Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2017 - January 2018 i Quilting Arts Magazine

having recently moved to this town on the Gulf of Alaska just west of Anchorage, Maria was looking to make a mystery quilt out of textiles she’d collected over the years. The box she carried into the quilt shop included ’60s and ’70s fabric, upholstery pieces, and the odd— but interesting—bed sheet. It did not contain quilting cottons. The owner, Trudy, could have patiently shepherded Maria over to the bolts of calico and batiks, suggesting she select some traditional quilting fabrics for her project. But she didn’t. “Trudy didn’t shut me down,” says Maria. Instead, she peered into the box and said, “‘Well, we can try.’” Trudy, as well the other teachers and staff at the Calico Whale, “encouraged my work from the very beginning. They just let me go,”…

KRAFT-TEX® KRAFT PAPER FABRIC DESIGNER HUES Six new hues of Kraft-tex have burst onto the scene with an explosion of color. We couldn’t be more excited to add these vibrant paper fabrics to our stash. The new designer line comes pre-washed, giving it a supple, suede-like feel and texture. Stamp, stitch, emboss, print, and more on this fantastic substrate. This new line comes in marsala, tangerine, greenery, turquoise, blue iris, and radiant orchid. Sheets are 221⁄2" x 181⁄2". $22.95 • ctpub.com IMPROV PATCHWORK: DYNAMIC QUILTS MADE WITH LINE & SHAPE MARIA SHELL We’ve been waiting for this gorgeous book. Maria Shell lets the reader into her process and creative mind in the confines of a colorful read. She writes, “With your heart, you bring the essence of yourself into your…

In the June/July issue, we asked our readers to submit an Artist Trading Card (ATC) to be swapped with fellow readers. We received over 100 ATCs, each one spreading love, compassion, and companionship. As a small antidote to the many tragedies that have rocked the world recently, we are pleased to be able to send challenge participants a small token of peace through this swap. We hope you find similar solace and inspiration in this gallery of our readers’ work! Join the Fun Learn about our new reader challenge on page 82 and submit your artwork for consideration. This is your chance to share your talent with the Quilting Arts community.…

During the long winters in rural Maine, I spend hour after hour at my sewing machine creating coiled baskets for the summer craft shows. I love doing what I do, but at times I just have to get up and throw paint. a friend had given me a set of alcohol inks and challenged me to see what I could do with them. These inks work beautifully on metal, plastic, and glass. The colors are vibrant and the inks are wildly unpredictable. I started making luscious little paintings on Yupo®—a synthetic paper that resists tearing and buckling—and absolutely loved the way the colors interacted. So I started thinking: Could I get this vibrant color on fabric? However, when I dropped the ink on the fabric, the colors didn’t mingle much…

when we considered the idea of “Personal Iconography: Graffiti On Cloth” as the 2017 theme for the Dinner At Eight artists, we were interested in seeing how the artists might contemplate the possibilities. Would it challenge them? The theme asked for a piece of artwork that told a story through line, shape, and imagery, and was an artistic expression based on personal style. By creating a theme that could be interpreted in either abstract or representational styles, coupled with the constraint of creating a piece that is 40" x 40", we invited each artist to dig deep within themselves. This exhibition represents the work of artists we have worked with over the years, as well as some who are participating for the first time. Our hope is that the work…

a lthough Procion MX fiber reactive dyes are available in over 100 different colors, there’s no need to buy individual dye powders to create a multitude of hues. The majority of colors are mixed starting with only 15–20 pure dyes. A pure dye is a molecule that is a single hue; most pure dyes are one of the three primary colors—yellow, blue, and “red.” Red is actually a deep magenta. What we think of as red—such as the red crayon in the box—is actually magenta mixed with a bit of yellow. As you continue on your dyeing journey, test combinations of different pure dyes. Putting together one or two triads to use consistently will allow you to create a personal palette that will set your work apart. This idea of…

marbling is a centuries-old technique of creating patterns that look like stone or swirls on paper and fabric. Originating in Japan in the 12th century as suminagashi (floating ink), then moving to Turkey, Persia, and India as ebru (cloud art), it spread to Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, where it was used mainly in bookbinding. To make marbling designs, paint is first floated on the surface of a liquid. Patterns are created by dragging implements through the paint, and then paper or fabric is laid onto the surface of the paint to absorb it. Traditionally, marbling is created with water into which chemicals have been added to support the paint. Marbling supplies can be hard to locate or expensive, and the preparation times can be long, putting marbling…

about eight years ago, I fell in love with snow dyeing. The fractured, crystallized images that appear as the snow and dye mingle with the fabric were amazing. Living in Arizona, there wasn’t a lot of snow for me to experiment with, so I quickly figured out that ice would work just as well. For years I enjoyed this random and playful technique, and enjoyed seeing where the ice took the dye. After a time, however, I began to wonder about other possibilities. As a textile artist, I am constantly asking myself “What if?” In this case, “What if I try mashing up old-school tie-dye with shibori techniques, and use ice dyeing to apply color?” My exploration resulted in some of my favorite pieces of fabric, with designs resembling ikat…

at Quilting Arts, we celebrate contemporary art quilting, surface design, mixed media, fiber art trends, and more. We are always looking for new techniques, innovative processes, and unique approaches to the art of quilting. We'd love to hear from you! What are we looking for? • Artists with inspiring portfolios of work to be featured in our In The Spotlight, Artist Profile, and Q&A articles. Show us your work and tell us your story. • Essays for “the last word” (up to 800 words). • Unique techniques, new ways to use existing tools and supplies, and ideas we’ve never featured before. • If you are teaching, blogging, or exhibiting your art quilts, you probably have great ideas to share! How to submit • Write a brief description of your idea…

when I first started using appliqué in my art quilts, it bothered me that everything looked so two-dimensional. After taking a Prismacolor pencil drawing class by local artist Frank Pierce and watching Lola Jenkins’ “Thread Art” online class, I experimented to see how I could use similar techniques on fabric. During my exploration, I developed a process to create subtle highlights and shadows on my appliquéd fabrics. MATERIALS • Prepared applique vignette quilt top • Prismacolor® pencils to coordinate with fabrics; plus, indigo and white • Automatic pencil sharpener • Screen printing ink extender (I used Versatex™ by Jacquard®.) • Small, flat paintbrush Previous page: “Summer Tanager” • 12" x 12" One of my first discoveries was that not all colored pencils are created equal. The Prismacolor pencil lead is…