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. 

Beach Glass Quilting class

I had a busy workshop week with my local guilds! I also went to a class held by my Quilt Club, on the topic of beach glass quilting. 

It was an enjoyable afternoon & the subject was not too intimidating. It's basically a fused applique style, with the visual effect of beach glass (although as people at the class notes, you could adapt this technique for other effects as well). 

We had to bring along a bag of scraps, some fusible & a base fabric to work on. I don't have a lot of cotton scraps in my stash; most of mine are garment fabrics. But I put together what I could and headed off. Thank goodness there were piles of shared scraps, both from the instructor and other participants, because in the end about half of my 'pebbles' came from other people's scraps ;) 

Basically, we went through, chose a palette, laid out potential scraps, and then fused them down to pieces of Steam a Seam.

Then we could cut little shapes out of our chosen colours, and lay them out on our base fabric, until we were happy with the arrangement. Honestly this took the longest of all the steps! We had some photos of beach glass pieces to look at and that helped with colour choices and with the cutting out part -- it was all freehand and I found I had a tendency to make mine all teeny and blobby. I had to consciously try other shapes until I was happy with a mix of sizes and outlines. Once that was ready, you could fuse down your pieces to the base, and start outlining them in thread -- this necessitates a lot of spool changes, if you want to match colours.

I got a few done by end of class but have had to continue at home so that this doesn't become a UFO! Only two more to stitch down, and then the binding. I think I'm going to bind it in scrappy binding left over from the pieces I used, or maybe I'll just mat and frame it. We will see. It was an entertaining afternoon and I had a lot of fun with this one!

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. 

Weekend Review: Small Art Quilts

 

Small Art Quilts: Explorations in Paint & Stitch / Deborah O'Hare
Tunbridge Wells, UK: Search Press, c2018.
144 p. 

I really enjoyed this book on making small art quilts! This one is just the right fit for my style of making and my own art quilt preferences. Deborah O'Hare has the kind of style and technique that appeal to me and so I really loved this book. It's at the right level as well, not quite stark beginner but not expert or full time artist, either. 

I loved the variety of images here; she talks about each one and the different choices she made for each, and then shares many of the techniques she's used, like stenciling and applique (for a gorgeous rabbit and moon piece) or using machine and hand embroidery together. There are also lots of different ways to finish the edges of a project included, and it felt like there was so much I could take away from this one. 

The book starts out with a discussion of basic materials needed, then moves on to a discussion of preparing ground cloth -- a lot of painting, and examples of different ways to paint cloth for different effects. Also some discussion of other surface design ideas like stamping or stencilling. And then a solid look at stitching and the many ways it can be used to add to your design. And she talks about using whole cloth, or strips or patchwork to create the ground, and has examples of each in bright, colourful photos. 

This is a deceptively short book; there is an awful lot in it and a newish beginner might be very inspired by it. But as a, let's say 'advanced beginner' I find it perfect for my needs. Lots of great ideas for every step of an art quilt, in small size so you can try things out quickly and without too much work put in to make you anxious about something working or not. 

The book ends with two projects showing how to incorporate many of the techniques throughout. If you like to follow a pattern then these will be great for you - each step is explained with close details photos as well, and there are templates for the figures in the projects at the end. If you don't want to make the same pattern you will still find the instructions helpful to be able to imagine using these ideas in your own work. This is one of my favourite art quilting books I've picked up through my library this year - it's definitely going on my 'to-buy' list so I can keep it forever ;) 

If this sounds interesting to you, be sure to pop over to the author's blog where she shares more info on what's included inside plus some gorgeous closeups of the interior pictures. I think you'll love it too!

Weekend Review: Art Quilts Made Easy

 

Art Quilts Made Easy / Susan Kruszynski
Mount Joy, PA : Landauer Publishing, ©2022
144 p.

This is a new book by an accomplished art quilter; she states at the beginning of the book that her style is collage landscape quilts, and that's what she is teaching here. This book includes some basic technique intruction, with lots of images to illustrate, and also 12 patterns that you can follow to get the hang of this technique and style for yourself. 

I thought it was nicely put together. Well organized and thorough in its choice of topic. Bright with lots of clear, large photos. If you are interested in this kind of quilting you will be delighted with this book. If your style or interests lie elsewhere, I think you may still be interested in reading through this book, both because it is lovely to look through, and because there is always some new idea that comes from any book - at least I think so! 

I am not a big landscape person, at least in my own designs, but I still found this book a solid read with lots of great technique tips that can be used in your own way. Plus it's full of inspiring images - she makes a lot of small art quilts, which is my own preference, and I found that I was examining all of her images closely to see how she'd finished and edged her pieces. She is down to earth and includes tons of great info on creating your own quilts. She starts with very useful information on how to plan and map out a quilt, shares design rules, guidelines and basic tools, and also includes tips on finishing and framing your work, whether that's just binding or mounting to canvas. 

She is clearly an expert in this area, and she's also a teacher, which comes through in her easily understandable directions and instruction here. Anyone, even if just starting out, would easily be able to follow the steps she lays out. So definitely an interesting one to read through and examine. If your preferences are for landscapes and the collage technique, it's a must have for you. 

Weekend Review: Color, Thread & Free-Motion Quilting

 

Color, Thread & Free-Motion Quilting / Teri Lucas
Lafayette, CA: C&T, c2020
95 p.

I'm interested in learning more about art quilt techniques so sometimes I do pick up a few books to explore topics in this area. This is one I found via my library system; it looks at how using colour enhances a project. Instead of just quilting a project in invisible/matched thread, she examines how using color can be another design element in your quilt.

It's a fairly short book, but the instructional tone is clear and the book is well structured. She shares a colour wheel and talks about colour selection, but also includes lots of photos and examples. And, instead of relying on theory, there is also a large section in the book about making your own colour wheel samples, so you'll get practical experience with how colours work together. Using different colours of ground cloth, she suggests stitching up a bunch of colours (and weights) of thread to practice and see the results in actual stitching rather than just laying a thread across a fabric and trying to estimate the results you will get. I think this is very useful advice, and learning by doing is usually that way that works best for me. 

I also appreciated a section on thread types and weights, why and when you might use them, and the proper needles to use for each -- there's even a handy chart to help you out. 

What I found didn't work as well with this book was the 36 quilting designs mentioned on the cover. They are square samples at the back, hand drawn, and are all pretty standard designs that anyone who has looked into this area before will already be familiar with. So if you want to learn about colour and thread, there is a lot here, but if you are just looking for some new designs, try another title. 

I also found the stitching in the samples to be very basic -- maybe that's an encouragement to those new to the practice, though, as they are not glistening finished pieces. They are clearly sample works made as references and are not attempting to be anything else. They are simple unfinished pieces that set an example to perfectionists that you must learn by doing. The goal here isn't perfect stitching, it is in the use of colour and how threads play differently with ground cloth. And that is shown very clearly. 

Anyhow, if this is an area that you feel that you need to explore, this is a good title to check out. I learned some tips that were new to me and really appreciated the focus on hands-on exploration. 

Weekend Review: The Art of Mixing Textiles in Quilts

The Art of Mixing Textiles in Quilts / Lynn Schmitt
Lafayette, CA: C&T, c2018
111 p.

 Another quilting book this week, full of beautiful images and inspiration. I picked up this one because I'm interested in the idea of mixing textiles in projects -- I am certainly not a quilting cotton purist, especially since I sew with so many different fabrics, and want to be able to scrap bust all of them! 

This book is a great resource. The first section talks about the different non-quilting cotton fabrics that the author uses, like wool, silks, linen, or upholstery fabrics, among others. She goes over the best ways to use and combine these fabrics -- tips on seam pressing, stitching, interfacing/stabilizing, and so on. One good example of a basic tip is when sewing heavier fabrics like wool or upholstery weights, don't press the seams to one side. Press open to reduce bulk, and you can also grade seams. This is something garment sewists will probably know but it's a great tip for someone new to incorporating these fabrics.

I'm mostly interested in this topic because it seems to me that this book has lots of great ideas that can be used in garment sewing, especially these days as patchworked and quilted clothing is becoming a little more popular once again. And I feel like there is a lot of useful content here. Plus beautiful images, did I mention that already? 

Her style of eclectic piecing as she calls it is really eye-catching, as is shown off with 14 projects here -- pillows, quilts and small projects which feature piecing, applique and some wonderful quilting designs too. One piece that uses both traditional blocks and more modern design is this beautiful little wall hanging. I love the combo of colours, techniques, and the overall finish.

There are also practical or useful projects included and this "Market Tote" is one example. It uses the same mix of traditional blocks and more general piecing as the wall hanging, and on the other side of it there is actually some applique as well. It's a great use for the sturdier fabrics that she uses in the mix.

I also admire some of the quilting on these pieces. The wall hanging has a spiral motif that contrasts with the square blocks, and there is one piece, shown on the cover, with a circular medallion quilted onto an area of green silk, right among the flying geese blocks, and it's really stunning. The shape of it and the way it catches the light are both very pleasing to the eye. There are many little details in these projects that are very inspiring. 

I really enjoyed going through this book. Other projects include table runners, pincushions, pillows & throws, and while I might not be planning on making many of them they were a delight to look at. The initial section of information on textile use is the most applicable to my sewing habits, and I think her experience and advice would be useful to anyone wanting to blend fabrics in a pieced/quilted garment. If this kind of stitching appeals to you, I'd recommend checking your library to see if you can take a look at this book too.  

Weekend Review: Making Scrap Quilts To Use it Up

Making Scrap Quilts to Use It Up! / Lynne Edwards
Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles, c2003
128 p.

One of the ways to sew more sustainably is to make sure you're using as much of your fabric as possible, and wasting very little of it. Making quilts has always been a traditional way of doing this. However, I'm not really a quilter, well, not a traditional one anyhow. So I don't end up using a lot of my scraps in this way. 

But, I recently saw a book review on PatternReview for this book, Making Scrap Quilts to Use It Up by Lynne Edwards. The reviewer mentioned that along with quilts this book includes two other small projects, in particular, a bag that she was interested in.

It sounded so intriguing that I quickly requested this book on Interlibrary Loan and have had a chance to read through it over the last week or so. It is a good collection, with a variety of quilts (16 patterns) using small pieces, arranged either randomly or in set quilt patterns that give great visual effects. There are good photos and clear diagrams and instructions for the projects as well. 

One of my favourite kind of quilts is the random scrap style, and the first one in this book is a massive postage stamp quilt -- all made of 1.5" squares. It's really appealing, the kind of scrap celebration I love. There is also a quillow pattern, I recall making a bunch of these for Christmas gifts many years ago! 

But as I am mainly a garment sewist, I have to agree with the original reviewer that the highlight of this book is the very unusual bag pattern. It's a pleated bucket bag style, with an interior drawstring closure. I haven't seen a style like this before, and there are examples both in solid fabric and in patchworked fabrics. I don't make many bags but this is such an interesting design that I'm eager to give it a try. 

This book is out of print as far as I can tell, so you'll have to find it second hand or via your own local library if you are interested in investigating it as well. 

Costumes & Quilts to beat the heat

What do you do when you're not sewing? Well, I end up visiting places that always include sewing!

A few weeks ago there was an event at my local history museum, a Sunday picnic/craft beer tasting on their expansive grounds, which included entrance into the museum exhibits. Since it was a super hot day and I had been intending to go to the Art Quilts exhibit, we took the afternoon and headed over. So fun. Lots of tasty beer, hot weather, and the blessed air conditioning when we went inside ;)

The main exhibits were the Art Quilts, a Narnia themed one in conjunction with the Stratford Festival's showing of The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe this year, and an exhibit of some of the Festival Archives' costumes and accessories. All were a lot of fun to see.

**Edited to Add: a new 360 Tour of the museum has just been added to their content. You can see one hall of the quilts plus the costumes & Narnia! 

I forgot to take photos of the attributions for many of the quilts, so don't feel that I can post them without. But I did get a couple! One of my favourites has the clearest writeup, the rest you should be able to kind of see if you embiggen the photos.

 We also enjoyed seeing the masterful work on the stage costumes - even though they are seen from afar, the Festival wardrobe is amazing at the detailing and finishes.

 

We also liked the Narnia show - including the hilarious family photos in Mr. Tumnus' parlour:

Plus we had to play Peter & Susan in the throne room...

What do you do when you're not sewing?

Museums & Craft Shows & Thrift Stores, Oh my

I was lucky enough to get into the Big City a couple of times recently for some exciting crafty adventures. Living large... :)

My first trip was to Toronto's Textile Museum. This was a small, easily visited museum in the short time I had to pop over to it after meetings all day. I was most intrigued by the Eutopia exhibit. Unlike a utopia, a eutopia is an ideal but achievable future: the textiles shown were often activist projects or community building ones.

It was so interesting to see textiles used as activist material - craftivism is something I am very, very fascinated by so this was a great show to see. There was a neat interactive bit in which museum goers were invited to fill out a postcard stating their own ideal of eutopia. It looked like cross-stitch but is just a printed card; I like it.

One real highlight for me is that I got to see a real-life painting by Christi Belcourt in this exhibit. She's a wonderful Métis artist whom I recently found as a result of her collaboration with Valentino for their Resort 2016 line. I just love her work, which is inspired by the beadwork and culture of her Métis heritage. (if you are interested in this kind of beadwork, she's also written a book on the subject).   I recommend visiting this museum - they have a wonderful gift shop as well.

The next big adventure that I had came thanks to friends who were attending the Creativ Festival in Mississauga and invited me to join them. Thank goodness it just happened to be my day off. I spent a day at this fun event, becoming saturated with colour and fabric and IDEAS! No, I don't need to take on one more crafting habit, but it sure is hard to say no to some of the wonderful things I saw.

I ended up focusing on my latest obsession, and this was the result:

I picked up one or two items at many of the booths I visited and now have a lot of new-to-me threads to experiment with. I was particularly thrilled at the wide choices in cotton perle, and the discovery of some glow-in-the-dark thread! Fun times.

The Creativ Festival also has free sessions you can attend throughout the day, and I was so pleased to meet Sherri of Thread Riding Hood, who was doing one of the presentations. If you haven't visited her blog, you've got to check it out. Tons of fun tutorials and great posts too.

One of the things I was excited about was meeting Maria Rypan of Rypan Designs. She's a Ukrainian beading expert who I've followed online for a long time, despite the fact that I don't do beading (my dad does a lot of it, though). I've always been impressed by her Ukrainian patterns and it was a real honour to meet her and chat with her for 15 minutes about her beading and about Ukraine. I was thrilled to meet her; she's like a beading rock star to little old Ukrainian Canadian me!

******************

And then closer to home this week, I picked up this interesting little bundle at a local thrift store for only $2. It was folded into a small bag, with a tangle of threads on one side. When I opened it up, I was very pleased.

I think I'll finish it. Though I don't have a long dresser to lay it on, I'll find a way to use it. And not only does it come with all the remaining threads to finish the pattern, for some reason, there are 2 cards of ecru floche tucked in as well, one holding the needles that this embroiderer was using to work on this project. Love this.

And speaking of embroidery, I've been neglecting my big project which I started months ago - but finally have made some progress on it. Here's where I am now:

What creative adventures have you taken lately? Share any links or stories in the comments!