***Free Stuff Alert!!!***
Want to dye and paint your own fabrics, but don’t know where to start?  This is the book for you, with all the beginner information you need on different types of dyes and paints that you can choose from, the minimal tools and equipment that you’ll need, and some wonderful techniques to get you started!
The Basic Guide to Dyeing and Painting Fabric
by Cindy Walter & Jennifer Priestley
There are dozens of inspiring photos for you to drool over, step by step instructions for 20 different techniques, and even some full-sized patterns if you’d like to make the exact fabric …read more

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
 The  b5media Lifestyles Channel, of which Quilting and Patchwork is a part, recalls the 1980s for their Theme Day this month.  I’ll reminisce about the 80’s as it relates to my quilting.
At that time I was operating my in-home quiltmaking business, writing a quilt business column for a Quilt World Omnibook magazine (which no longer is published), interviewing quilters for the local newspaper, and learning all I could about this fascinating topic.
Beginnings of my Quiltmaking
Although I first made a quilt with my grandmother, in the 1940s, my quiltmaking business began during the United States’ Bicentennial Years of 1975-76, when my mom …read more

My daughter Beth enjoys dyeing fabrics, along with painting them.  Recently she took over the kitchen and spread out her dyeing materials.

Actually these are some plastic bags of dyed fabrics that are drying.  For more dyeing details from Beth, visit Dyeing Day, at her Meandering Threads blog.
Here are some of the results of Beth’s dyeing activities.

Check out more photos of her colorful fabrics at Dyeing Results.
Additional Posts on Dyeing:
Dyeing Fabrics for Quiltmaking
Results of a Fabric Dyeing Venture
Painting & Dyeing Fabric for Quilting Projects
(Photos (c)2008 Beth A. Mastin)
(Article (c)2008 Mary Emma Allen)

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 
   Do you have favorite books that have helped you with your quilting and fabric art? Perhaps they are instructional. Others may be inspirational.  Maybe they delve into quilting history.  Also, you may read some for pure enjoyment.
These also may change, depending on your current quilting needs and interests. Some of your favorites may be out of print, but if someone searches diligently, they probably can find with a copy.
I asked my daughter Beth (Meandering Threads) what her five favorite books currently are.  She actually came up with six, two by the same author.
1. The Painted Quilt by Linda & Laura Kempshall
2. Landscape in Contemporary …read more