Like most quilters, I began with quilt making the traditional way. A long that way I find myself more attracted to the "artsy" kind of quilts.
At this moment I am in a transitional phase, searching my way between traditional and contemporary. While using other materials to enhance fabrics and fibers I get challenged to explore more possibilities to express myself. The need to do this seems not compatible with my technical education and work (chemical science and information technology). But it is clear and visible that I have a passion to do so by making quilts.
To learn other techniques, I recently bought one new and four second-hand books (click the picture for more info):
- The Quilting Arts Book:
- Surfaces For Stitch:
- Layers Of Stitch; Contemporary Machine Embroidery
- Raising The Surface With Machine Embroidery:
- Embellish And Stitch:
If you know these books, do you recommend them for a 'transitional' quilter?
Perhaps you are a kindred spirit, someone who has the same interest of learning how to work non-traditional with fibers and fabrics.
Interested or not, I love to hear from you. Please, don't hesitate to leave your comments and share your vision on this subject.
Thank you for your visit!
P.S.
I saw the term 'transitional' for the first time at Suzanne Engler's blog.
Ooh -- transitional sounds way better than "indecisive" or "scatter-brained" -- which is what I've thought of myself as. I think I just love everything and my mood dictates what I want to make at that moment. And I'm a pretty moody person! (Ask my family -- they'll tell you! Hee hee!) My situation is that I enjoy going back and forth between types of quilting. I don't ever see myself having a recognizable style per se so I guess I'll just have fun with whatever catches my fancy. But I love seeing what others create (Quilting Arts Magazine is my favorite!) and I look forward to seeing what you do with the information in those books!
ReplyDeleteI have all the books except Gwen Hedley's, probably because I don't like using plastic. I can certainly recommend all the others. You are going to love where this journey takes you
ReplyDeleteHello there, like Maggi I would recommend the Valerie Campbell-Harding and Maggie Grey books. I have five others:
ReplyDelete"Paper, metal and stitch" - Maggie Grey and Jane Wild
"From image to stitch" - Maggie Grey
Edges and finishes in machine embroidery" - Valerie Campbell-Harding
Celtic Inspirations for machine embroiderers" - Valerie Campbell-Harding and Maggie Grey
"Fabric painting for embroidery" - Valerie Campbell-Harding
I love all these books and find so much inspiration in their pages. Enjoy your copies and the journey they will take you on.
I have the first book, it is a good starter. I'm anxious to hear your reviews of the other books; they look really interesting.
ReplyDeleteGoh, Dacht dat je Amerikaans was. Zie erg veel Nederlandse links, dus waarschijnlijk ben je toch Nederlands.
ReplyDeleteIk heb vooral genoten van de boeken van Maggie Grey. Ga daar maar mee experimenteren (niet alleen lezen!!), maar denk ook zelf. Oh, als dat kan, dan kan dat misschien ook wel.
Boeken kunnen erg inspireren, maar het maken vcan een art quilt is niet een trucje. Namaken mag, dat deden schilders ook, als je je maar bewust bent dat het dan niet een autonoom kunstwerk is. Het gaat erom dat je een ontwikkeling door moet, die soms erg frustrerend kan zijn. Eindpunt daarvan is je eigen ontwerp. Geniet van het experimenteren. Materiaalkennis is erg belangrijk. Verwacht niet dat al je quilts meteen zullen lukken of dat de lappen die je maakt ook bruikbaar zijn of meteen zullen leiden tot een quilt. Doorzetten dus maar...........
Flox, thank you for your reaction!
ReplyDeleteTranslation for the foreign visitors:
"I thought you were American. Because I noticed many Dutch links, I guess you are also Dutch.
I really enjoyed the books of Maggie Grey. Experiment and think your own thoughts and just don't read only!
Books can be very inspiring, but making an Art quilt is no trick.
Copying is allowed, famous painters did that too, but please be aware that then it is not an original piece of art anymore.
It is important that you are going to evolve, which can be be very frustrating sometimes.
The goal is your own design.
Enjoy the experiment. Knowledge of the materials is very important.
Do not expect all your quilts will be rewarding or that the fabrics you make are useable or lead to a quilt."