Art Quilts: What are they and How do you make them? Tutorials/tips Part I

Since life has been going at warp speed lately, I've decided to put up my posts on where to find information on art quilts as well as quilting tips in segments...if I wait to write one long post, I'll take too long and you'll give up....or at least you might give up.


For over a year, I've been trying to come up with categories of art quilts...and I've struggled.  Some, since they were so closely related to traditional quilts, I was sort of calling them contemporary.  I was quite pleased when Jane Dunnewold delivered a lecture which she later turned into a blog post.  It is cogent and thoughtful.  Take a look here to start thinking about them.

Now, Jane also has wonderful tutorials (which are FREE and downloadable as PDFs) and has most recently written a great book called Art Cloth (ISBN: 978-1596681958).  I also own Complex Cloth: A Comprehensive Guide to Surface Design (ISBN: 9781564771490) and Finding Your Own Visual Language: A Practical Guide to Design and Composition by Claire Benn, Jane Dunnewold and Leslie Morgan (May 24, 2007, ISBN:  978-0955164927-- cheaper at Interweave Press's bookstore.   I admit, I use the Complex Cloth as a reference tool (i.e. I look up what I am working on and haven't read it cover to cover) and I intend to sit down (yeah, when???) and do all the exercises in Finding your own Visual Language.  Jane's specialty is surface design (i.e. painting, stamping, etc. cloth--which is often a work of art in itself rather than something to stitch/distort/cut up).

I asked the members of the Quiltart message list to tell me if they have tutorials and/or tips on their blogs or to share what they found useful or knew of.  I had 48 responses with more than one citation per email.  I want to group them together in a logical way....so stay tuned!  I'm not sure what order I'll put them in....or if I'll just dive in and they will come as they come.  So, in that same vein, in addition to the places to look for information I put in on the February 12, 2011 "Breakfast with Pokey" blog.....Take a look at the Laughing Cat Designs new e-zine.  Yes, she has items she's selling, but in addition she has tips and tutorials.  So, in other ways, she's very much like Leah Day. ; )  Subscribe and you'll get her latest (without a bunch of spam) in your email box.

Sew, stay tuned guys and gals! More's on the way!