it starts with the cravings …

For those of us who crave inspiration, Quilting Arts Magazine is designed to provide just that and more.

As textile and quilt artists, our muse is often demanding and adventurous. She is always looking over our shoulder, and never more so than when we settle down with a cup of coffee, pull out our latest copy of Quilting Arts Magazine and settle down for a pleasurable hour or two with our favorite publication.

… then there’s the frenzy

The articles in the magazine are designed to inspire, whet our appetite for the unusual, and drive us into a frenzy of creative activity.

Articles on using Angelina fibers will have us daydreaming about butterfly wings and glittery things. Stories about fabric dyeing offer us the opportunity to shroud our sewing room in luscious multi-colored streamers of rainbows. Trading cards and little inchies are suddenly dancing across our vision, mesmerizing and tantalizing.

… then the call to action

And suddenly our muse is called to action. Slowly she drags us to the nearest computer and inexplicably we find ourselves online with our favorite quilting arts vendor, adding stuff to the shopping cart – stuff we can barely pronounce but it sounds intriguing, and then adding more stuff because the color is captivating, and yet more stuff because maybe we’ll find a use for it somewhere, someday.

By now, of course, we have our own credit card dedicated to our obsession of the quilting arts and the number is retained in memory from so many similar expeditions. As we click the final checkout button, we let out a sigh of anticipation, stare out the window and wait for the postman to deliver our parcel.

Then our muse, smirking and fulfilled, slinks away to the corner to patiently wait for the next opportunity to pounce; slyly hoping that the next issue of Quilting Arts Magazine is but a short mail delivery away.

recovery ?

As we slowly recover from our muse-induced hypnotic state and our eyes finally manage to focus on the receipt we are holding in our hands, realization slowly dawns … uh, oh. What the heck did I just order? And how much of it? And it cost … what?

Perspiration forms on our brow and our hearts start to race as our mind tries to calculate how we’re going to pay for all this. Well we have at least a month to worry about that before the visa bill comes in. Let’s just hope our next issue of Quilting Arts Magazine doesn’t arrive before the visa bill does, otherwise we really will be in trouble.

And where the heck did that muse suddenly disappear to? Strange how that happens.

who are art quilters ?

People who are interested in quilting arts are all sorts of people; they come from all walks of life and are all ages. They are people who

• have a desire to be creative
• are intrigued with the thought of being able to create art using fabric and perhaps other mediums
• maybe come from a traditional quilting background and want to expand their repertoire
• are simply fascinated by the process

Art quilters are people just like you and me. You don’t necessarily have to have a degree in art to be an art quilter, but most importantly you have to have curiosity and a desire to express yourself.

Some art quilters push it to the edge, others prefer the middle road. Some are subtle with their stories, some make wild, bold statements.

With quilting arts, there is no right or wrong way. But understanding and mastering the basics of quiltmaking techniques will allow you the freedom to move on and begin producing work that will be unique and a true expression of yourself.

basically speaking

There are a myriad of techniques and products available to art quilters, and experimenting with them is all part of the fun for an art quilter.

But starting at the beginning and learning the basics of, not just art quilting, but quiltmaking in general, makes good sense.

When you have a solid foundation to work from, and an understanding and comprehension of tools, equipment and supplies, and how to use them, this alleviates a lot of trial and error and frees you up to go about the business of creating rather than being frustrated. So this is a good place to start.

ready … set …

But where, exactly, should you start ?

Why right here of course. And we will start at the very beginning.

Browse the articles and you’ll find useful hints and tips to get you started, on topics such as selecting a quilting machine and machine quilting tips, as well as fun articles like Quilting Arts Magazine.

And don’t forget our Resource Directory where you will find helpful information on such things as sewing machine needles as well as free machine quilting patterns.

Make sure you don’t miss out on future articles by either subscribing to our ezine or subscribing to our RSS feed – the links are on the left hand side.

And, as always, if you have any questions please contact me. My name is Linda Matthews and I’m always available to answer your questions.