitely an improvement. I liked the angle of his head and the jaw line much better.

Using my base pattern as a guide I started adding in some of the other colors in the shadows. It’s really interesting to watch how the colors are starting to play out. If I can get the shading and detail I want, then they’ll stay. I may have to double check my local quilt shops/fabric stores for more muted colors. But that’s for a later time. I still have a couple of major pieces to add before I start swapping pieces.

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I did end up running to a couple of my local quilt shops. I’d gotten to the point where things were getting more and more complicated, and I wasn’t exactly happy with my fabric stash. (I know, I know.) Granted, it took out almost four hours out of my production day, but the end results were well worth it. 

I believe the gold fabric is going to stay. The coordinating fabrics I had for that section are working well together, and I’m quite pleased with the results.

The color changes I’ve made are really starting to pull this design together. I’m a lot happier with the effects that I’m creating. Take a look…  I was surprised at how the odd green colors really improve the eyes. I’m not used to the ‘whites of the eyes’ being green, but it works.

The photo of the eyes, also, shows you the level of detail I’ve been putting into this project. Yes, all those pieces are cut by hand with a pair of embroidery scissors. I’ve tried to use X-Acto knives and other assorted razors; they tear up the fabric too much and I lose the controlled cut the fine detail work requires. My Gingher embroidery scissors work quite well, and don’t beat up my hands.

*****

 After another local quilt shop run, I had a few more selections of colors to play with. Since I had all of the photos on my phone, it was easier (and sometimes harder) to find the ‘exact’ color I was looking for. This is why I love fat quarters. I can get the surface area I needed without having to purchase yardages. It’s a win-win situation for me.

As you can see, there are definite differences a hue or a shading can make. 

I was in a bit of a quandary as to which area to do next. I’d been putting off specific areas, because of the complexity of the pieces and the sizes of the cuts I’d be doing. As it was getting later in the evening, I decided to play with his hair a bit. The pieces were small, but would add more of the detail I was aiming for. 

A night of sleep did wonders for my perspective on the fidgety pieces I knew were coming up. This next section took the better part of 2+ hours to trace out. I couldn’t tell you how many hours it took too cut out. I just know it took the better part of a day and a half to get there. 

By the time all of the pieces were cut and placed, it was fun to see him have some clothes. 

*****

It was time to find the rest of the edges of my quilt. I’d found the left and bottom sides. I needed to see where the top and the right sides were. Given my history of ‘odd sizing’, I wasn’t sure how this would play out against my base pattern. I knew how big it was supposed to be, but that didn’t mean it was going to stay that size.

Piece by piece, cut by cut, the edges were going into place. 

I did end up making some changes to a few of the areas. There were parts and pieces that were purposely omitted, as I didn’t feel they were needed. By the time I was ready to start fusing pieces down, and pulling pins, I had a design I was pleased with. 

*****

All of the pieces have been fused down, and the pins have been pulled. Some have been asking how big this quilt is going to be. Truth be told, I haven’t decided if I’m going to add borders yet, so I don’t know. I’ll figure it out once I trim off the excess fabric(s). For now, this should give you some kind of idea of the overall image size. 

*****

Once the piping and boarders were put on, it’d take about 8 hours of quilting. 

Some of the detail work:     

Something I found interesting to track while I was working on this was how much the size fluctuated. My base pattern started out at 45 x 60 inches. My completed image size was 43 3/4 x 58 1/2 inches. Once the piping and border were on, 57 x 71 inches.  After quilting, the finished size is 56 x 70 1/4 inches.

The finished piece: 

Sam Heughan as Ronny Maze
Cotton fabrics, cotton/wool batting
Raw edge applique, machine pieced, machine quilted
Completed February 2, 2015

Edited to Add: As of Feb. 25, 2015, I’ve now seen the film. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do. It’ll definitely give your brain a bit of a spin.