New Year - New Inspiration.....

I'm ready to take this art quilt thing to the next level. I've been searching for the last few months for books that were "different." Books that take textile art to new places -- at least "new" for me. I just wanted to take a minute to share with you what I've found. Here are three of the most awesome textile art books I have come across in a long time...


Fabric Art Workshop (click here for a searchable version) is a wonderful book that is over 100 pages of full color gorgeous photographs and step by step instructions on "techniques" such as : silk fusion, silk rod making, burned edge applique, screen printing, distressed felt, nature printing, rust dyeing, color discharging, fabric foiling and SOOO much more. I've seen books covering these topics before, but this one particular book is the best one I've seen in that it is visually stimulating, the steps are comprehensive, yet easy to understand and covers a whopping 27 techniques. Truly a gem.

Stitched Textile Collage, by Lucille Toumi is my very favorite book. This is a very colorful and inspirational book that covers 25 projects that "demonstrate techniques from applique'patching and surface embellishment with beads, buttoms, trimmings, and wire to knitting and machine and hand embroidery." It covers techniques and designs that are fresh and fun and take "journal quilt" making to a whole new level. If you are at all interested in integrating hand embroidery stitches and collage technique to your quilting -- THIS is the book. I love it!

My final purchase was this beautifully written and impecably illustrated technique book, "Nature's Studio -- a Quilter's Guide to Plaing with Fabric & Technique," written by Joan Colvin. I bought this book because my vast collection of Utah, Colorado and Montanna photographs from our trip every year is just begging to be reproduced in fabric. And while I have dabbled a bit in small 4x6 abd 6x6 landscapes, they have been very basic and I'm ready for the next step. I would not say this book is for a total beginner for while it is heavy in pictures of a variety of landscape quilts -- it does come up a bit shy on comprehensive instructions. Ms. Colvin does do a good job of providing general descriptions of tips and techniques for a gallery of quilts in the first 3/4 of the book and at the end she gives a wonderful overview on her "artistic process" for creating landscaping quilts.