Inspired to Quilt: Creative Experiments in Art Quilt Imagery

Oct 09

There are quilts and quilts, and this is a book about making what the author terms art quilts. The fun of these is that there is a whole lot more to the process than standard quilting. Ultimately, this is a book about working with mixed media. This is also a book about personal journeys through the medium of creation, and about how much fun you can have working with a diverse range of materials. Keep a journal to record your thoughts and ideas to inspire your work, and when the muse strikes here is how to exploit those creative thoughts. Organized into chapters for easy use, the book helps you learn how to apply techniques and to use embellishments, as well as some new processes. Most of the methods used to make a mark on fabric are rather innovative and something more than the usual painting. Dyes are used instead, and at the beginning there is an illustrated list of what you need, including such arcane items as PRO Chemical and Dharma Trading dyes, urea, soda ash and print paste. This book was written for the US market, anybody else see below for a helping hand, at least in the UK. It is certainly worth hunting down some of these things, as there is something irresistible about making your own rubber stamps, working with freezer paper, making wax resists and doing direct-dye painting. At the back are ideas and samples to inspire, in words as well as pictures. Make a purse, badge or ATC, small sample projects to get those creative juices flowing before turning to larger projects. Even if you aren't into quilts, this is a truly original book on how to make your creative mark.

Aug/Sep 09

Subtitled Creative Experiments in Art Quilt Imagery, this book does elevate the art, giving readers the confidence to take their work to another level. Author Melanie Testa offers you a variety of hands-on exercises and explores various surface design methods to help get the creative juices flowing and to help quilters find their own personal style. There are step-by-step instructions with photography for techniques including fabric printing, fabric manipulation, stamping, layering, fabric paintng, applique, machine embroidery, collage and more. There is advice on construction and finishing and lots of tips and handy hints to help you get the most out of your work. Aimed at advanced beginners and mixed media artists, this is a beautiful way to take the creative process on and to make the most of your inspiration and resources.

Issue 61

Quilt artist Melanie has developed her art quilt design process by exploring various innovative techniques using mixed media, fibre art and surface design methods. Well laid out with excellent photographic illustrations, the book concentrates on journals and binders with several inspirational chapters on her methods and exploring your own visual language by stitching using layers and collage. There are some small projects to work on using your new found skills.