Quilting Arts Magazine June/July 2019

For me, that is always a dilemma. I have no problem setting aside a novel or two for a vacation getaway. In fact, my reading list is always longer than I have time to complete on a trip. But I find it much harder to hone in on a take-away project that fits all of my criteria. Although I always have a small knitting project ready for long car rides, I also want something fun to stitch. Like most people, I am not a “monogamous” quilter: I have many projects in various stages of completion but I seriously doubt any of them will find their way into my project bag this summer. Most of my fiber art is either not portable because it is too large or impractical because it has…

Dear Quilting Arts, Perfect timing! I received my April/May issue yesterday and last night I read Lea McComas’ article on “Using Color with Confidence.” I’m making a toddler quilt for a little girl who loves purple and pink. I knew I had to add another color to give it some pop and had chosen yellow, but I didn’t want it to become the focus. The article gave me good insight on how to accomplish that. As always, your articles are educational whether I use the skills and techniques in my art quilts or traditional quilts! Thanks, Stacey Cummings • Inman, South Carolina Dear Quilting Arts, I loved the different textures in Libby Williamson’s work (April/May 2018 issue) and the juxtaposition of the mixed-media elements. With quite a collection of fabric scraps in my cupboard, I…

Carol Dickson lives in southern Oregon with her husband and pets. She is a retired police officer and is active in her community. Karen Ponischil is a fiber artist by day and nurse by night. She has been stitching in some form as long as she can remember. Her studio is in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and pets. karenponischil.com Lorraine Turner is an author, teacher, and motivational speaker who strongly believes in moving thought into action. She uses her textile art to raise awareness and funds for endangered animals. A commercial artist for 40 years, she had her first solo textile show in 2018—a 26-piece special exhibit at International Quilt Festival, Houston. She works from her studio in Clearwater, Florida. calicohorses.com Jean Impey is a committed textile artist and national…

“It’s important to me to be physically surrounded with joyful memories when I quilt.” for some artists, ‘multi-tasking’ does not suit their creative process. But for artist and quilter MJ Kinman, multi-tasking is essential to her work, life, creative business, and studio space. MJ’s “quilt cave” is perfect for all of those pursuits. “The best thing about my studio? It’s where our family spends most of our time together. It’s not just a working quilt studio; it’s also our family room, home office, napping space, and—since my pattern business has taken off—a fulfillment warehouse. It’s the place where my husband Joe and I and our three dogs can hang out together while I create.” MJ and Joe realized 13 years ago that the house they were viewing would become both their home and…

most art quilters know this instinctively: they should refuse to let materials drive inspiration. Instead, we use our inspiration to drive the search for new materials. For many years, I used solid fabrics to create my gem quilts. I also experimented with prints, but wasn’t satisfied with the way they distracted from the focal point of the quilt and the overall design. I then turned to batiks, hand-dyed fabrics, and gradations, but all had their limitations. I realized reluctantly that I was going to have to paint my own fabric to get the effects I envisioned. Despite my hesitation, I bought supplies, dove in … and loved it! In stark contrast to my quilt construction process—that is otherwise premeditated and precise—painting is wildly gestural, instinctive, and provides immediate gratification. And it yields…

sometimes inspiration for a project comes from a variety of cultural sources. That is the case for my mixed-media Milagros. I was recently gifted a small stash of fancy fabrics—gorgeous sheers, silks, beaded trim, and colorful snips of Indian saris—that were just itching to be used in fiber art. But they had me stumped: the beads and bangles needed to be kept intact and the sheers would look best if they remained sheer. I knew I’d think of something. MATERIALS • Neutral, midweight background fabric• Fanciful fabric scraps• Hand-dyed cheesecloth (I used cheesecloth from Fiber on a Whim.)• Lightweight fusible interfacing• Glue stick• Paper-backed fusible web (I used Wonder-Under®.)• Milagro pattern components• Template material• Tissue paper• Painter’s tape• Vintage book pages and maps• Ink pad (I used Tim Holtz’ Distress Ink™ in…