Innholdsfortegnelse for June - July 2017 i Quilting Arts Magazine

Welcome to “Camp Quilting Arts.” As a native New Englander, I usually mark the beginning of summer by the weather. Yes, the calendar might say “June,” but if the temperature is still in the 50s most mornings, it sure doesn’t feel summery to me. In contrast, my boys have long measured the arrival of summer in “camp counting”... how long before we finally get to go to camp??? Because for them, summer doesn’t start until they are happily reclining on a cot surrounded by mosquito netting, wiThthe smell of wood smoke lulling them to sleep by the shores of a woodland lake. Our youngest has been packing his footlocker for the past few weeks wiThwhat he considers to be camp essentials: playing cards, flip flops, comic books, and flannel pajamas.…

Sue Bleiweiss is a full-time fiber artist living in Massachusetts. Using her own hand-dyed cotton, she creates vibrant, colorful art quilts intended to delight the viewer and make them smile. Sue has appeared on “Quilting Arts TV” and has a Quilting Arts Workshop™ video, “Coloring Book Fabric Collage: Dyeing, Fusing, Designing, and Quilting.” She is the author of Fusible Fabric Collage. suebleiweiss.com Susan Brubaker Knapp is the host of “Quilting Arts TV.” She is a studio fiber artist, author, and teacher, and has several Quilting Arts Workshop™ videos. Her latest is “52 Free-Motion Quilting Motifs and Fillers.” Susan lives near Charlotte, NorThCarolina, wiThher husband and two daughters. She teaches boThnationally and internationally. bluemoonriver.com Vickie Clontz is an award-winning designer, teacher, author, and fiber artist specializing in wool and all things…

“Snake Charmer” DENYSE SCHMIDT • BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT 66" × 88" Cotton; hand appliquéd, hand quilted by Julie Tebay. i recently published my fifth book surveying the world of art quilts, ART QUILTS INTERNATIONAL: ABSTRACT & GEOMETRIC. This is the third in a series, each celebrating different genres. The first, ART QUILT PORTFOLIO: THE NATURAL WORLD, celebrated nature in all its glory, while the second, ART QUILT PORTFOLIO: PEOPLE AND PORTRAITS, focused on the human form. Why abstract and geometric quilts? I come from a long line of mathematically inclined ancestors: CPAs, doctors, engineers. It was natural that the first quilts to draw me in were the wonderfully symmetrical and richly colored traditional Amish pieces. My early quilts were all based on simple geometric repetitions, which I found both soothing and…

getting the eyes right in a portrait is critical. More than any other feature, eyes reflect the personality and mood of the subject. I usually paint the eyes in my fiber art, rather than do them in fabric, because I can render them more realistically this way. Then, depending on the size of the portrait, I either add details with free-motion stitch, or—when the eyes are fairly small—leave the eyes unstitched and smooth. Working from a well-lit photo in sharp focus is key. Without a clear photo, you have to guess and make up the details. The photos in this article were taken on a smart phone. As you practice taking close-up photos of eyes, experiment with lighting. Try shooting in indirect light very close to your subject so you…

the ancient art of marbling dates back as far as twelfth-century Japan, where it was originally called suminagashi, or “ink floating.” Throughout the years, marbling has evolved as artists experimented with various media to express different creative visions. Perhaps you have tried marbling on paper or cotton fabric, but did you know that you can also marble on felted wool? Wool produces a soft and dreamy quality, different than traditional marbling mediums. I like using felted wool because it has the advantage of being compatible with raw-edge techniques, as the edges of the wool will not fray. Wool is a very forgiving fabric, making it the perfect choice for simple and more advanced projects. As I experimented, I discovered that different types of wool fabric act unpredictably with Tsukineko inks,…

A certain enigmatic engineer on a popular sitcom is fastidious about offering his friends a hot beverage when they are in distress. A warm cup of tea or coffee often does help to soothe the soul, as do kind words, or an inspiring message. Sometimes, all a person needs to brighten their day is a steaming mug and an bit of encouragement from a friend—or a stranger! In this challenge, we are asking you to create an artist trading card (ATC) that represents comfort to you—or that you hope will bring peace to another. This challenge will be an opportunity for each participant to share their art with other readers in two ways: “Can I offer you a hot beverage?” mark your calendar SEPTEMBER 1: Your card must be received…

Wood block printing is by far one of my favorite stamping techniques. I love the feel of the block’s weight—and the fact that the designs are hand carved makes them feel so precious to me. Although some surface design artists shy away from using tools that are commercially produced, don’t let that deter you from trying these amazing blocks. By varying the color and position of the stamps, you will be making your own very distinctive patterns on fabric. NOTE: New wood blocks may have a temporary white paint applied to the image to show the design. It will wear off over time. METHOD 1: Over-all pattern Don’t feel that you need to stamp the image repeatedly in rows. Turn the stamp in different directions—use the stamp’s image to create…

1. Invite a group of “campers” to join you in creating. 2. Choose a different theme or technique for each day. 3. Appoint a “counselor” to lead each activity. 4. Provide complete material lists a few weeks in advance. 5. Keep in mind power and water needs for your campers. 6. Be flexible! 7. Share the work. Planning, set up, and clean up will be more fun. 8. Bring a day-long session to a positive close wiThshow-andtell. 9. Provide “care packages” including fabrics, threads, and embellishments. 10. Make something together as a group at the end of your session.…

steamy tea and a good book on a rainy day provide more than blissful comfort. The overlooked bonus is the lowly tea bag, often discarded without a thought. This substrate, stained in lovely hues of ochre and sepia, begs to be adorned wiThfabric, thread, and paint. Tea bags were an accidental invention attributed by some to an early American tea merchant who gave samplesized silk pouches of tea to his customers. His intention, though, was misunderstood. Rather than emptying the contents into strainers, some dropped the entire bags into the pot. Thus the convenient, disposable tea bag was born. Lucky us. More art supplies! Today's tea bags are made from various fibers, most commonly abaca, the leaf stalk of the banana plant. The resulting paper is surprisingly strong, able to…

have you ever seen a photograph of a Himalayan town where colorful banners and flags hang all throughout a village or high up on the mountaintops? This image is soul stirring to me. I find what these flags represent to the people who make and hang them to be beautifully poetic. Prayer flags, as we know them today, originated as part of an ancient Buddhist tradition, where fabrics were cut into squares and rectangles, hand stamped (and in some cases hand written) with prayers and images, strung together, then hung as banners outdoors throughout the community. The concept is that the wind carries the prayers out into the world spreading love and compassion. One of the Tibetan words for the prayer flag is Dar Cho. Dar means to increase life,…

the stories of our lives are often passed down through oral tradition, told to friends and relatives, or to the world over social media. Some stories span years, others encompass a single moment. These moments, anecdotes, tales that shape our lives. The stories on these pages are told in cloth. We hope you enjoy this gallery of our readers’ work! Lion! PATRICIA SMITH CAMPBELLVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA “Whilst on safari in southern Africa last year, we were able to get out of our Land Rover in one or two safe areas. We were perched on a high rocky outcrop far from our vehicle scanning the bush for birds, when our son spotted a pride of lions far below. What a story that was around the campfire that night.” “Smokey Snow I”…

this mixed-media process is a variation of the techniques explored in my video, “Mixed-Media Quilt Art: Creating with Paint, Stitch, & Canvas.” Using this unique process, a drawing is made on untreated canvas and then machine stitched with black thread to form an outline. The black lines create a structure for layering ephemera and for coloring with Inktense blocks. What’s more, all sorts of mixed-media embellishments including cheesecloth, vintage sheet music, photo transfers on fabric, and commercial fabric are attached to the canvas with diluted polymer medium. The result is a stunning piece of artwork with layers of meaning, saturated color, and rich textures. Stitch your design 1. Enlarge the photograph or image, if necessary. Layer the transfer paper between the untreated canvas and the image. Trace the image onto…

the real estate on the work table in my sewing studio is extremely valuable. The only object that has permanent occupancy is a small Shaker-style tray that collects and contains the working necessities—rotary cutter, pins, chalk marker, and the like. I want to be able to actually work on the table, not move things around or scramble and hunt for them. And yet when I saw these Grass Grip Ruler Stands, I could see they would solve an admittedly minor problem. My acrylic rulers would be visible and accessible—not lost amidst fabric—and yet not take up too much of the valuable real estate. I ordered two. When they arrived, another thought crossed my mind. These would make great fabric stamps! Those round tips virtually begged to make imprints on some…

Hello I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed following Eileen Searcy’s directions for making faux torn paper from the February/March issue. The steps were clear and spot on. I especially appreciated the tips for dimensional paint application. I elected to eschew batting and fused my foundation fabric to a heavyweight stabilizer. The extra stability is helpful as my 20" × 25" finished piece—it doesn't meet the customary definition of a quilt—is surprisingly heavy. I’ve called my piece “The Smokies” as it reminds me of the Great Smoky Mountains in NorThCarolina. Thanks for introducing me to this technique as I would never have come up wiThit on my own. Keep the great articles coming, Joanna Mack Akron, Ohio Hello from Switzerland, I sew almost every day. In the…

in the last article of the “Shifting into Neutral” series, we looked at mixing two complementary colors together and creating those colors of autumn leaves, maple syrup, subtle skin tones, or plums wiThundertones of green leaves ... aren’t they the most exciting of blends? In this article we will use the three primaries together. You might think this would result in sludge, but these primary blends yield soft greens, vibrant reds, and so much in between. When working wiTheither cool or warm primaries—or mixing the two groups together—an infinite variety of possibilities is introduced. What makes a color “warm” or “cool?” Each primary color is biased—meaning it has another color within it. Within any group of primary dyes, there is a distinctive set of warm-yellows and cool-yellows, warm-reds and cool-reds,…

i love aspen trees. While living in New Mexico for several years and in Colorado for a little while, I always looked forward to the time when the mountains would be festooned with golden color against an ever-changing backdrop of pine trees, blue skies, and sunsets. Color and texture combined to draw me in and never let me go. These images lived in my imagination for years until I figured out how to represent them. As I learned to dye fabric, I enjoyed the way the colors mingled, particularly on silk habotai. The surface gave a sense of depth and light to the fabric. When I dyed silk dupioni, I realized right away that the texture would be great for aspen trunks. As silk can be very slippery to work…

stamping could very well be one of the oldest methods of surface design still used today. Most likely because it’s something that can be done with anything that is easily accessible. Stamps are easy to make. In fact, I often make stamps out of unusual things just to see if they will work. Sometimes the experiment is a success and other times it is a moment that elicits the thought: “Well. That looked better in my imagination.” In addition to creating your own stamps, commercial stamps are available that can be used successfully to make varied designs. This article will show you several different ways to use this humble printing technique in your work. DIRECTIONS Create a work surface It is easier to get a good print with stamps if…

Foam can be used for making stamps as well as ink pads. It has a specific quirk in that it holds a lot of ink—but that creates an additional printing opportunity. 1. Draw your design onto the face of the foam with a permanent marker. Add hash marks on the sections of the foam that you do not wish to print. Cut away the marked sections of the foam with scissors. (figure 8) 2. Apply paint to the foam stamp and press onto the fabric. 3. Because the foam holds so much ink, you will likely have blobs of paint from this method of stamping. Fold an unprinted section of fabric over the stamped image and press lightly to create a monoprint of the first print. (figure 9) 4. Continue…

AS A LITTLE GIRL, I WAS ALWAYS INVOLVED IN CREATIVE PLAY. My dad had a card table in his kitchen, filled with art supplies. When I visited we would make creations with crepe paper, pipe cleaners, glue, and glitter. He taught me simple origami, and would make me a ring or a bowtie from a dollar bill. Summers were for play: Exploring our neighborhood via the creek behind our house; spying on the neighbors by perching in the vine-covered arbor over our driveway; building forts from huge cardboard boxes; and losing water fights with my older brother. (In spite of the fact that he had a bucket and I had the hose, I was the one that always ended up soaking wet!) We would visit my grandparents’ few acres up…