Art Quilt Supplies and Inspirations

The art quilt movement has become one of the most exciting art forms of the 21st century. But until now, there has not been a comprehensive, chronological history of the studio art quilt. Art Quilts Unfolding offers full-color images of 400 masterpieces along with engaging interviews and profiles of 58 influential artists, key leaders, important events and significant collections. Organized by decade, an additional 182 international artists’ works are featured to help us to understand the impact and the future of the art. Whether you are new to art quilts or have been part of the movement for years, you will find so much inspiration here!

These engaging works of art represent a range of styles across the abstract art spectrum. In Art Quilts International: Abstract & Geometric, 300 gorgeous art quilts bursting with color and excitement capture the work of 124 major quilt artists from 18 countries. Interviews with 29 of the artists help us understand their inspirations, their techniques, as well as their challenges. Learn how Denyse Schmidt chooses colors. Find out how Fumiko Nakayama discovered the mola techniques she loves so much. Then discover why Sue Benner loves plaids and why Deidre Adams likes old books.

How do you express yourself through art quilting? How do you know what you want to say, then decide how you want to say it? Do you have a color signature? Do you lean toward realism or abstraction? Sandra Sider, in her book Exploring Your Artistic Voice in Contemporary Quilt Art, will help you sort through what speaks to you as an artist so you can focus your thinking on how to establish and build on your unique voice.

Do we quilt to keep our families warm? Sometimes. Do we quilt to create something of beauty? Sometimes. Do we quilt to further a cause? Sometimes. Do we quilt to send a message? Or a particular focus – the AIDS quilt, for example. Sometimes. Do we quilt for artistic expression? Sometimes. Sometimes, it’s all of the above. Thomas Knauer shares the motivations of quilters past and present and how they used (and still continue to use) this art form to express themselves in his book Why We Quilt.

New Directions: Exploring Art Quilts with SAQA. With 350 photographs of contemporary art quilts, interviews with artists of Studio Art Quilt Associates and an international perspective, this volume is packed with inspiration for art quilters as well as admirers of the art form. If you are new to art quilting, you will enjoy learning how some of these artists got started with the medium. Their stories are probably not unlike your own. Experienced artists will appreciate the details in addition to the range of content. As you learn which artists create work that speaks to you and why, it may reinforce your current commitment to your work or inspire you to try a new path.

Sketchbook Inspirations: For Mixed Media and Textile Artists. How do you use your sketchbook? To collect inspiration? To ponder options? Perhaps to plan overall design? To audition color? To work out construction issues? Or to experiment with new materials?

Join Shelly Rhodes while she explores different approaches to using a sketchbook as a tool to expand your creative options. It can be a daily visual diary, a safe place to experiment with new materials, even a collaborative effort.

Geometry of Design by Kimberly Elam. Whether you find something inherently appealing about an artwork or object or, conversely, feel like something is a little bit off, the answer may be in the underlying geometry of the object. This can be a powerful tool to use in your own work. By taking a close look at a broad range of twentieth-century examples of design, architecture, and illustration, this book shows you the visual relationships that lead to coherent design. With those mathematical relationships clearly defined, you gain insight to enhance your work.

Sometimes you need to resize an element or resize a design to meet specific show requirements. You can use a formula to compute what you need, or you can use an easy proportional scale that instantly calculates enlargements and reductions while maintaining proportions. Especially handy for workshops and retreats where Professor Google is unavailable. No batteries or charging required!

While quilting rulers give you great precision for rotary cutting, they are not ideal for drafting patterns. When drawing, the thickness of quilting rulers can throw off the registration just a bit, and that can become a larger problem as you continue to build off of those lines. Also, pens and pencils used for drawing on paper may not be fabric friendly and might leave a residue on the ruler that can transfer to your fabric. These thin and flexible plastic rulers have a beveled edge that helps you make your marks exactly where you want them. The measurement markings are embedded in the plastic, so they can’t wear off with use. I have had the same set of rulers for 15 years, and the edges remain firm and the markings clear.

Essential Color Wheel Companion: Choose Perfect Colors with Confidence makes selecting perfect color combinations easier than ever! Joen Wolfrom designed a durable, color-accurate, two-sided, multi-purpose 12″ x 12″ color wheel for use anywhere you go. One side features 24 pure colors with 4 color-plan wheels for each pure color. Then the other side shows a range of each pure color’s tints, shades, and tones. Each color wedge is slotted so you can audition colors easily to ensure a perfect match.

Do you prefer to plan your color schemes? Have you chosen one color to work with and then wonder what “goes with”? The Foolproof Color Wheel Set can be a valuable tool to use while you make color decisions. Each of ten die-cut discs fits over a printed color wheel and then guides you to building color combinations that are triadic, split complementary, etc. If you know you are going split complementary, audition that disc over various possibilities. Wondering how to use yellow with purpose? Audition different discs over the yellow wedge on the wheel and then get instant feedback.

Use Red & Green Viewing Filters to determine color values. When viewing your materials through the filters they will appear in gray scale (no color). Then you will see things as light, medium and dark. So with the filters you can arrange your materials by color value to create eye-appealing contrasts.

The filters are made in the USA of durable transparent acrylic and are packaged in a reusable storage case.

To use the filter, hold it in front of your material, then view the material through the filter. Materials seen through the filter as darkest carry more visual weight and move forward in the picture created by a quilt or other project. Those seen as lightest recede into the background.

You know the saying. Color gets all the credit while value does all the work. And it’s so very true. But value can be difficult to determine. A Gray Scale is one way to help, especially when used in combination with the Red and Green Value Finders. We all see things a bit differently, so it’s good to have a couple of reference points when it comes to value. This is printed on cardstock, so store it with a piece of cardboard or in a sturdy plastic sleeve to prolong its life.

When you need to trace your designs onto fabric, a lighted surface keeps all of your marks in sharp focus. The Artograph 12 by 17 Inch Light Pad provides a surface illuminated by long-lasting LEDs. So much easier than taping a pattern to a window and hoping for a sunny day! The 12 by 17 inch size is versatile, but larger and smaller versions available, if that is better suited for your needs.

Moleskine Classic Pocket Notebooks little pocket-sized notebooks are perfect to take with you anywhere to capture those brilliant thoughts you have when out and about.

With an elastic band to keep the notebook closed when not in use, the pages don’t mush up in the bottom of your bag. Choose pages that are plain, ruled, dotted or squared so they match your own style of note taking and sketching. Lots of color choices, too – nice for artists!

Large Spiral Kraft Sketchbook. With 100 pages to work with in each of two books, this sketchbook holds lots of brilliant ideas!

The 68-lb fine-textured paper is ideal for dry media such as pencils, pens, pastels, etc. With spiral binding, the book can lay flat on a table or fold back on itself so you can work while on the move. The Kraft paper cover is just waiting for you to embellish and make your own.

Softcover Sketchbook for Dry & Wet Media. Are you a mixed media artist?

This sketchbook has extra heavyweight paper that stands up to wet media such as watercolor and washes as well as familiar dry media. This opens up so many creative possibilities! The sturdy sewn binding stands up to a lot of use. Select from different sizes, including a square format, familiar to quilt artists.

Fusible appliqué artists have lots of choices when it comes to fusible web, and different preferences abound.

Misty Fuse is a very fine, almost gossamer-like web that doesn’t stiffen the hand of your fabric like some fusibles do. The product consists of just the web – there is no backing paper, so it cuts down on waste. You will use a reusable Teflon or silicone pressing sheet when applying heat. The pressing sheets last for years!

A Teflon Pressing Sheet is an indispensable tool for fusers! Because it protects your iron and helps to distribute heat evenly, it ensures a strong fuse for your fabrics, keeping your artwork intact.

Unlike some others, these sheets roll up for easy, out-of-the-way storage.

Heat Erasable Markers are a joy to use. The marks go on crisply and stay put until you remove them with the heat of an iron. But be sure to TEST on a scrap of fabric (as you should with any marker) to make sure the marks truly disappear from your fabric. Use the colored FriXion pens for light colored fabrics.

For dark colored fabrics, the Clover White Marking Pen is great!

A word about the Clover pen: the ink comes out of the pen clear, then turns white when dry, so play with a scrap of fabric until you get used to how it works for you.

Trying to get the corners square on a quilt or cutting a larger piece of fabric can be tricky when using the usual rulers.

This 20.5-inch square ruler will help you line up those corners so you can cut accurate large pieces of fabric. If you often struggle with those corners, then you will love having this tool. If you don’t have a cupboard that large, just prop it up behind your studio door!

So much of art quilt development depends on being able to step back and see how your components interact with each other.

Do those two pieces get visually mushed because they are too close in value? Is the composition balanced? Does it need a zing? Does it need to calm down? A flannel design wall helps with all of those visual decisions. If you cannot install a permanent design wall in your studio, this portable design wall is a good option. It folds up when not in use or for transport and has built-in grommets for hanging at home or at the retreat center. The subtle grid helps with layout.

Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting: Surface Design, Patchwork, Appliqué, Quilting. Embellishing, Finishing by Linda Seward is accessible, beautiful, and lavishly illustrated. This ultimate guide takes you step-by-step through every creative option needed to create an art quilt. From the essentials, like enlarging and transferring patterns, to surface design techniques that add texture and color, to piecing, machine stitching, appliqué, finishing, and embellishing with more than 1,000 illustrations. Then, galleries of stunning art quilts from around the world provide extra inspiration.

The Complete Photo Guide to Art Quilting  by Susan Stein is a comprehensive how-to book that explores all the concepts and techniques involved in creating art quilts. Learn about composition and design as well as making whole-cloth, pieced, and appliquéd art quilts; fabric manipulation and surface design; quilting/stitching; embellishing and working in a series. With step-by-step directions and hundreds of full-color photos, the processes are easy to understand. Easy, small projects let you try out the various techniques so you can find the ones that best express your artistic vision. Then galleries of art quilts by accomplished fabric artists offer beautiful examples and enticing inspiration!

Pictorial Art Quilt Guidebook: Secrets to Capturing Your Photos in Fabric shows you how easy it is to transform a photo into gallery-worthy fabric art with Leni Wiener’s simple methods. Leni walks you step by step through choosing the right fabrics; creating patterns with free software; depicting common elements, such as grass, trees, water, and faces; layering and sewing your collages; and finishing your work for display. Complete patterns and instructions for two quilts help get you started. Use the included Art Quilter’s Value Scale to choose the perfect light and dark fabrics for your quilts. Loaded with helpful photos, this guide is a virtual art class in a book.

While mixed-media master Sherrill Kahn shows you dozens of ways to make luminous textures and surfaces on both paper and fabric in Mixed Media Master Class, you can create right alongside her.

This step-by-step visual guide demonstrates exactly how to get great results using paints, inks, resists, stamps, markers, and much more. Add color and texture to collages, art quilts, or just about any creative project by exploring more than 50 fun and inventive techniques using easy-to-find supplies. With sections like Creating Surfaces, Media, Resists, Textures, Rubbings and Printmaking, there is so much to learn here, and it’s a good reference to keep on hand for surface design experimentation.

You finished the top for your art quilt and have quilted it. Now what? Do you want to bind it? Face it? Make a hanging sleeve? Be sure to make a label! If your quilt will travel, how will you transport it? Art Quilt Finishing Essentials by Deborah Wirsu is especially useful for new art quilters.

Art quilting can be more than layers of cotton. Felted surfaces add depth and texture in a variety of ways.

Felting isn’t always a thick, heavy material. It can be light and ethereal, even sheer. You might felt an entire quilt, or use felted portions to tell your story. The felt recipes in Felt Fabric Designs: A Recipe Guide for Textile Artists by Sheila Smith can help you do all of that.

The Complete Photo Guide to Felting by Ruth Lane is a comprehensive guide to wet felting, nuno felting and needle felting. You will find information on various fibers, tools and techniques to help you create your own felted fabric to use in your art quilts. The details dig deep into the subject, even charting the characteristics of various wool breeds.

Wen Redmond’s Digital Fiber Art. Use your own digital photographs and photo editing software to alter and enhance images to use in your original fiber art. Then print on a variety of fibers and add stitch to complete your work. Wen guides you through the tools and techniques you need to embark on your digital adventure.

Textile Collage. Mandy Pattullo’s work is inspiring for upcyclers and hand stitchers. She combines old and tattered fibers, vintage needlework and precious threads to create collage layers that you just know have stories behind them!

With Mandy’s guidance, you will learn how to source materials for repurposing and combine them into creative works of textile art.

Serendipity Quilts. Susan Carlson’s collage quilts are remarkable representations of people, critters and places.

The use of value is critical in these compositions, and Susan is a master. Fortunately, she shares the secrets of her fabric collage techniques in detail with clear instructions and process illustrations. One of the most delightful things about Susan’s work is her creative use of commercial prints, and she lets us in on those tips, too.

Deborah Boschert recalls experiences and memories as she uses fabric, paint and stitch in her style of collage art quilting in her book Art Quilt Collage.

Her light approach to her subject matter results in captivating compositions. She shares her favorite techniques and materials so that you can capture your own memories in original art

Textile Artist: Small Art Quilts. Working small requires a different approach to art quilting, and it’s sometimes hard to resist the temptation to add too much.

Creating small works provides the opportunity to practice and revise, accelerating the learning process. Series work is a natural when working small, as you can experiment more frequently with each iteration. Deborah O’Hare’s fabric painting instructions are beginner-friendly.

The Art of Moy MacKay: an Inspirational Guide to Painting with Felted Fibres & Stitch. Moy’s work is stunning, and she shares every detail of her process to create fiber art with felted fibers, paint and stitch. Learn every detail from materials and equipment to color, composition, texture and various felting techniques to create landscapes, animals, still lifes and architectural scenes.