sewn photo collage

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hello friends! i love taking pictures, so the other day i decided to go through some of my favorite ones of my friends and have them printed. i thought it would be fun to print them as squares instead of the traditional 4x6. i had grand schemes of making an elaborate photo mural of some sort, the only problem was that double stick tape wasn't working and i didn't have any putty. it was a thursday night and i already had fleece pants on, so you can sort of gauge where i was at in my day.

being the resourceful (lazy) young person that i am, i hatched a new idea:

photoquilt! yes. since i didn't want to drive the half mile to staples i would SEW the pictures together. sometimes being tired has it's advantages, let's begin!

what you'll need:
-photographs, postcards, or anything on somewhat sturdy paper 
-computer paper or newspaper
-tape (double stick is nice, but not necessary)
-sewing machine
-thread

step one: plan out the collage

this is the fun part. play around with different placements, move them around! it took me awhile, but that's mostly because i had so many pictures to choose from (i also have a thing with colors).


step two:  lay your design out on paper

depending on how big your design is going to be you may have to tape a few pieces of paper together like i did. you could also tape your design onto newspaper for a bigger work surface. newspaper is also easier to work with when removing the paper after everything is sewn.

(sorry the color is a little off on these pictures, it was night time and i couldn't get the lighting right)


step three: tape!

after you have the layout how you like it, go through to each picture and apply double stick tape (or a loop of regular tape) to the back and secure them in place.


step four: sew the tops and bottoms of the pictures

this part may seem a little scary, but you'll get the hang out it. basically all you want to do is sew a straight line on the top of each row and the bottom of each row. don't pick up the machine's foot when you reach the end of a picture, just keep sewing (this is what will string them together). start each row with about 5 inches of string and leave about 5 inches on the end.


step five: sew the sides of the pictures

 

sew the tops and bottoms for each row. when you have sew all the row's tops and bottoms, turn your paper 90 degrees and start sewing the side, just how you sewed the tops and bottoms.


step six: remove the paper

now that your all sewn up, all you have to do is pop out the paper. do this carefully so you don't rip the thread. the best technique i found was to poke a hole in the paper with scissors and then pull the paper away.

boom! photoquilt.