Quilting Arts

Quick & Easy Fabric Wall Art

Quilting Daily — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:34:00 GMT

I'm excited to decorate our new home in Colorado, but lately I've had to do it on the fly--literally--ordering furniture online as I hop from airport to airport to attend the Cloth Paper Scissors CREATE art retreat and the taping of "QATV" Season 7.

Still, even though we have moved a lot of our things from our eastern home out to the western one, I would like to personalize our new digs with artwork that's specifically made for the new space. Finding the time to make an art quilt right now is pretty much out of the question. But as soon as I get a free weekend I'm going to put together a couple of quick and easy fabric assemblages like Mary Hettmansperger demonstrated in "Quilting Arts TV" Series 600 and stick them up on the walls.

All you need to make 3-D fabric wall art are some fabric pieces, foam core, batting, organza, embellishments, and basic sewing supplies. Essentially, you just wrap the pieces of foam core in fabric and attach embellishments with couching or glue.

However, Mary had lots of ideas for adding depth and dimension with stitch and layering. Here are her design tips.

Quick & Easy Wall Art Tips

Gather a selection of coordinating fabrics, and plan out your desired design.
Consider including portions of the selvage edges in your design.
To make a piece that has a fluid and consistent look, you can use just one fabric and change it (with layering, hand and machine stitching, organza, and embellishments).
For a quick finish, wrap the fabrics around pieces of foam core board and layer them to make a 3-D wall art piece.
For any fabrics that are not mounted on foam core, create layered designs and then add quilting; use straight and free motion stitching.
Use organza to capture items.
Design pieces that will complement other household accessories.
Tie on beads, add natural items, or accessorize your pieces with found items.
Consider a variety of display ideas and options. Framing is a nice option.

As you can see, these easy wall art treatments can be as simple or sophisticated as your time and talent allows. If you want to really give your fabric wall art a twist, try adding the kinds of metal embellishments Mary demonstrates in her Quilting Arts Workshop video Metal Embellishments: Incorporating Wire, Foil, Metal Sheeting, & More into Fiber Art.

I'm thinking of couching natural elements onto the fabric to bring the Rocky Mountain flavor of the landscape indoors. What would you do? Leave a comment below!

Behind the Scenes at QA TV

pippapatchwork — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:11:00 GMT

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Well, I’m about midway through my first Quilting Arts TV taping experience, and it’s just as fun as it is busy. Let’s just say that many amazing artists are putting in a lot of hard work to make all those beautifully crafted episodes. The green room is nonstop commotion as materials and projects are prepared, but there’s also plenty of chatter and laughter—and it’s a blast to finally meet all of the wonderful artists that I’ve spent many months communicating with at a distance.

Since you’ll get to see the great projects in QA TV series 700 for yourself in just a few short months, I thought I’d share some behind-the-scenes shots. But first, a caveat: thanks to poor planning and a dead camera battery on the first day, I’m missing quite a few photos of some of the artists we’ve been privileged to have on set. I’ll just say that Susan Brubaker Knapp is as lovely in person as she is talented as a machine stitcher, and Victoria Gertenbach is as warm and thoughtful as her beautiful work quilts. Leslie Jenison is every bit as cool as I had imagined, but I can't share my pictures of her for fear of ruining the awesome surprise that you'll see on TV. And there are many more! But for now...

The QA TV set:

And the control room, where I spend most of time watching the segments as they're being filmed. That's our producer Kathie Stull and Mike, who does an amazing job of directing the cameras where to go while filming is in progress--honestly, I don't know how he does it!

Jeannie Palmer Moore with her early morning cup of coffee and Jamie Fingal, decked out in pink:

Jeannie Cook-Delpit, the Director of National Events for Bernina, who is one of the most cheerful ladies I've ever met--and who is wearing my giant cashmere scarf (it can get cold in there).

Judy Coates Perez showing us her stunning painted and machine stitched quilt (check out this year's issue of Quilting Arts Gifts for a tree skirt in a similar style):

Managing editor Helen Gregory playing with Painstiks:

And finally, Pokey having fun in the green room with guess who? That's right--it's Pokey's mom, Kathy! It's been such a pleasure having her here this week--and she's just as warm-hearted and spunky as her daughter:

Stay tuned for more fun photos from QA TV, and thank you to all of the wonderful artists who have taped thus far!

What's So Funny About Fiber Art?

Quilting Daily — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:50:00 GMT

When we first started Quilting Arts, one of the ways we spread the word about our fledgling magazine was by passing out lapel pins with funny, quilt art-related sayings on them at quilt shows. "Give me all your buttons and nobody gets hurt" was one. "I don't exaggerate, I embellish," was another. And who could forget the very popular (if somewhat snarky), "Stitch this"?

These buttons not only made people laugh and established name recognition, they also tipped off everyone who saw them that we were not your conventional quilting magazine. Humor is a great way to get a message across.

In fact, one of the things I appreciate most about contemporary fiber art is the freedom to get funny with it. Intricately stitched fibers with unique surface design applications can bring tears of joy to my eyes. But the ones that make me laugh really connect with me and win my heart.

My menagerie of cats and dogs always keeps me laughing, so it's no surprise they're often a source of artistic inspiration for me. Especially our min-pin Louie, whose inquisitively cocked head always gives me the giggles. I loved creating a little quiltlet featuring each of them. These quilts were personal for me, but what gives them an amusing and universal twist is the cartoon "bubble thought" I added to each one. Louie's dreaming of a steak, Sophie's thinking of the next squirrel she'd like to chase, Maggie would like a nice bone to chew, and Dickens has fish on the brain.

When I saw the September/October issue of Fiberarts magazine was dedicated to humor in fiber art, I couldn't wait to open it. The examples range from thought-provoking to laugh-out-loud funny.

I've long been a fan of Cindy Hickok's meticulous machine-stitched work that features characters from old masters' paintings cleverly gathered in unusual situations. I am thrilled to see that she's been branching out into 3-D forms. (Cindy was profiled in the Summer 2005 issue of Quilting Arts).

Pairing a funny caption with a vintage photo is always fun, and when the caption is written in stitching, all the better! Jane Waggoner Deschner thoughtfully--and wittily--marries found photos with embroidery to complement both art forms while creating her own.

The issue also features Janice Jakielski's ornate mixed-media headdresses that humorously explore notions of sensory perception.

One of my favorite articles delves into the creative process of Stephanie Bryant, writer and publisher of the comic book series "Handknit Heroes." I love the postcard for the series that shows a magenta-garbed superhero impatiently asking, "So, are we gonna go fight crime, or what?" To which her counterpart replies, "Yep. Just let me finish this row." Substitute free-motion stitching for knitting, and I can totally relate. (John would play the part of the impatient superhero, though his costume would certainly not be magenta!)

The art in this issue of Fiberarts is definitely fun to look at. But the theme also carries a thoughtful message: Don't take yourself, or your art, too seriously.

Now, that's a great saying for a lapel pin.

Go wild! Dye textiles naturally -- Q&A with India Flint

Quilting Daily — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:53:00 GMT

I've written many times before about how much I enjoy dyeing in all its different forms. But lately I've been exploring more natural methods and products.

When India Flint's book Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles landed on my desk, it seemed like fate. I don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive guide to natural dyeing that also shows such amazingly beautiful and sophisticated results.

India is a designer, artist, writer, and sheep farmer who lives in South Australia. Her work has been greatly influenced by her extensive travels--from Melbourne to rural Austria to Montreal.

She is known for developing the highly distinctive eco-print, an ecologically sustainable plant-based printing process that gives brilliant color to cloth. India has worked with plant dyes for more than 20 years, and her art resides in collections and museums in Australia, Latvia, and Germany.

I was lucky enough to catch up with her via email, and we had this enjoyable and illuminating conversation about art and the environment.

Q. How did you get interested in dyeing? What was your first exposure to it?
A. My grandmother dyed her clothes using onionskins, tea and marigolds. As a child I had the great good fortune to be in her care whilst my mother attended art school and so learned the basics quite early, as well as learning to sew, cook soup and bake bread. I began to work much more seriously with plant dyes in my late 20s, eventually rejecting the use of synthetic dyes in my textile work in 1997. I then researched eucalyptus dyes for my M.A. (2001).

Q. There seems to be a resurgence in the art of dyeing, especially with more natural methods. Do you see that and why do you think that is?
A. Absolutely. I think people are beginning to understand that synthetic dyes have toxic implications beginning with their manufacture, and of course later in the application as well. With an increase in the awareness of personal health has come the recognition that petrochemical dyes can seriously compromise personal well-being.

And then there's the question of the environment. Sadly many people using plant dyes still insist on using the traditional mordants, many of which are incredibly toxic and ought not to be used in domestic situations or to be disposed of in the sewer system. I make mordants using found scrap metals, sea water, urine, fermented fruit rinds, and so forth.

Q. Why did you choose to go the eco-friendly route of dyeing? Was it purely for ethical or health reasons, or are there artistic advantages to natural dyeing using plants?
A. Correct on all counts. What we do to the earth eventually impacts on us as well (sometimes sooner than later). I like to be sure that if I make a blanket for a baby no poisons are going to rub off onto its skin. I also like the fact that when I process plant material, the remaining matter can be safely returned to the garden (or the forest) as relatively neutral compost which is therefore quite safe. (If anything is strongly acidic, I simply add a little ash to balance the pH.)

I find the colors from nature to be exquisite and that they "sing together" no matter what the shades. I should add here that I work exclusively with bio-regional dyes (what grows around where I happen to be working at the time) and avoid the importation of dyes unless I can be absolutely sure that their cultivation and harvest is ethical and sustainable. For example, I would not use Logwood under any circumstances as the entire tree is felled to obtain the heartwood from which the dye is made.

Q. How did you develop your sustainable coloring process?
A. By experimenting and keeping notes and reading as much as possible. Dyeing with plants is an art and a science informed by ethno-botany, medicine, history, and geography.

Q. What is your favorite plant or combination of plants to dye with, and why?
A. Essentially I like to dye with whatever is to hand, and my preference is for windfalls so that I'm not actually picking anything--unless it's from the trees I have planted on our farm as a dye resource.

I have to say that eucalyptus is one of the most spectacular plant families to use in the dye bath and a strong favorite, but it's a bit like having to choose a favorite child!

Q. Your process is not just about the colors, but also patterns and what you do with the resulting fabric. Please explain how you "beat" the color into the fabric to make patterns.
A. The technique I call hapa zome (essentially a "kitchen Japanese" phrase meaning "leaf dye") was born of necessity when I was working on a theatre project in Yamaguchi, Japan. The director of the dance production requested a 6m x 6m floor cloth, three days before opening night, to resemble a mossy forest floor. I had no hope of finding a dye pot that would be large enough, nor of drying a big cloth after wet dyeing.

So I experimented with a hammer, simply beating the color from the leaf into the cloth. It worked, so I spent three long days on the floor of the theatre, coloring this cloth. I had to use both arms ambidextrously as it was jolly hard work. Every hour I would walk out into the surrounding suburbs with a bag, collecting leaves from roadside weeds and from the people gardening in parks and cemeteries.

I placed a piece of flat wood under the cloth, then the leaf on the cloth, a piece of paper over the leaf, and then beat on the paper with a hammer. The colors were set using a steam iron and are as bright today as when they were applied four years (and many performances) ago.

Q. How do water and time affect the dyeing process?
A. I keep telling my students that "time is your friend in the dye bath." Patience and mindfulness pay off. And water is a story in itself: each reticulated supply has a different cocktail of substances dissolved in it, from fluoride and chlorine to copper, iron, and calcium to name but a few suspects. All of these will affect color outcomes, so it amazes me that most other dye books publish swatches and recipes to be emulated when chances are that the colors achieved are likely to be quite different. And it's not just water that makes the difference, it can be the cloth as well. Silk from China has given different color from silk from Japan-using the same leaves and the same dye bath/dye pot.

Q. Are there plants or other natural sources you have in Australia that people in other parts of the world don't have ready access to?
A. The eucalyptus seems to be available from most florists around the world and is, of course, a weed in many countries.

Q. What is the most important thing the person new to using natural dyestuffs needs to know?
A. Learn the names of plants. Many are poisonous, some are rare or protected, many have been used before for dyeing. By knowing their botanical names you'll be able to find out a lot of information about the plants. Knowing their "common" or vernacular names can tell you curious folkloric information.

It's also very useful to give yourself the freedom to play, take your time, and keep notes (a digital camera very useful for this) in case you want to repeat something.

I highly recommend India's advice, and her book, for discovering natural dyeing techniques with beautiful results. I can't wait to dive in and try her methods myself!

Can You Read & Stitch Simultaneously?

Quilting Daily — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:28:00 GMT

Two of my most favorite pastimes are reading and needlework. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to do them simultaneously! Happily, my two loves can still be enjoyed together by working on fiber art that has a literary theme or reading books where needlework is a prominent character.

PieceWork Editor-in-Chief Jeane Hutchins shares my passion for books and stitching, and I can't wait for you to learn how PieceWork’s new issue celebrates needlework in literature.

One of my fondest childhood memories is of the day my grandmother took me to the public library to get my very own library card. I've had a library card ever since.

I read voraciously, as often as I can find a spare moment. Reading is my stress reliever, my hobby, my joy. There's at least one book in every room in my house as well as others in the car and in my briefcase (I never know when I may be trapped somewhere). So I'm really pleased to give you this preview of our first issue of PieceWork dedicated to needlework in literature!

When we first talked about this as a theme, I began to compile a list of literary works containing needlework references. In addition to the ones we chose for this issue, here are some of my other favorites:

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros (especially lyrical are the passages about a silk rebozo), William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx, and Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities.

Do you know of others? I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the end of this post.

Below are a few highlights from the September/October 2010 issue:

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple sat in a corner knitting so she could eavesdrop and no one would know. Miss Marple's spirit lives on in many of today's knitting mysteries.
If you know a child (from toddler to teen), check out Julia Baratta's "Needlework in Children's Literature" annotated list. Who would ever guess that the hero of Jessica Day George's Princess of the Midnight Ball would be a knitter! The books span many time periods and cultures, and each is a delight.
Discover the unique technique of netting in an excerpt from Jennifer Forest's delightful book, Jane Austen's Sewing Box: Craft Projects & Stories from Jane Austen's Novels.
Knitting has a double meaning in the title of Elizabeth Cobbe's article, "Knitting Gloves in Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa," referring not only to the role that this activity plays in the lives of the characters in a play but also to the way in which it is accomplished, performance after performance, onstage.
Plus 10 literary-inspired projects to net, knit, crochet and stitch!

(Photos of art by Joe Coca)

Ahh, reading and needlework--I think it's the best combination. Get your free copy of this issue to see for yourself!

How Bazaar! A sneak peak at an arts and crafts show

pippapatchwork — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 21:19:00 GMT

There’s nothing like a local arts and crafts show to get the creative juices flowing. For the most part, this weekend was one of those practical, errands-filled weekends for me, with trips to the grocery store, the bank, the dry cleaner—not very exciting. Fortunately, I was able to take off a few hours on Saturday afternoon to enjoy Boston’s summer Bazaar Bizarre, which just so happened to be a quick 10-minute bike ride from my neighborhood. I had the best time simply browsing through the all the local vendors’ booths, ogling everything from stitched bags to stamps, apparel, and catnip-filled fabric moustaches (by Maisonwares Handmade Housewares). Of course, I walked away inspired and rejuvenated after an otherwise ordinary day. I thought I’d share a few of the lovely goods that I came across in the hopes that they might inspire you all as well.

First of all, check out these adorable appliqué pillows by Slapp Happie.

And the cute little plush toys by Zooguu Handmade.

These fabric clutches by Vonica Designs also caught my eye, especially the little bird ones.

As did these stuffed penguins (apparently, I never recovered from my childhood infatuation with stuffed animals).

I loved the quirky design on the pillow and bag by Egg-a-go-go.

And the very creative recycling of measuring tape by Fusion Ethos Fashions.

It took all my willpower to not purchase every skein of this handspun yarn by KnittinK, whose work is inspired by comic books.

And on the non-fiber, non-fabric side of things, I practiced no will power when sampling the different flavors of chocolate from the local manufacturer Taza (salted almond and Mexican chili were the best).

What a colorful and uplifting way to end a Saturday afternoon. Naturally, I spent most of my Sunday in the studio stitching—perusing a good crafts fair always inspires me that way. Did anyone else have a fun weekend venture? Or do you have a favorite arts and crafts show that you recommend?

Summer Highlights and a Fabric Giveaway!

pippapatchwork — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:44:00 GMT

Isn’t it amazing how the summer whizzes by? I know, I know, it’s not over yet! But it’s starting to feel like the end is approaching. Cooler evenings and later sunrises signal the onset of fall, and I’m looking forward to the crisp weather and back-to-school feeling (which I still get, even though I’m no longer in school).

As much as I love fall, it’s fun to look back at some of the very random highlights of this summer. Of course, there are too many to share in a single blog post, but as I finally attempted to organize my photos last night, I found a few summer moments worth sharing.

This summer, I fell in love with Haymarket, our local farmers’ market. Browsing through bountiful produce at marvelously low prices is the perfect way to spend a Saturday morning.

On the less healthier side of the spectrum, I perfected my recipes for homemade marshmallows and individually-sized pineapple upside down cakes. Perhaps not the best idea during bikini season, but I can’t deny my sweet tooth.

I attended a wine tasting with my dad, and when we both showed up wearing bright orange and blue ensembles, the source of my often wacky sense of fashion became clear.

I cut up some old white bed sheets, dyed them, and made myself an enormous tote bag—the perfect carry on for all my summer travels.

I sang Lady Gaga karaoke in front of my fiancé’s entire extended family. Fortunately, they seemed to have found this endearing.

I spent a weekend in St. Louis with my siblings and grandmother, which consisted almost entirely of lounging by the pool (and enjoying poolside beer)…

And even amidst lots of traveling, I made time to quilt. These hand-stitched and appliquéd blocks are finally ready to be joined.

Clearly, I’m in a sharing mood—I wouldn’t have posted that Lady Gaga picture otherwise! So I’ve decided to give away this lovely bundle of Moda fabrics.

Simply share some of your summer highlights in the Comments section for a chance to win!

Download 5 Innovative Techniques for Making Memory Quilts -- Free!

Quilting Daily — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:08:00 GMT

Quilts have long been associated with special moments and memories--even the nontraditional, custom quilts made by art quilters. At Quilting Arts, we're known for our innovative approach to quilting, so of course we wanted to think of how we could enliven the concept of a memory quilt and let you in on the creative fun.

In this free eBook, Making Memory Quilts And Personalized Quilts: 5 memory quilt ideas from Quilting Arts, we've assembled some of our favorite articles from past issues of Quilting Arts Magazine that incorporate personal images, writings, and mementos in artful and unusual ways.

First, Margaret Applin takes a playful approach to personalized quilts by using fabric collage to create vibrant, colorful journal quilts. Next Wen Redmond shows how to create holographic effects with depth by layering your personal images on fabric in an interesting and purposeful fashion.

If you are a budding art quilter wanting to create a small memory quilt and have a stash of buttons, bits of lace, jewelry parts, or old photos laying around, be sure to read Judy Murrah's directions for creating small memory narratives to cherish for years to come.

Alisa Burke, formally trained as a painter, takes her fine art skills to the sewing machine to create thread-sketched and graffiti-style canvas books that are perfect for adapting to a personalized quilt full of family photos.

Lastly, if you're interested in blending mixed media with stitch to make a memory quilt, you'll definitely want to check out Patricia Gaignat's stitched layers with canvas, gesso, and fabric!

So, grab your photos, collage supplies, and sewing machine, download your free copy of Making Memory Quilts And Personalized Quilts: 5 memory quilt ideas from Quilting Arts, and discover how to make a quilt with your cherished memories.

P.S. Do you know other artists who enjoy making memory quilts? Forward this link to them so they can download their own free copy of Making Memory Quilts And Personalized Quilts: 5 memory quilt ideas from Quilting Arts today!

Create Textured Textiles You'll Want to Touch

Quilting Daily — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:10:00 GMT

One of the hardest things for me at quilt shows is observing the no-touch rule. As much as I completely understand it, I often silently thank the quilt guardians for keeping me on my best behavior. It's so hard to resist all those touchable textiles!

So, every time I return from doing a show like International Quilt Festival/Long Beach, I can't wait to get back into my studio and immerse myself in my stash, where I can touch all the textures and feel the interplay of fabric and stitch.

There are so many ways to add texture to art quilts, but one of my favorites is to layer fabric and hand stitching. Beryl Taylor is a master at this--her Workshop^TMDVD isn't called "Layer by Layer" for nothing. And Carol Taylor (what is it about the name Taylor?) has an amazing talent for designing quilts using textured fabrics in a cohesive way, something she demonstrates clearly on her DVD "Art Quilt Design, Strategies for Success."

Another artist whose technique I admire greatly is Jude Hill. With small pieces of fabric, tiny stitches, and a keen eye for design, this artist starts where many others leave off.

For example, instead of seeing patchwork design as an end, Jude sees it as a gridded canvas for further textural embellishment.

But don't think you have to assemble (or acquire) an entire patchwork quilt to explore this process. In the August/September 2010 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, Jude shows how to weave a cloth base for a mini-quilt, using the squares as a patchwork-style grid.

Weaving, instead of piecing, the base has several advantages, says Jude:

1. It's easy. The base comes together quickly as there are no seams to sew.

2. The juxtaposition of the strips provides organic texture.

3. You can mix many fabrics and use up lots of small scraps.

4. Weaving's grid is a natural ground for design.

I would add to this list that it's the perfect way to experiment with fabric and design, and it's also a great take-along project once you have the base done. All you need are scraps, a needle, thread, and scissors.

In fact, I may take one of these projects along the next time I go to a quilt show. With my hands so full of texture, I won't be as tempted to touch the quilts!

Stitch, Fall 2010

StitchMagazine — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:37:00 GMT

ON THE COVER:
Patchwork Cube Slipcover

features

quilting the modern way
Alissa Haight Carlton
Contemporary quilting goes graphic + bold

fabric visionary
Marlene Blessing
Christina Kim of global inspired design house Dosa

projects

off the couch
Transform home décor fabrics into unexpected designs

designs in denim
Humble denim goes stylish in 7 clever projects

modern plaid
A fresh take on a classic print

getting fancy
Get your sparkle on with special occasion fabrics

one-yard gifts
Creativity + one yard of fabric equals 12 fabulous projects

departments

sewing yoga ■ fabric storage tips ■ master sewing with silks + more

Editors Note

Sewing Room

Sew Boutique

Wish List

Sew Connected

Material World

Sewing Basics

How-to

Resources

Sew Inspired
Kathleen Frances

web extras

bonus web project: Silk + Pearls Clutch

bonus web project: Faux Fur Bolero

free download: Fabric Stash Book

free download: Silk Sewing Guide

video tutorial: Flat-Fell Seams

take our 2010 reader survey: Click Here

Quick & Easy Ways to Create Interesting Fabric

Quilting Daily — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:11:00 GMT

Like you, I love fabric. Like you, I collect fabric. And, probably like you, I'm always itching to change the fabric I have.

Why? When there are so many beautiful fabrics out there, why do we art quilters feel the need to alter them? There are lots of reasons, but these are my top three:

1. It's fun!

2. It's a way to ensure your artwork is unique.

3. Let's face it, some fabrics actually need some help.

So, what are my favorite ways to alter fabric?

Over-dyeing. One of the easiest ways to give fabric new life is by over-dyeing it. Over-dyeing can punch up a faded fabric or tone down a bright or crazy pattern. It's a great way to give depth and interest to vintage laces that would otherwise look too much like you just pulled them off your granny's sofa.

You can over-dye with dyes, of course, but tea, coffee, watered down fabric paints, and inks are also options, especially for small pieces. Be sure to heat set before using.

Printing. Screen printing, gelatin monoprinting, even printing with paint and a chunky stamp can instantly alter fabric and put a personal spin on it.

I'm addicted to Thermofax® screens, but gelatin monoprinting is becoming a very close second. You can see a gelatin monoprint demo on my Editor's blog.

Stenciling with oil sticks. I've been using Shiva® Paintstiks® for several years now to add pattern and color to fabrics. But on Season 6 of "Quilting Arts TV," Julie Fei-Fan Balzer demonstrates how to add layers of design to fabrics with oil sticks and multiple stencils, and I'll admit I'm hooked.

Like all of Julie's techniques, this one is simple, but yields striking results. She uses texture plates, punchinella (aka sequin waste), drywall tape, prepared stencils, and a stencil brush.

Here are the basic directions:

1. Place a texture plate underneath the fabric and use the Shiva Paintstik directly on the fabric to create a rubbing.

2. Remove the texture plate.

3. Cover part of the fabric with punchinella, a pattern of drywall tape, or stencils. Using a stencil brush, move in small circles, picking up some of the applied color to blend.

4. Remove the stencil material and replace with another one, blending again with the brush for various effects.

Quick, easy, and fun! Makes me want to grab my paints, dyes, and paintstiks and alter some fabric right now.

What are your favorite ways of altering fabric? Leave your comment below.

Where in the world is Pokey?

Pokey — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:48:00 GMT

My head is spinning. This summer has been a traveling whirlwind for me since I've been traipsing about the country for Quilting Arts and adjusting to a Massachusetts/Colorado living situation. There have been a few mornings over the past several weeks where I’ve blinked my eyes open, groggily assessed the thread count and crispness of the bed sheets (hotel? guest bedroom? home?), checked the direction of the sun, and wondered: am I on the east or west coast, or somewhere in the middle?

What has kept me grounded while I’ve been spending so much time in the sky? Meeting up with like-minded fiber art friends, of course!

Some pictures…

Earlier this summer, I was invited to hang out with some of the staff of Quilts, Inc. in Texas, and lead them in a weekend filled with surface design activities. We screened, stamped, stenciled, monoprinted, Thermofaxed, overdyed, deconstructed screen-printed, played with gelatin, all the while listening to a lot of Dead, Dave Matthews, and Pink Floyd. A perfect weekend...

Then (amidst a few magazine deadlines and moving furniture to Colorado), I attended one of my very favorite annual quilt shows, the International Quilt Festival/Long Beach! My sister-in-law, Sally Murray (my partner in crime since starting Quilting Arts) and her daughter, Lindsey came to work the show with me for the second year in a row, and we hit the old haunts on the off hours; Gladstones (best tuna sushi tower), The Yard House (best chopped salad smothered in a Bloody Mary vinaigrette), and Rock Bottom (best artery-clogging fried appetizers and mixed drinks)!

The show, of course, was fabulous. This was the first time I saw “Beneath The Surface” curated by Jamie Fingal and Leslie Jenison and if you are coming to Houston, get ready to be dazzled as these piece are spectacular! We’ll be publishing a few of them in our October/November issue of Quilting Arts, and since I should keep those images under wraps until they are published, I'll share some other show pics..

Don't throw it away! Leslie Jenison fascinated attendees by using disposable face clothes with screen printing techniques.

Once again, Jane LaFazio demonstrates that she has way too much fun with machine needle felting! (Photo by Judy Perez)

Nina Perez (Judy's daughter), an exceptionally talented and gifted artist, held her first open studio in Make It University and shared a variety of artwork. We hope we'll see a lot more from her!

The prolific, wonderful, and talented artist, Judy Coates Perez was on hand for a couple of Open Studios spots. She'll be joining me in three weeks to tape a couple of segments for the next series of Quilting Arts TV!

From left to right: Jane LaFazio, Alisa Burke, Judy Perez, Me

Not just the adults had fun at the show, but babies, too. Meet Emily, an adorable, engaging baby who came to visit us in the Quilting Arts booth. She was cooing and smiling so much, I had to take her picture...

Painting and having fun in the Make It University!(TM) workshops.

Troublemakers attending the Quilt Art reception. From left to right: Me, Jane LaFazio, Jamie Fingal, Leslie Jenison

And meet Sophie Rubin, Luana Rubin's daughter, who did a smashing job with her TV debut on Quilting Arts TV this season. Why is she wearing a tiara? She just came from Disneyland, of course!

People traded all kinds of art at the Trading Post: ATCs, Inchies, pendants, postcards, small artworks, you name it...

I'm so glad my niece is putting her college degree to good use.(::cough::) The theme for Saturday night's Surviving the Runway was "Life's a Beach!" and when we got to Long Beach, we walked to Walmart and got all kinds of beachy inspiration: inflatable swim toys, tiki torches, snorkle equipment, beach balls, really tacky bikini tops, you name it. Then we gave each particpant one item to inspire beach couture. The grand prize winners received a lot of loot: Auriful Threads, Side Winders to wind bobbins in a jiff and rotary cutting machines by Simplicity, paints by Jacquard, certificates from Pro-Chemical & Dye, and thread packages from Coats & Clark. The stakes were high so people were very inspired to make some outlandish couture!

We listened to a ton of beach tunes, elicited a lot of laughter as we danced around the convention center, and had a wonderful time! We are looking forward to making the trek to Long Beach next year so be sure to save the dates: July 29- 31, 2011.

Improve Your Free-Motion Filler Technique

Quilting Daily — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:46:00 GMT

I confess: sometimes I get so caught up in the "art" I forget about the "quilting."

Let me explain. An idea for an art quilt forms in my mind based on, say, a favorite TV show such as (still--and forever) Tony Soprano. Or, a new line of gorgeous fabrics hits my desk and I have to do something with those luscious colors and witty patterns. Or, I get obsessed with a new surface design technique and suddenly all I can think about in my studio is Thermofax® printing or soy wax batik.

I plan my design, play with fabric combinations, and happily churn out a pile of screen prints and batiks. Only then do I think about how I'm going to free-motion stitch the final quilt.

And yet, the design I make with free-motion stitching can make or break the quilt. Sure, a basic vermicelli or vine pattern will always do. But the right design, done well, can enhance the entire piece of art by highlighting the shapes in the fabric or surface design or by mimicking the motif or theme of the art quilt (think a wave pattern on an aquatic-themed quilt).

Not every art quilt lends itself to a lot of all-over machine stitching, but the best quilters I know (Kathy York immediately comes to mind as an example) always take the free-motion stitching pattern into consideration.

One person who continually thinks about new and unusual free-motion stitch designs is Leah Day. Leah explores machine stitch motifs on her popular blog, "365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs."

Nearly every day, Leah posts a new stitching pattern and a video tutorial that guides readers through the process of creating the design. Leah created nine original free-motion filler designs exclusively for Quilting Arts in Stitches and discussed her inspirations and advice for free-motion work with Quilting Arts Editorial Assistant Pippa Eccles. Here's an excerpt of their interview:

PE: What are some of the inspirations for your designs?

LD: Inspiration really is everywhere, but for free-motion quilting designs, I'm always looking for new textures or combinations of shapes and symbols. Just the other day, I saw a handbag with designs that were a combination of heart shapes and spirals. How simple is that? Hearts and spirals! But together they form a terrific design that would look great on a quilt.

I really like looking at magazines like Better Homes & Gardens because everything in these magazines has a texture. Food, plants, and even the advertisements can be inspiring.

PE: What do you think is the most difficult aspect of free-motion quilting for most individuals? Do you have any advice for them?

LD: Really the hardest part is getting over the beginning period of ugly stitching and bad tension. We're used to our machines producing pretty awesome looking stitches, so then we drop or cover our feed dogs and suddenly all our wonderful stitch quality goes out the window, it can be a little scary!

Getting past this point really comes down to practice. Practice will teach you how to adjust your tension. Practice will teach you how to control the speed of your foot pedal. And practice will teach you how to move your hands with your foot and find that happy balance in free-motion stitching.

For practice, I really recommend pulling a good full- or queen-sized quilt out of your closet to practice on. Most of us have quilt tops waiting to be quilted. Pick one and let it bear the brunt of your learning experience.

I promise that by the end of free-motion quilting the quilt top, you will have a better understanding of how to position your hands and body, and how control your speed.

You can read more of this interview and get all nine of Leah's free-motion stitch motif videos by downloading Quilting Arts In Stitches. Your quilts will be the better for it!

P.S. Want more free-motion stitching advice? Download our free eBook, Free Motion Quilting: How to Make a Quilt-67 Machine Stitching Tips and Motifs.

Oh Sew Simple Inspiration

pippapatchwork — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:47:00 GMT

Whenever I visit a new city, one of my favorite things to do is just walk. There’s no better way to soak in your surroundings and I find that wandering without purpose often turns up the most unexpectedly delightful finds. Of course, walking often turns into shopping, and this is exactly what happened during my recent trip to San Francisco. An afternoon stroll led me to Hayes St., which is full of charming boutiques and quaint cafes—I instantly had a feeling I wouldn’t walk away empty handed.

Before long, I entered a little hole-in-the-wall shop, and I knew I had hit the jackpot when I saw the walls covered in quilts and the shelves full to the brim with textiles and scarves. The shop owner informed me that the quilts were all made in India, and I simply couldn’t resist procuring one for my ever-growing collection.

It was a difficult choice since each quilt was beautiful and unique, and since I have a hard time discriminating when it comes to colors. Finally, I settled on this lovely red flower print—and had quite an interesting time rolling it as tight as can be so it would fit into my suitcase.

One of my favorite things about this quilt is the sheer simplicity of it. Composed of a wholecloth base and many, many rows of running stitch, it’s elegant and striking in its minimalist aesthetic. I find this quite inspiring since it’s easy to fall under the illusion that more is always better. Now, this is sometimes the case—I love patchwork, embellishment, and loads of funky stitching. But isn’t it reassuring to know that sometimes fabric and thread speak quietly for themselves? I think I know what my next project is going to be.

Have you ever stumbled upon a quilt that inspired you to try out a new approach in your own work?

The Trick Every Art Quilter Should Know

Quilting Daily — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:42:00 GMT

Has this ever happened to you?

You find something you really love--like the perfect shade of pink lipstick that doesn't make your skin look dull and is appropriate for day or evening--and the next time you go to buy it, you find out it's been discontinued. Gone. Gone forever.

Drat.

I've had this happen with cosmetics, shampoo, and thread, too. The worst is when you run out of your favorite color of thread right in the middle of quilting a piece.

But at least with thread, I can avoid the dreaded word "discontinued" by taking advantage of color mixing. Being able to successfully layer different thread colors in your free-motion thread work has several advantages:

You don't come to depend on a particular color that might be discontinued or changed by the manufacturer.
You don't have to buy and keep every color in the rainbow or run out to find just the right color in the middle of a project.
Blending threads creates more depth and interest in your work than using one solid color.

The first two reasons are practical, but frankly, I think the last reason is the most important one. Most artists want their work to have more visual dimension and interest.

If you've never tried layering or blending thread colors to create a new color or variations on one color, here's an exercise you might try. It's from internationally known artist Carol Shinn's excellent book Freestyle Machine Embroidery: Techniques and Inspiration for Fiber Art.

	1. Paint a square in a medium-value color, then draw lines to create four equal quarters that will be stitched with different colors of thread.

	2. Stitch the entire square with a color that matches the paint.

	3. Stitch a second layer in each quadrant, using a lighter value in the first; a complement in the second; a grayed, duller color in the third; and an analogous color in the fourth.

	4. Stitch a third layer that appears to be a mix of the original and the second layer colors.

	5. Stitch a final layer of the basic color across the entire initial square so that only bits of the other colors pop through the thread matrix. Take a moment to note which color combination appears the smoothest or most evenly colored. Which appears the most textured?

Try this exercise with different colors and see what you can create. Keep track of your experiments, recording the colors you used, for future reference.

Speaking of reference, Freestyle Machine Embroidery: Techniques and Inspiration for Fiber Art is full of practical advice, tutorials, and beautiful pieces of machine-embroidered art. No art quilter's studio should be without it.

Now, if I could just find a book that would help me create the perfect shade of lipstick.

How to Make a Landscape Quilt the Easy Way

Quilting Daily — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:14:00 GMT

Now that I can see the purple mountain's majesty from my back door most days, I have been giving a lot more thought to landscape quilting. The simple shapes and shades of the mountains against the expanse of sky seem to lend themselves to the muted patterns of the many (many, many) batiks and hand-dyes I have in my stash.

Now I think I know why so many art quilters known for their landscapes live in the west, like Coloradoan Deidre Adams (who'll be a guest on "Quilting Arts TV" in Season 7) and California girl Liz Berg, a guest on Season 6. Both artists take an abstract design approach to their art. And while they both produce very sophisticated works, I find that abstract design is a very good place to start if you're a novice landscape quilter.

On "QATV" Season 6, Liz demonstrated her technique for creating small abstract landscape quilts using a photo as inspiration. The key to this technique--and what makes it great for beginners--is that you keep it simple. Just reduce the elements in the photo to the basic, most prominent shapes and don't worry too much about light, shadows, shading, etc.

Here are Liz's basic directions. You can follow her process for creating the quilt at left on "Quilting Arts TV" Series 600, airing now on PBS in select markets and available on DVD.

1. Choose a photo with strong horizontal and vertical lines and without too much detail. If you don't have mountains, look for a picture with a long fence, a stream, or a railing of some kind. Trees often provide verticals, but telephone poles, mail box posts, and vegetation like corn stalks or hollyhocks will do as well.

2. Make a copy of the photograph and outline the major shapes. Decide which shapes you wish to use and in what way, and then decide upon the color scheme. Remember to keep the design simple; you are not copying the photo, just using it as inspiration.

3. Pull out your stash of subtly patterned fabrics, such as batiks and hand-dyes in the colors you wish to use. Pre-fuse them.

4. Lay the basic shapes of your background top to bottom (e.g. sky, mountain, stream, ground), using lighter colors, onto a piece of muslin slightly larger than your finished quilt (approximately 8" x 10").

5. Lay in your darker foreground shapes, such as trees and rocks. Work out the design elements of the shapes, varying the size of the shapes and their proximity to each other. Avoid "kissing" shapes--those almost touching--and avoid placing the shapes symmetrically. Odd quantities works best.

You can add some dimension by cutting two of each shape--one darker and one lighter--and overlapping them slightly to suggest shadow.

6. Finish the quilt, when you're happy with the composition, by fusing everything down, adding backing and batting, and quilting with a free-form free-motion stitch.

I love Liz's technique, because it's fast and easy. Plus, the small format allows you to experiment freely to make several landscapes from the same photo, varying the colors and the design.

I'm working on a landscape quilt right now that I hope to have finished by September. I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours!

Leave a comment about your landscape quilt adventures below, and be sure to post pictures of your quilts in our quilt and fiber art gallery.

Meet Our Latest Cover Artist, Ana Buzzalino

pippapatchwork — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:19:00 GMT

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

It’s hard to believe that August is already here, and this new month brings a new issue of Quilting Arts. Those of you who have already picked up or received your copy of our August/September issue were most likely struck by the minty blue hue of the lovely pear quilt that graces its cover. This piece is the work of Ana Buzzalino who shares her technique for combining discharge paste and paint in her article on page 20, “Creative Play with Discharge Paste: Adding and removing color.” Read on to learn more about Ana’s creative process.

Your article is about combining discharge paste and paint in surface design. What has this technique enabled you to accomplish in your art?

Using discharge paste the way it is explained in the article adds a measure of unpredictability, as the results can’t quite be controlled. The look of the piece will depend on how much paint you add to the paste, and on how thickly the paste is applied. I like the whimsical aspect of it. Adding paint and coloring pencils to the piece allows me to get some of that control back. This technique has allowed me to work on whole cloth, although it might not be apparent at first. I’ve been asked how I’ve achieved those effects, and people cannot believe that the fabric has not been painted that way to start with. That is the beauty of it.

The quilts featured in the article are all still lifes (pears, a pumpkin). What attracts you to this subject matter?

I love still lifes. Because of my background as a decorative painter, I’ve always used still lifes, so it was natural for me to fall back on them when painting on fabric. They allow me to use commonplace and everyday objects in different settings. The shapes are simple and easily recognizable, but brought to life by the use of different surface design techniques such as paint and thread. What’s interesting to me is to see all the different techniques you can use to make them unique.

The imagery used in your work is simple, but so striking. How do you usually design your quilts? How do you select color, composition, etc.?

When I’m using this discharge technique, the piece of fabric pretty much decides what goes on. I start with a fabric dyed with Procion MX dye, where the colors have been applied randomly, so it’s not as if I am actuallypainting the fabric to match what I have in mind. I work the other way around. I pick a piece of fabric that I like, and then think about what I can design with it.

In the case of “The Blue Door” [shown on page 22 of the August/September issue of Quilting Arts], the dyed fabric ended up with a large orange area so that dictated the placement of the pumpkin. Once I masked it and applied the discharge paste with blue paint, I had to wait for it to dry. The effect was not as striking as I was hoping for, so I applied the discharge paste again, before washing, and this time, the paint came out in clumps! I stood by the sink looking at this and wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. This was not what I was expecting at all. Once I ironed it dry, I thought the piece was ruined, and I would discard it. It was hanging on my ironing table. When I looked at it again, I realized that it looked just like the peeling paint on a blue door on a photo I had been admiring a few days before. So I found the photo and designed the door behind the pumpkin to resemble it. That was a good example of the unpredictability of the technique.

What are you working on now? Any particular projects or techniques?

Right now I am working on a new piece combining painting and piecing. I have been thinking about it for a while, and finally found a moment to start working on it. The idea is to paint part of the quilt and piece the rest.

I have also been trying to use more surface design in my work, so I have been screen printing and stenciling backgrounds, trying to achieve the layered look I like. I am also introducing lettering in my work. Screen printing has allowed me to do some of that.

Images (from left to right)

· “The Shell Seekers”

· “Tulips”

Use Your Brain: Become an Art Quilt Scientist

Quilting Daily — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:49:00 GMT

What's the oddest thing you ever used to create a piece of fiber art? You know, something you just happened to have around that you were suddenly inspired to create with.

One artist who constantly amazes me with her ability to create original pieces with commonplace materials and techniques is U.K. mixed-media and textile artist Cas Holmes.

I first became aware of Cas in 2006 and was blown away by her exciting take on texture and ability to reuse materials in inventive ways. One of the most important elements in Cas' art--and her life--is her conscious connection to the physical world around her.

We profiled Cas and her work in the Fall 2006 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, where she revealed her philosophy and process. With the release of her book, The Found Object in Textile Art, in the U.S. this month, we took the opportunity to catch up with her.

Q. A lot of artists work with found objects, but you seem to see objects and their potential in a way that others don't.

A. I come from the County of Norfolk, where there's a saying that people who live in Norfolk do things different. And the local college, the University of East Anglia, has adopted the motto, "Do different." So perhaps it's in-bred for me to look at things with different eyes!

Q. Do you consider your artwork to be recycling?

A. It's not just about recycling, which is transforming, but about re-using found objects and textiles so that they are still recognizable, but used in a different way. We are surrounded by things that are carelessly disposed of and overlooked, such as paper and other things we can gather at our footsteps. I like the idea that 'greatness exists in overlooked details', which relates to the Japanese philosophy of wabi sabi.

Q. I understand you don't drive. Does that help you discover overlooked items?
A. A connection to the environment is imperative for me. It's a strong part of my practice. When you walk, cycle, and use public transportation, you aren't isolated. You make direct contact with the physical world. You have to dress appropriately for the weather!

I'm inspired by objects and the physical world, materials gathered around my footsteps, working with what's in front of me and my relationship to space. I live in an urban environment that overlaps a park. Because those two kinds of physical spaces interrelate--and I interrelate with them--it gives me a lot of interesting materials to work with.

Q. What are some of your most interesting found objects?

A. Clothing, plant materials, printed paper, wallpaper, pieces of string, doilies, cardboard containers...whatever I find. I make monoprints from clothing. And I love old sheets. They've been washed so many times the fibers become very receptive to dyes. I have a whole loft full of sheets people have given me.

But I translate the "found" as not just physical objects but as what I call the magpie of the mind: keeping your mind open for inspiration in mundane circumstances. The items themselves may not be that interesting--it's the combination of different types of materials; manipulating them brings them together.

Q. What are some of the ways you manipulate these objects?

A. I like to destroy and remake things. This can be done by cutting and reassembling, folding, and stitching. I also like to use the momigami method to alter paper, which consists of kneading crumpled paper with a little oil or acrylic wax.

Then there's dyeing and painting with traditional artist materials as well as plants or even food coloring. I combine these processes to make layers and then peel away the layers in interesting ways.

You need to go beyond the materials and almost become an alchemist or a scientist with your materials, building up surfaces and going back through them.

Q. Do you use found objects as tools, too?

A. I like to use anything that connects the hand to the process and has an interesting shape, like sticks and feathers. My favorite found tool has to be a basic Bernina sewing machine I recovered from a skip (Dumpster). It's mechanical vs. digital, so it responds to my movements. If I ever lost it, it would be very hard to replace. But I'd have to say the mind is the greatest tool; you shouldn't overlook its potential.

Wise words from Cas. We often forget that it's not the materials we work with but the imagination and innovation we bring them that makes our art unique and satisfying. The Found Object in Textile Art is the perfect book for lessons in inventive artistic discovery.

How Fast Can You Make Art?

Quilting Daily — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:15:00 GMT

"I wish I had more time to make art."

I hear that all the time--from art quilters at shows, from my friends, the Quilting Arts staff...and out of my own mouth. Unless you're a full-time artist, you've probably said it yourself many times (and I'm willing to bet even full-time artists recite that lament occasionally).

Although I'm sure we'd all like endless hours or even days to spend in the studio creating, few people have the lifestyle that affords them that kind of time. From my own experience and that of other artists I know, I've discovered the following tips for fitting more art making into a busy lifestyle.

Set yourself up for success. Keep your most-used tools and supplies set up in such a way that they are ready to create when you are.
Make an appointment to create. If you don't make your art a priority, no one else will. So schedule studio time on your calendar, even if it's just an hour.
Make art in stages. For example, fuse a bunch of fabrics to felt backing one day. Stamp them for artist trading card backgrounds another, slice them up and embellish a third day.

One person who is a master at creating a lot in a little bit of time--and in not much space, I might add--is Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. Julie is a bundle of energy (and comedy) who combines paper, fabric, and stitch with paint and other media, and does it all in a small, two-bedroom apartment in New York City.

Julie has been a guest on "Quilting Arts TV" demonstrating canvas wall hangings, and her new Cloth Paper Scissors Workshop^TM "Collage Fast & Furious!" just came out. In it, she demonstrates quick and easy ways to create foundations, layer art mediums, and make patterns with paint and simple mark-making tools.

Many of Julie's methods are demonstrated on paper, but you can adapt most of them as surface design techniques for art quilting. Processes like stamping fabrics, hand embroidery, making ATCs (artist trading cards), how to make a paper quilt, how to paint a quilt, and paper quilting all relate to her methods.

One of my favorite of Julie's techniques is how she creates a texture foundation for paint using gesso as an adhesive for fibers.

Step 1. Take a dollop of gesso with a brush and spread it over a piece of light cardstock, such as half of a manila file folder.

Step 2. Lay a piece of cheesecloth on top of the gesso. Don't be neat: scrunch it up in some parts and don't worry about covering the entire piece of cardstock. Layer more gesso on top of the cheesecloth.

Step 3. Take a paper tissue (such as a Kleenex®), twist it into a rope or rosette, and add that to the surface. Slap more gesso on top.

Step 4. Cut scraps of batting into shapes such as squares or circles and apply them to the gesso and fiber mix here and there.

Step 5. Allow the gesso to air dry or apply a heat gun lightly to speed up the process.

Step 6. Add color, such as watercolors or inks. Let dry, and you have a colorful, multi-textured surface to embellish with text, fabric, hand embroidery, and so on.

I laughed when I watched Julie demo this technique, because it took only a couple of minutes (without the drying time), and at first all she seemed to be doing was making a mess. But once she applied the color--wow! What an interesting background.

The tips, tricks, and techniques Julie demonstrates in "Collage Fast & Furious!" are lifesavers for the busy artist, and I strongly encourage you to check it out.

P.S. If you want to see the space where Julie creates, but sure to get a copy of the Fall 2010 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors Studios. It features the creative spaces of 20 quilters plus mixed-media artists, so you won't want to miss it.

Chatting with my Fellow Fabric Shoppers in San Francisco

pippapatchwork — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:47:00 GMT

Few things exciting me more than stumbling upon a glorious fabric store--so when I realized I was staying less than a block away from Britex Fabrics on my recent trip to San Francisco, I could hardly contain my joy. This four-story fabric haven is filled to the brim with beautiful and unique finds. But just as intriguing as the fabrics is the wide variety of customers who flock to Britex, so I decided to chat with a few of my fellow fabric shoppers to see what they were planning on making with their newly purchased goods--from bathing suits to bridal gowns, I got nothing but interesting responses!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

And here's a little more eye candy for you...

A small section of the button wall:

Mel's beautiful crazy quilt (does anyone recognize the stitches from Quilting Arts first issue?):

And my purchase of the day: a silk-cotton blend with a multi-colored apple print. Too yummy to resist...

Have you ever happened upon a wonderful fabric store while traveling?

Unglamorous Moments in 'Quilting Arts TV' History

Quilting Daily — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:23:00 GMT

My mom is so cute. She's coming to the next taping of "Quilting Arts TV" (Season 7) to hang out back stage, and she's all excited.

I know it's because she's proud of me, but I also think she is expecting that it will be glamorous. As if I have a decked-out trailer and someone in a headset knocks on the door and says, "Five minutes, Ms. Bolton" before each segment begins. Or that the backstage "green room" is a posh lounge where catering brings in afternoon tea.

In reality, the green room is a functional space with tables, chairs, and sewing machines meant for pre-segment set-up and practice. I change clothes behind a tiny screen and we eat in the caf upstairs.

Glamorous it's not. But that isn't to say we don't enjoy the experience. My guests, the crew, and I have a blast backstage and on the set--these folks are pros, and we all enjoy what we do. Looking back over the first six seasons, there have been many memorable moments, of which these have to be my Top 5.

Worst Hair Day

I woke up my very first day of taping only to realize I had no shampoo, and the hotel didn't have any either. I had to wash my hair with a bar of hotel soap. Needless to say, I had Challenging Hair on my first day on the job. However, I refused to let this get me down. I thought, if this will be my only mess up (and over and done with on the first day), things could only get better, right?

Best Very First Guest

Having Jane Dunnewold as my very first guest made me forget about my challenging hair as we got straight to business with her showing us how to make a versatile stencil from fusible interfacing and nylon net. It was such an honor to have someone so talented and articulate as my very first guest of "QATV"!

Most Heart-stopping Moment

On Season 4, "Project Runway's" first winner, Jay McCarroll, taped a couple of segments. For one of them, he encouraged me to throw his quilts over our heads when we were done viewing them. I just hoped the force of our throws wouldn't cause the TV set props to come tumbling down.

Most Exciting Moment

In Season 2, favorite mother-daughter team Laura and Linda Kemshall were giving us a hands-on understanding of their design process. The most exciting moment was watching Laura paint a quilt after she had free-motion quilted it. I was so worried she'd make a mistake and ruin all of the hard work she had done with her machine stitching. Quite a dramatic TV moment!

Most Moving Segment

A segment that has stayed in my mind: In Season 3, guest Hollis Chatelain talking about her design inspiration, message, and quilting of her "Imagine Hope" quilts. These were hands-down some of the most beautiful, most poignant works of art I have ever seen.

Do you have a favorite "QATV" episode or moment from watching the show or being a guest? Leave a comment below.

Create a Series of Original Art Quilts with Needle Felting

Quilting Daily — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:32:00 GMT

You'd think after 10 years and 45 issues of Quilting Arts Magazine, we would have written about every kind of process, technique, design, or supply that exists. But that's the beauty of contemporary art quilting: someone is always putting a new twist on an old technique, combining materials and processes in a way no one ever thought of before, or coming up with a new product that changes the game.

I think one of the products that has been a game-changer is the needle felting machine, also called an embellisher. Hand needle felting has been around for centuries, but the needle felting machine has allowed fiber artists to work on a larger scale, faster, and to mix fibers to create brand-new effects.

By machine needle felting a wide variety of fibers together in various combinations, you essentially create a one-of-a-kind piece of cloth each time you work. It's a whole lot of fun, as I can attest, and a great way to use up those little bits of fiber delights that are too good to throw away.

However, because each piece is unique, it can be challenging to create needle-felted work in a series. You have to find a common motif, color, or other unifying factor to make all the pieces work together.

In the June/July issue of Quilting Arts, Jane LaFazio takes up this challenge. She combines hand-dyed sheers, wool and silk roving, and a variety of fibers (from failed knitting projects to bits of ribbon and thread) in a range of color ways, then adds hand embroidered motifs. The result is her "Rainbow Series," which she's especially enthralled with "because every inch of each one is original and made completely by me."

The hand-dyed sheers are a central element in the "Rainbow Series." Here are her simple directions for coloring them.

Easy Hand-dyed Sheers
By Jane LaFazio

I've been enamored with silk gauze for a long time, and have dyed it with tea or coffee and rust, but I only recently thought to dye it with color. I use Adirondack Color Wash, which comes in spray bottles. These acid-free, non-toxic, water-based dyes are perfect for use on paper and fabric but are also very staining, so be sure to wear gloves. Here's the process I use for dyeing sheer fabrics.

1. Begin by covering the surface of a foam core board (or any flat, moveable surface) with freezer paper in order to protect it and so you can carry the wet dyed fabrics to another place to dry.

2. Wet the fabric with water and then spray it with the dyes. With gloved hands, squish the fabric to distribute the dye-but not evenly. I like to use an array of colors for each color set since I want the fabric to be variegated.

3. Let the fabric dry completely and iron it to heat set the color.

I recommend working in analogous colors when dyeing your sheers. Analogous colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, like yellow and red, green and blue, and blue and purple.

I don't know what subtle twists in technique or major innovations in machinery are awaiting art quilters more than I year from now. But I can give you a sneak peek of you the exciting features we'll be bringing you in Quilting Arts over the next few issues:

Using painted papers in quilts, by Peggy Brown
Weaving a cloth base, the quilt as canvas, by Jude Hill
Finding your unique design, variations on a single motif, by Terry White
Shredded paper as a surface design & mixed-media tool, by Leslie Jenison
An oatmeal resist technique from Lisa Kerpoe
An excerpt from Cas Holmes' amazing new book, The Found Object in Textile Art

I hope you'll enjoy these and the many other creative surprises we have planned in the coming issues. And if you have an idea for an article you'd like to see in Quilting Arts, leave a comment below and let us know!

CREATing with Natalya Aikens

pippapatchwork — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:03:00 GMT

Taking classes is one of the most rewarding and eye-opening aspects of the artistic process, exposing you to new processes, materials, and fellow artists. While tracking down a single class every now and then is easy to do, it isn’t often that one has the opportunity to pick and choose from a wide array of teachers, workshops, and techniques all in one location, which is why CREATE, the first ever annul Cloth Paper Scissors Retreat, is a unique and valuable opportunity--and you can still register today! For four days, from August 25-29, 2010, attendees will be able to select from 60 classes on a wide array of mixed media and art quilting techniques, from gelatin printing to fabric collage. Many talented instructors will be leading the way, one of whom is the well-known fiber artist Natalya Aikens, who here discusses the classes she will be teaching and the value of artistic collaboration.

Tell us a little bit about your CREATE classes.

I will be teaching two classes for CREATE: one called Mix Your Media With Photoshop, where the artists will see how easy it is to play with Photoshop for enhancement of their artwork. Artists will learn how to size and alter their own photographs using a myriad of different fabulous tools that are available in the program, print those photos on a variety of media and incorporate them into their artwork.

In the second class, called Jump Start Your Journal, artists will learn how to start turning a blank book into the beginnings of a beautiful journal. We will explore a variety of techniques that will help take the fear out of starting a journal, like collage, acrylic paints, markers, and pens. I will also explain and demonstrate my favorite journaling methods and materials.

When did you begin incorporating digital imagery into your fiber art? What does this enable you to achieve in your work?

I started incorporating digital imagery in my art a few years ago. I had been trying to think of a way to use my photographs in my work for a while, but could not come up with what seemed a natural way to do so. Everything I had tried before had seemed forced. I had used Photoshop in my previous (fashion) career and it occurred to me that I can alter the photographs to my liking before and after printing. So I started playing around in the program and making discoveries for myself.

I think that using digital imagery in my art lets me bring another layer of mystery and texture to my work.I love to be able to do a lot of that on the computer screen and not worry about drying paints and spoiling dyes (which I enjoy working with also). It's a completely different way of working on art quilts, a great technique to have in your repertoire.

You have past teaching/workshop experience. What do you enjoy about teaching and the collaborative environment?

I really enjoy the creative back and forth that happens in a collaborative and a teaching environment. Making art is mostly an experience in solitude, sort of a stewing in your own juices process. I think it's wonderful to step out of that setting and mingle with others. When teaching, I always listen to what the student has to say, because sometimes even a small comment will spark an idea, it may just be a realization of how to explain something better or a whole new idea of how to execute a technique. You just never know!

Will you be taking any classes by your fellow CREATE instructors?

I want to take all the classes; my head is just spinning with the possibilities. Thank goodness that I have time limitations and will just have to choose from the classes available in my free time. There are so many inspiring teachers and wonderful learning opportunities!

Images (from top to bottom)

"Piterskoie Kruzhevo" (St. Pete Lace): The black lace imagery in this piece was created using Photoshop.
A piece of Natalya's art journal paper

Summer: Time to Stitch on the Go

pippapatchwork — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:20:00 GMT

Isn’t it funny how the summer can be the busiest time of year? Of course, there are always those lazy afternoons spent at the beach, leisurely outdoor dinners, and nice long bike rides. But, at least in my case, there have also been many weekend getaways and little trips that seem to eat up all my free time. From D.C. to New York to Orlando (and soon San Francisco and St. Louis), I just haven’t had much quality time in the sewing studio.

Fortunately, I’m becoming quite skilled at stitching on the go. Remember those blocks that I began fiddling around with back in April? Well, they’ve turned into my primary project these days since they simply consist of hand sitching onto 12" squares of appliqué and reverse appliqué, something I can do pretty much anywhere.

I’m keeping the shapes and stitching simple so the bright colors takes center stage; just some straight stitching, circular buttonhole, and chain stitching with a mixture of embroidery floss and perle cotton.

The wonderful thing about this project is that my little bag of hand-sewing necessities and a few unstitched blocks easily fit into my large purse (and carry-on of choice):

I’ve become quite adept at sewing in the most unusual of places: planes, cars, buses, airport security lines, by the pool, in a taxi. It’s a relief to still get my fabric fix, even amidst the busiest of times.

So what started out as four blocks is now sixteen, and I have many more ready for stitching. I may find myself with a very large quilt in the end! However, I’m still debating the final construction. Inspired by Kathy York’s brilliant use of satin stitch (don’t miss her video tutorial in our new eMag on circular satin stitch or her article in our February/March issue), I’m considering satin stitching the blocks together. Any other ideas?

How do you keep up with your quilting when you’re on the go?

Make Your Focal Point Pop with Thread Painting

Quilting Daily — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:52:00 GMT

I first became aware of Elin Waterston through the Quilting Arts reader challenges, particularly our annual calendar contests. Very quickly, our team came to recognize Elin's distinctive brand of well-thought-out, uncluttered design featuring a strong focal point. Since then, Elin has written articles for our magazines, been a part of our QA Workshop^TM series, appeared on "Quilting Arts TV," and has written and contributed to several books.

Elin is always full of good design ideas and has recently added thread painting to her art quilt technique bag of tricks. She'll be sharing her expertise in a fun and productive all-day workshop, Thread Painted Mini Art Quilts at the CREATE with Cloth Paper Scissors retreat August 25-29.

With thread painting a very big trend in art quilt design, we asked Elin a few questions about how easy it is to learn and how the technique contributes to her art.

Q. Previously you've used a lot of mixed-media techniques in your art quilts, in addition to stitch. How and why have you incorporated thread painting in your art?

A. I tend to use thread painting to create the subject or focal point of quiltlet (and that is how we'll approach it in the workshop), but thread painting can be incorporated wherever and whenever appropriate and mixed with other techniques. I use it because it feels very much like drawing or painting to me and that's appropriate for my design style.

Q. Are there certain images or motifs that thread painting is best used for?

A. Thread painting can be used for many different projects, to achieve many different effects. I'm not sure I can think of anything it couldn't be used for! That said, it behooves the artist to think about what look you want your final product to have and determine if thread painting is the best method to achieve that look.

I always say that the project will tell you how to make it. Every technique isn't right for every project, but if you have an understanding and some experience using different techniques, you're able to use the technique that's most appropriate and beneficial to the impact of your project.

Q. I know a lot of people are itching to learn thread painting. But can it really be taught in a day?

A. Students can definitely learn the fundamentals of thread painting in a day. Of course, like so many things, the more you do it the better you get at it. When you've mastered the basic technique, you can move on to large or complex designs. It's definitely one of those practice, practice, practice techniques.

Q. What kind of special equipment do you need?

A. You need a sewing machine that has the ability to drop the feed dogs, and a darning or free-motion foot. And, just as important as the sewing machine is a machine embroidery hoop. I prefer wooden hoops that are easily adjustable (not the junky hand embroidery ones, but the nice sturdy kind you can adjust with a screw driver). There are plastic hoops on the market that are specifically made for machine embroidery, but I don't find them to be nearly as good for thread painting as the wooden ones.

Q. What will students accomplish in your CREATE class?

A. During the workshop, students will be able to complete a thread painted subject for their mini quilt. Depending on the speed of the artist and the complexity of their design, they should also be able to add collage elements and embellishments and complete the entire quilt (we're working very small, after all). If anyone is really speedy, or for any reason they prefer to start another subject rather than complete a project, they can do that too. I always like my students to have the freedom to do whatever will most benefit them and enable them to learn as much as they can from the workshop.

Q. What are the advantages/artistic benefits of thread painting for fiber artists?

A. It's always helpful for any artist (fiber or otherwise) to learn new techniques. Every new creative thing you learn can benefit you in your other creative endeavors. So even if thread painting is something you think you might only dabble in, learning it can increase your understanding of color and value and it can improve your dexterity, motor skills and fluidity of movement. Plus it adds to your reserve of techniques to pull from when working on a project.

Q. What are some of the tricks you've discovered to make the thread painting process work well?

A. I don't think there are really any tricks for thread painting. For me, everything is always about the set up. No matter what you're doing - drawing, painting, yoga, dance, whatever - the set up is what counts. So if you set it up right, if you have the appropriate tools and materials and if your drawing/design is correct, everything else will follow. It's also important to understand that the more you experiment with the process, the greater your understanding of it will be, so you have to give yourself some freedom to push yourself a little past your comfort zone from time to time.

Sounds like fun!

If you'd like to sign up for Elin's thread painting class or any of the other exciting stitching and mixed-media workshops planned, visit the CREATE with Cloth Paper Scissors Retreat website now.