Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores, the leading national fabric and craft specialty retailer, has enlisted the expertise of M’Liss Rae Hawley, the internationally known leader in the field of quilting, to expand class and fabric offerings for quilters nationwide, according to their recent announcement.

M’Liss’s exclusive line of fabric designs include floral and travel themes.  Her classes will appeal to quilters of any level…beginners to experts.

Check out more details at the link above.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Jo-Ann Fabrics Enlists the Expertise of Quilter M’Liss Rae Hawley

   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 Quilts by Ineke Berlyn

3. Hand-Dyed Fabric Made Easy by Adriene Buffington

4. Contemporary Quilts: Design, Surface & Stitch

     Creative Quilts: Inspiration, Texture & Stitch both by Sandra Meech

5. Mixed Media Explorations by Beryl Taylor

Let me know what your 5 favorite are and I’ll mention them here.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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5 Favorite Quilting/Fabric Art Books

So…have you decided your niche might be quilt, fabric art, and related books?  Perhaps you want to operate simply a bookstore.  Or you may want to add a book nook to your quilt fabric and supply store.

The information Yvonne offers at her Home Biz Notes post gives some great information to start you thinking, researching, planning, and actually setting up a bookstore, if that seems feasible.

(Yvonne Russell is a freelance writer who blogs at Grow Your Writing Business.  She has operated and sold a number of businesses including an award winning bookstore.  She also is the director of People People, a small development and training business.)  

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Would You Like an At-Home Quilt Bookstore?

When I was making quilts to sell, left to my own choices, I usually selected colors I liked, which, when you learn about color schemes, were the “cool” colors, those with pink or blue undertones.  These are the colors that look best on me, so I usually surround myself with them.

                            However, when I made quilts on commission, often my customers chose colors I never would in the “warm” color range, those with yellow undertones.  And some would combine the two, as nature does.

So….when considering quilts to make “on spec” for shops, I began selecting colors I might not for myself or for my home decor.  I found, though, that these sold well.  Either they were the “in” colors that season, or they were favorites with someone other than myself.

                       Color has a magic of its own.  With some imagination, you can create quilts and fabric art with appeal for most anyone.  If you’re making quilts solely for yourself, you may find yourself choosing colors that look best on you in clothing. 

 However, become a little adventuresome and select some colors outside the ordinary for your next project!

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Why Do You Choose Specific Colors for Your Quilting Art Projects?

Needlework also has comforted women during war time, as they made quilts and other items (nowadays even fabric postcards) for those far from home on the battlefront.

I recently discovered a site, Real Women Quilt, with a page, Quilting through Grief, where quilters relate how their needlework has helped them through tough times.  Also, quilting may be something they did with or for the loved one who passed away.  Even though the memories of these quilting times are bittersweet, they’re memories that sustain them.

Quilting and fabric art also can get us through stressful times.  My daughter’s intense interest in quiltmaking, evolving into art quilts, began when her husband was going through a bout with cancer.  She could take along small quilting projects to work on during those long hospital waits or during visiting time.  Quilt art has become her solace during stressful and non-stressful times.

What about you?

          This is the latest book my daughter has obtained to help her design and create art quilts.

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Quilting Helps Us Through Grief Stricken Times

At Layers Upon Layers, I discovered an ideal way to use your leftover fabric…swatch portraits.  Cyndi seems intrigued by this idea, too, which she found at The Purl Bee.  There’s even a tutorial at that site for creating wall art from your fabric by using embroidery and quilting hoops of various sizes. 

As I looked at the fabric portraits displayed, I also could envision them decorated with fancy stitching and embellishments.  There seems to be no end to the ideas  creative people can come up with in the fabric art world.

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Swatch Portraits – One Way to Use Leftover Quilt Fabric

At Quilted Paradise, I found an article about Fabric Finds for the Frugal Quilter which contains some very good ideas for acquiring fabric for your projects.  Mentioned here:

Bandanas

Neckties

Thrift Stores

Garage Sales

Yard, garage and church sales

My daughter and I’ve found many fun fabrics and embellishments  from these sources over the years.  Let your creativity soar and you’ll discover many interesting ways to use items found this way.

  Many of the fabrics you find from the above souces can be used for scrap quilts.

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Inexpensive Fabric Sources for Quilters & Fabric Artists

So Nancy turned to quiltmaking and her work now brings prices between $8,000 and $75.000. 

When I became involved in qultmaking again in the 1970s (I first quilted with my grandmother at age 8), Nancy was starting to make a name for herself.  It has been exciting to watch her become, over the years, a very well-known quiltmaker and author.

In a world where often the quilter and fabric artist’s work isn’t appreciated monetarily as it might (unless you do this yourself, you don’t know the time, effort, and ingenuity involved), it’s gratifying to know someone can be recognized and rewarded for their creativity as Nancy is.

(I wrote a previous article about Nancy and her new book.)

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What Would You Think of a $75,000 Quilt?

Paper quilts! you say. These often involve a collage effect and include the use of paper, fibers, expandable paint, netting, and other embellishments.  Quilters also include items such as angelina fibers, chiffon scarves and silk handkerchiefs. 

(My daughter looks for chiffon scarves at the local second hand shop to create various effects in her fabric and paper art.)

 What have you tried in the field of paper quilts, as well as mixed media quilts and fabric art?

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Have You Considered Paper Quilts?

As mentions at her Meandering Threads blog, the one she pictures there isn’t exactly like the ATC in the book.  However, it’s very close and will give you some more inspiration if you’re inclined to make these works of art.           

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Viewing ATCs by Quilters