How many quilters would submit to such
a laborious, roundabout process? Well,
happily fewer will have to do so, because
of a tech maven in Australia named Daniel
Prager. Daniel designed software for his
wife, Andi Herman, who wanted to make
a pixilated Groucho Marx quilt. Andi
loved making the quilt and convinced her
husband that a pixel trend was coming.
With a third partner, they launched
YouPatch.com. The couple had a booth at
QuiltCon 2015 promoting the software.
Andi explained how it works. “At
YouPatch.com, you can upload any
photograph, and the software instantly
creates a color map. If you want, you can
make the pattern more basic, so there are
fewer pieces to cut. You see what it will look
like, how many hours it will take to piece,
and which colors we recommend. We even
fi gure out the yardage needed for each color.
People get sent a detailed PDF explaining
how to cut and sew the quilt. On the
website, we have video tutorials explaining
every step.”
The YouPatch booth was buzzing at
QuiltCon as passersby stopped to look at
the sample quilt of Audrey Hepburn, as
well as quilts made by customers. One of
their fi rst customers, well-known blogger
and teacher Victoria Findlay Wolfe,
blogged at length about the pixel portrait
she made as a surprise birthday gift for her
daughter Beatrice.
So, if this new technique intrigues you,
you’ll fi nd loads of online inspiration and
assistance. Modern quilting is constantly
evolving, and there is fun to be had every
step of the way.“Face #1” • Melissa AverinosPhoto by Vivika Hansen DeNegre