It is the largest quilt show in the world. Visit the Tokyo Quilt Festival at the end of Jan. to see masterpieces of Japan's best textile artists on display.
Quilting has been an art form for hundreds of years. These contemporary makers are elevating the craft in fresh, exciting ways.
In my journey to learn more about the history of quilting and fiber arts, I have discovered some incredible makers, artists, thinkers and leaders. A couple weeks ago we talked about one of our founding Quilt Mothers, Nancy Crow, Marti Michell, Rachel Clark and Judith Scott. Today, I bring you someone who is not justContinue Reading...
We were really excited to see this piece by artist Leslie Gabriëlse at the 2014 AQS show . Featured in the SAQA Masters II exhibit , Woma...
Phyllis Cullen is inspired by the people and places in her life to create art quilts using collage and stain glass quilting techniques.
“Flowers Of The Cosmos” by Fumiko Nakayama Let me just say right up front that this quilt show exceeded expectations in every way. Something I really love about Japan is …
In this post, we have collected some 3-yard quilt patterns you can for your next wonderful, timeless, classic quilt piece.
Join us as we learn how to make picture quilts with expert fiber artist Wendy Butler Berns whose method is simple, fast, and oh-sew fun!
If you're a quilter , you know the pain of having a huge fabric scrap pile and nothing to do
Meet Sami Lange, a paper artist in Phoenix, Arizona who has been cutting, dyeing, and stitching paper for the past sixteen years. Her work h...
Collage Quilter
"The Jump" by Cristina Arcenegui Bono is based on an illustration by Sveta Dorosheva.
Landscape quilts were very popular several years ago, and are still fun to try now. Most of these early landscape quilts were made using "strips of fabric" sewn edge to edge arranged by the colors of the sky to the ground. These quilts...
Love textiles, fibre art and contemporary portraiture? Here is our list of 10 Textile Portrait Artists You HAVE to follow.
Make a super-simple landscape art quilt with free-motion thread sketched embellishments, regardless of whether you’re a beginner or advanced.
Catch up with quilting artist Luke Haynes to see how his career has evolved.
Melody Crust talks on her blog about the importance of selecting the right quilting pattern to make the most impact on your quilt top. Calling straight line quilting elegant, click HERE to learn mo…
Happy New Year! Despite the long pause in postings, I did actually complete a few more sewing projects in 2014. January 2014 - Drawstring book bags for Allie and Cate's birthdays February 2014 - Robert Hughes baby quilt (I really need to consider taking a "how to photograph your quilts" workshop:) quilted with stars and spirals May 2014 - Amy Becker's HS graduation lap quilt Amy picked out fabrics at Fabric Depot during her Portland visit, Christmas 2013. I supplemented with a few fabrics I found at The Stitching Post and at Kapaia Stitchery during a trip to Kauai (always looking for an excuse to fabric shop). The blue batik with butterflies was the first fabric Amy chose. Other colors were built around that. quilted with vining flowers and leaves Now Amy has this nice warm lap quilt - perfect for her college years at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She assures me that it does get cold there, especially when the air conditioner is running. November 2014 - New curtains and duvet set for the Sisters house After 20 years, Stefanie and I decided it was time for a change in the upstairs bedroom in our Sisters house. We found some curtain fabric at IKEA (seen below in the medium-sized pillows). After a futile search for a coordinating duvet cover I decided we just needed to make our own. Not as cheap, but so much more fun! On the bed in Anna's old room at our house (tempted to keep it here, but...) Had to add a border piece as it was just a bit too small. Found a fun coordinating fabric at The Stitching' Post. Shams and throw pillows. The quilting in the shams mimics the print in the curtain fabric. All set up in its new home. On to 2015... January 2015 - Jeanne's lap quilt This quilt was made for my good friend and fellow swimmer, Jeanne. She will be out of the water for a bit, recuperating from surgery, so of course this called for a quilt! My daughter, Anna, suggested the colors - perfect for a swimmer. Another swimmer friend, Jenn, joined me for a shopping trip to Fabric Depot and also helped with part of the sewing. Sandi and Jeanne The design incorporates over 60 small blocks with names of some of Jeanne's friends. Next Up???? cityscape art quilt based on a photo of Roussillon, France art quilt based on our Croatia travels last September flower/plant themed art quilt for the Hardy Plant Society Hortlandia Plant Sale in April hopefully taking Hilde Morin's Bowl Art class
Lesson idea from Art. Paper. Scissors. Glue! 3rd graders started a conversation about what textile arts are by reading the book "Tar Beach" by author and artist Faith Ringgold. We talked about how the book and its illustrations were actually inspired by a story quilt that Ringgold created (the original work is pictured in the back of the book I had). The story in the book brought up the themes of both inequality (which works well since February is Black History Month) and imagination. The book's main character 3rd grader Cassie Louise Lightfoot discovers she has the ability to fly and in doing so, finds a sense of power and ownership over whatever she flies. She flies over the George Washington Bridge (a structure her father helped to build), an ice cream factory, and the Union Building (a building which housed an organization her father was not allowed to join because of his skin color). After reading and discussing the themes in the book, I asked my 3rd graders "Where would you go if you could fly (real or imaginary) and why?" This question was the inspiration for our very own patches on our 3rd grade story quilt. Students created their own "story patches" by creating a border using squares of 1.5"x1.5" decorative paper along the edge of a 12" x 12" piece of white drawing paper. Students then attached a strip of grey paper to the bottom of their picture squares and wrote about where they would go and why. Then in the remaining space, they used colored pencils to illustrate their ideas. I got a huge range of responses from Candyland (naturally to eat a ton of candy), to Columbia (to visit friends and family), to the Twin Towers in New York City (which prompted an entirely difference conversation). Students really enjoyed working on this project (which took between 4-5 class periods -- including one day for sketching ideas). I really love the finished product - and even more so when they are all hung together to make a giant story quilt! :)
Love textiles, fibre art and contemporary portraiture? Here is our list of 10 Textile Portrait Artists You HAVE to follow.
In my journey to learn more about the history of quilting and fiber arts, I have discovered some incredible makers, artists, thinkers and leaders. A couple weeks ago we talked about one of our founding Quilt Mothers, Nancy Crow, Marti Michell, Rachel Clark and Judith Scott. Today, I bring you someone who is not justContinue Reading...
Susan Brubaker Knapp is fiber artist, author, teacher, host of Quilting Arts TV and a Bernina Ambassador. And, also makes amazing art quilts!
Learn how Melissa Averinos uses these appliqué techniques and design wall tips in making her quilts.
Today I'm extremely pleased to welcome Pat Hilderbrand as our featured artist. When she sent me the picture of her work for inclusion on the blog gallery page I was instantly captivated by the graphic design, gracious and organic-feeling curves, and judicious use of sparkly or reflective elements to capture a bit of light. I was anxious to see and share more of her work and am so pleased she agreed to participate here! 1. Who are you and where do you live? After 32 years of teaching interior design at the University of Missouri I took advantage of an early retirement option offered to all faculty in 2000. My husband and I live in Columbia, MO. 2. Tell us a little bit about your artistic journey and how you got started? The amazing generosity of Georgia quilters for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games and the warmth and love evident in Amish baby quilts along with my background in sewing and design planted the seeds for my quilt journey. Did you know the major motif used for those Olympics came from a quilt? Quilters in Georgia, honoring a native American custom of presenting blankets to honored friends, also made enough quilts to send the flag bearer and the National Olympic Committee from each country participating home with a quilt! On the way home from attending the Olympics my husband and I discovered the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky. I was particularly captivated by the atmosphere of joy and caring in a gallery of Amish baby quilts. I am continually drawn by the human qualities of quilts and the idea that giving a quilt to someone is like giving them a hug whenever needed. Pat Hilderbrand, Making Waves (14 1/4" x 23 1/4") Inspiration: Ocean waves viewed from my son's home in Massachusetts and waves in Asian artwork. 3. How do you describe your work? Most of my art quilts are relatively simple designs involving smooth flowing curves, lots of quilting, and often a bit of shine from metallic fabrics or beads. Pat Hilderbrand, Who's Watching (20" x 20") Inspiration: The play Wicked for a Cherrywood Fabrics competition. 4. Do you have any favorite techniques or approaches? I love that using traditional and curved piecing requires simplifying content to basic elements. My favorite technique is using freezer paper to facilitate smooth curved piecing with the edges turned under. 5. What do you want to communicate with your work? Calm, joy, appreciation of nature and beauty of simple things around us. Pat Hilderbrand, Japanese Maple (17 1/2" x 31 3/4") Inspiration: Bright red leaves on a Japanese Maple in our yard in fall. Pat Hilderbrand, Waterlilies (25" x 39") Inspiration: A waterlily pond we once had in our backyard. 6. What methods, or lifestyle tips, or time management tips do you find helpful to producing work? Take time to enjoy it all! The process of making a quilt is much more enjoyable if there is no specific deadline or at least plenty of time allowed. It’s wonderful to be able to get lost in the studio and completely forget what time it is or what’s going on in the world. Sometimes, however, time away from a project is needed to be able to come back with fresh ideas and solutions to problems that may occur. I love that a quilt shop in Beijing, China is called “Slow Life Patchwork”. Pat Hilderbrand, Eternity (52 1/2" x 75") Inspiration: Night sky. 7. What kind of studio/workspace do you have and what features of your surroundings are most helpful for your productivity/work? My studio was originally a large bedroom with lots of windows. It has never had overall planning for making quilts but seems to adapt to my needs as I go along. It gets terribly messy when working on a project leaving tools and fabric that need to be put away every few months. Pat Hilderbrand, New Beginnings (17" x 23") Inspiration: Casual sketch that started to look like a seedpod. 8. Which artists, other individuals or subjects currently inspire you? I have admired works by Carol Bryert Fallert, Ruth McDowell, Jane Sassaman, and Diane Gaudynski. I am continually surprised that there is no one thing that inspires. Ideas for a quilt could come from appreciating details on a building, nature along a biking trail, something in the backyard, or just a message that begs to be conveyed. Occasionally ideas seem to come out of nowhere – sometimes when I’m asleep. I try to keep pencil and paper by the bed, or may steel away to my studio in the middle of the night to jot down thoughts and sketches so they aren’t forgotten. Pat Hilderbrand, Susan (12" x 12") Inspiration: A very special dog we had whose entire back end became paralyzed when running and falling on our icy patio. Her continual positive attitude was amazing. Thanks so much to Pat for sharing!
Hello everyone I've been so busy with the commission blocks it feels as if I'm not looking after my clients and friends who visit the blog. These are some of the cute commissions I've finished so far... I'll be uploading some (not all) to my shop in a short while. Thanks for all your patience with me being away from the blog so much. I think I need to work on a better system of 'so much time' for the commissions and 'so much time' for the blog and try to stick to that. For being such a great bunch, I made you all a Cute Kitten block. You can download it HERE. Please don't share it around. Let anyone who wants a copy come and download their own one. Thanks. Have a lovely Monday! ***********************************
need I say more. - - - - - - Thank you to all my wonderful customers for sharing their quilt with us. Please remember that these quilts came from all over and I do not have pattern information.
As a designer / artist who is always trying to improve, there are times when my brain is on full-throttle creative mode and I seem to tap into a source of inspiration beyond my own capacity. I know that sounds weird. But, what I mean is that when I push myself to innovate, I'm rewarded with with that "stroke of geniu
We have selected five of the most beautiful paintings by Mary Cassatt depicting motherhood! You must see them!
In May 2011 my wonderfully creative mother died at the age of 85. Her death was unexpected but not surprising - nonetheless, it still left...
There are many myths and misconceptions about T-shirt quilts – from how they look to how they are made. Here are 10 of the most common misconceptions.
