Stitching to Dye in Quilt Art: Texture, Dimension and Distortion

Nov 08

It's hard to believe that the stunning, vibrantly coloured quilts began life as neutral pieces of fabric. Guiding the reader through her innovative techniques, the author demonstrates how to take a different approach to quilting by starting with layers, stitch and texture before adding colour at the finishing stage. The preliminary chapters cover the basics of selecting suitable fabrics and threads, mastering free-motion stitching and understanding the different dyes and chemicals available. The next section 'Stitching to Dye' shows how to achieve amazing shading effects using a combination of natural and synthetic fabrics with embroidery techniques such as applique. This is followed by 'Shrinkage' where the author shows how to create highly textured surfaces by combining wool fabrics with everyday objects such as plastic strapping, metal zips and buttons. An inspiring gallery of finished pieces will provide further encouragement whilst tips on finishing and troubleshooting complete the picture.