Quilting Arts Magazine Winter 2022

IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, we see the world around us from a singular frame of reference. Whether we share a bird’s eye view as we peer out a jet window over farmland or peek at living cells through a microscope’s lens, our perspective is unique. What do we miss by having one perspective? What do we gain by changing our point of view? We challenge you to create an 8" × 10" vertical quilt referencing a place you’d like to visit—maybe somewhere you’ve been in the past, have on your travel bucket list, or even exists only in your imagination—and look at it from a different angle. Above, beneath, close up, in retrospect … you decide—it’s your personal perspective! Rules 1. Create a quilt based on the theme ‘Personal Perspectives.’ The…

if you enjoy dyeing your own fabric you know the process is an interaction between a dye and a fiber, where the color penetrates the internal part of that fiber. For this to work you must soak the fabric, add the color, and then wait long hours until the bond between fiber and dye is established. Although I usually have the patience to wait for this process, this waiting can be frustrating if I am looking forward to manipulating the dyed fabric to add texture and design right now. These are the moments when I want a technique that results in colored cloth ready faster. How about paint? For this technique—which I call faux bleached painted cloth—we will use paint instead of dye and the end result is a textural design in…

Begin by observing your world and take notes in whatever way suits you. I use photography. • Take lots of photos—use your smart phone or camera as a visual diary. Zoom in on color, texture; whatever moves you. • Later, edit: Scroll through your photos; delete, edit, and notice what you keep coming back to—that image or subject matter may be the one to use as inspiration. • When in your workspace, print out a couple of photos; use the photo itself or use it as a jumping-off point for a sketch. • Let the images and memory of experience guide and help determine the intent of your art quilt. Below are some material I like to work with. Golden® Fluid Acrylics: I use these paints for creating color charts and painting on fabric. Jacquard® Inkjet Printing…

Use scraps. I love to use up scraps of fabric and recycle other textiles, so using the tie interlining was essential. What can you incorporate into your work from digging through your scrap basket? Embrace the fray. I create raw-edge fabric collage quilts where embracing the fray of the raw edges is encouraged. Be free and have fun—cut, layer, and stitch without turning edges under. Reuse and recycle. You may need to trim as you go along; as you create more of these ‘off-cuts,’ consider including them in a new block. Serendipity is what we are trying to achieve here. Limit the number of decisions to be made and do not look for perfection. This will keep you more productive. By limiting the color palette, for example, you are forced to make fewer…

After you have a good-sized stack of blocks, now what? The quilt “Crazy Covid Stitching,” made during the pandemic, is almost entirely hand stitched and includes many of these small blocks, bits and bobs, plus a few treasured cyanotype prints for good measure. • Arrange the blocks on a background. Since your blocks may not all be the same size—what’s the fun in that anyway?—snug them together casually, add small scraps to fill in here and there, let the background peek through, and embrace the imperfect, handmade quality of your creation. Pin to the background and sew, using some of the same stitches in the blocks. • Add feature fabric, recycled blocks, or whole pieces of treasured fabrics such as cyanotypes. Next, secure them to the background with coordinating thread. • Place the…

i couldn’t sleep one night last year during the worst of the pandemic. You know how it is … brain in overdrive, unable to slow down. I finally gave up and got up around 2 a.m., went to my studio, and turned the desk light on. The neighborhood around me slept and all was quiet. I felt cocooned in the light. White and neutral fabrics sat in a basket by my chair. On my table were remnants of another piece I had worked on. Pieces of blocks, trimmings; small, pieced units. Odd blocks too beautiful to discard. All full of memories and too small or odd-shaped to piece together. I thought of cleaning up to start fresh in the morning, but all those small pieces of fabric were asking to be…