Weekend Review: Text in Textile Art

Text in Textile Art / Sara Impey
London: Batsford, c2013.
128 p.

This is a beautifully put together Batsford book, by a textile artist who has been using text and language in her work for a long time. Lots of photos, nice design and that famous fuzzy Batsford cover make this a lovely item in itself. 

But it also has lots of fascinating examples of how Impey quilts with words. The cover shows one of her signature techniques, stitching the background of plain cloth (sometimes pieced, as with the cover image), using threadwork to make letters out of the blank spaces left. She also does the opposite, quilting letters onto a bare background. It's quite graphical and striking. 

There are a lot of techniques and ideas shared here, from both machine and hand-stitching to using computers (or computerized sewing machines with fonts), photo transfer, found objects and printed materials. There are many examples, both of her own work and of other contemporary textile artists, including Tracey Emin for one. This is a great feature, as you can see how a lot of different artists incorporate the use of text, it's not just one style shown. 

There is also a discussion of copyright, which is important for anyone wanting to use words or images coming from elsewhere. She includes prompts and exercises for readers to discover how they might want to use text in their own work, and suggests places to find inspiration. It's a very solid book for anyone wanting to add text to their textile art -- it really is focused on art, which I appreciated and found illuminating. This is solid content by a very experienced artist, and anyone interested in this topic should be sure to read it. 

Weekend Review: Quilt Out Loud

Quilt Out Loud / Thomas Knauer
Concord, CA: C&T, c2023
144 p.

I read this one via my library, and found it very interesting! The subtitle says it all:  "Activism, Language and the Art of Quilting". It really does live up to that billing, combining all three effectively. 

I read it as part of my investigations of using text on quilts, and this one has some ideas that I really liked. Knauer is a quilter who has exhibited many of his social commentary quilts, and he talks about activism and the quilting world, alongside presenting quilts and techniques to incorporate text (or other forms of semantic meaning) into quilt projects. 

There are only so many ways one can do this, and because I've read so many of these kinds of books, I've seen many of these techniques before. But I appreciated the layout, photos and all the context he gives for the specific quilts here. Not only techniques, but the "why" of his projects is given, and I found that inspiring beyond just the practical. Many of these examples are serious, commenting on gun violence, racism, misogyny and more. But there are also lighter, whimsical quilts, as with the one he made for his wife with their wedding vows in code. 

There are instructional elements to this book featuring applique, quilted text, piecing, even using Morse code and binary code. But there is also a lot to read, not just simple how-to's. There are essays included by other quilters who have been quilting in a combination of text and activism for a long time, like Chawne Kimber or Denyse Schmidt, and these elements add to the book. It's a nice balance of voices, and a deep dig into how domestic arts (here specifically quilting) can be used in activist ways. I really liked this one, and will definitely look at it again in future. 

Weekend Review: Text It!

 

Text It! / Sherri Noel
Bothell, WA: Martingale, c2019.
64 p.

This is a cute book, a great addition to the books I've been reading about adding text to fabric projects. It incorporates fusible applique, needle-turn and wool applique, and bias binding lettering, as well as ideas on how to use hexies as lettering (ie: like pixels). It provides a few projects for each one as well, incorporating quilting patterns alongside ideas on how to add text. There is also a pattern sheet for 7 distinct alphabets tucked in the back, if you want to trace some lettering for the projects (at the size required).

It's a smaller book but is bright and cheerful, with a sense of humour in some of the projects, and nice ideas, from simple (like a throw pillow) to more time-consuming (like a wedding quilt). One of my favourite projects is the infinity quilt on the cover. It's an unusual design and really graphic and pleasing. She includes both the whole quilt pattern and a smaller pillow sized one to add to the quilt project, or just to make on its own. 

The cover shows fusible applique (on the infinity quilt), wool applique (pillow) and bias lettering (the home pillow) so you can see a variety of techniques right off the bat. I thought it was well designed and laid out, with quite a few options to try and see which one strikes you best. I am most intrigued by the bias tape lettering, it gives a cursive effect that I really like. And the use of hexies was a fresh approach with a neat visual effect. I can see how this could be used to make modern styled projects. 

I enjoyed this one and could see using these techniques in a variety of ways. Definitely a fun one to read through and learn from!

Weekend Review: Embroidered Lettering

Embroidered Lettering / Debra Valencia
Mount Joy, PA: Design Originals, c2019.
176 p.

This month I'm all about lettering. I was looking forward to this book on embroidery, as I really like lettering and the cover example is really nice. I found it a good read, with some useful tips, but it's really more of a project book than a technique book.

The lettering is almost entirely done with the same techniques; primarily stem stitch outlines with various fill stitches. I also like - and often use - this combo, so I don't feel anything new or groundbreaking was learned here -- for me. That said, this book does include various alphabets for you to use for your projects, which you can incorporate into anything you please, not just the ideas given here. And there are a number of simple sewing projects, so those new to both sewing and embroidery won't feel overwhelmed by complexity. 

There are 25 simple projects -- zipper pouches, coasters, tote bags and the like -- and 7 full alphabets. Unfortunately they aren't to scale so you would have to photocopy to scale if you wanted to follow these patterns exactly. There are fairly solid instructions for the stitches she uses to embroider the lettering, so if you haven't tried this before you might find it helpful. Overall, a pretty book with nice photos, entertaining to look through but unlikely to be a keeper for me. 

 

Weekend Review: Stitch Your Story

 

Stitch Your Story / Sarah Fielke
Louisville, CO: Lucky Spool, c2019.
144 p.

This is the most recent publication in my recent string of alphabet quilting guides, and I think it has squeaked into top position as my favourite of the three. This is mostly because there is more in it than just paper piecing/improv piecing -- both of which were the focus of previous reads, but there are a couple of techniques that are more likely for me to actually do in this book.

I enjoyed the variety in this book. It's a little longer than the others, and has some interesting projects included. The first three sections are based on gridwork; the letters are put together in squares, half-square triangles, and a couple of other more angular blocks too, depending on the letter and style. It's an interesting way to think of creating text, and the three options show how different the choices are using much the same technique. Section 5 is kind of a follow-on to these options, being an improv piecing technique that is freer than the grids but gives a similar effect.

Section 4 discusses needle-turn applique, which allows you to have more rounded letters and a cursive effect. It's definitely something that interests me, but I think you have to like applique to use this more than for just a few letters! I'm not so great at it but perhaps could improve with practice. But the best idea, for me anyhow, was the use of bias tape to make a cursive word across a background. She suggests prepared fusible bias tape for the easiest use, but of course you can also make your own and stick it down yourself. 

I really like this style of lettering. Because it's bias, it's flexible and able to be arranged into flowing shapes. In the section featuring bias, the instructions are clear, with diagrams, to show you the best places to fold, overlap, or otherwise shape your letters in bias tape. You can use purchased bias tape or of course use your own in any print or colour you want. I have varied sizes of bias tape makers so could easily give this one a go. Since I love handwriting and cursive, this technique jumps out at me as something I'd really like to try out.

All of the sections are clear in their instructions, and the photos in this book are bright and detailed. Plus there are diagrams and patterns so that you can incorporate these styles of lettering into your quilting easily. I also liked many of the projects in this book. They are not all simply lettering as the main or only element; there are beautiful backgrounds with lettering as one element that blends in nicely, as with the bias tape pillow. There is also some discussion of what words you might want to use and why -- a little bit about the concepts behind a project, which was interesting to think about as well. 

If you're interested in these techniques and ideas, you can check out this book too, it's really good. Or, you can take Sarah Fielke's "Word Play" course on Craftsy, or her Improv Lettering class right on her website. I can see so many ways to add lettering to projects! 

Weekend Review: Word Play Quilts

 

Word Play Quilts / Tonya Ricucci
Bothell, WA : That Patchwork Place, c2010.
64 p.

If you want to piece text into your quilts but are intimidated by paper piecing, this improv piecing style might be just the thing for you. This is a short book, all focused on how to piece letters with improv techniques in order to create "Word Play Quilts". The author uses a lot of her own projects throughout to provide examples of how the techniques work together and the way they look in a finished quilt. Most of her work is heavily text-centric; there is more text than imagery, and the concept is very important. 

If this is your thing, you'd love this book. There is a chart included at the end to show you the order of piecing for each letter so if you're not comfortable free-styling there is still a way into this technique for you. Also, there is a fair bit of instruction on how to choose and blend fabrics to maintain readability (scale, print, colour tone etc) and discussion of reasons to choose text. There are tons of photos of projects but also clear steps and lots of instructional diagrams. And there's discussion of technicalities like managing curves and deciding on size and spacing to make sure your letters work together as words. 

It's not really an 'inspiration' book as much as a workbook of sorts. I don't think this is one I'd leaf through and expect to retain a lot of the detailed instruction. However, as a guide to actually piecing letters, I think it would be fabulous to follow along with as you are actually making your text. It's a practical guide aimed at how to make fabric text, and as such, it really does what it sets out to do. I'd highly recommend it if you want to learn this style of piecing in order to add text to your projects, whether that's a quilt or the back of a jacket ;) 

Weekend Review: Quilt Talk

 

Quilt Talk / Sam Hunter
Lafayette, CA: Stash Books, c2014.
144 p.

As many of you already know, I am a sewist but also a librarian. I love seeing sewn text! Lately I've come across a rash of books on adding text to quilts, using varied techniques. This is the first one I'll share this month. 

I picked this up thanks to my library, and have been really entertained by it! It includes 12 projects, but the projects are not all full quilts; as shown on the cover, she has small projects with just a few letters so you can get started without too high a level of intimdation! 

This book is focused on paper piecing - there is a big section at the end with all the patterns to copy for all the letters. The book opens with a guide to paper piecing, if you've never done it before this will be particularly useful. You sew bits of fabric onto your paper foundation backwards to get the letter shape -- I've never done paper piecing and must admit that the process looks quite complicated to me, even though she's created a process that doesn't require specialized tools. There are also a couple of charts full of math and measurements in order for you to size the letters up and down, and adjust the kerning as needed (the spacing between letters & words). There is a full alphabet included, both upper and lower case, plus accents, and a row of special characters you might be most likely to need. If you're into this kind of text making this book will be a great resource.

It's a bright and cheery book, with many of the colour choices bright and modern. The photography is clear and plentiful, so that it's fun just to look through this book for inspiration. There are a variety of projects and each one has the instructions for the lettering, but also how to make the project itself (like the little bucket bags on the cover). Projects range from baby quilts to full size quilts, from wallhangings to house decor. So you could do any project as is, or just use the lettering guide, or even just the bigger project without lettering. Lots of options here. You can find out more about it on the author's website if you're interested, and of course could get a copy at your local library to check out the techniques if you're also wondering about the possibilities of sewn text.