| Jamie Fingal, rebel quilter. |
Jamie Fingal is a fiber artist who just says no.
No batting.
No binding.
No pins.
No rules.
She calls herself a rebel quilter. Rebel quilters follow their own path, and if what they end up with is not something you would call a quilt, well, that's OK. For them, art is an improvisational dance and the rhythm is all their own.
Jamie, in particular, is a quilter who revels in the dance. Her quilts are full of joy.
I love to watch Jamie's creative process. I have picked up so many tips and tricks from her—not just about techniques but about attitude.
"My quilts are about having fun and not taking myself or them too seriously," says Jamie. "I'm all about being bold and brave—let's set the world on fire with quilting!"
Here are just some of the rules Jamie says "no" to that allow her to say "yes" to her free-spirited muse.
No turned edges. Instead of turning edges under, Jamie fuses all her fabrics with MistyfuseTM, a lightweight fusible without backing. The suppleness of Mistyfuse allows her to use it even on sheer or delicate fabrics.
No pins. They just slow her down.
Jamie's multitude of fabrics,
applied with Mistyfuse on felt. |
No quilting cottons. Well, not just cottons. Jamie also uses silk dupioni, netting, even newspaper in her quilts. She just applies the Mistyfuse using a silicone sheet to protect the iron and the fabric.
No batting. Fabric gets fused directly onto black, wool-blend felt. When the stitching is done, she fuses a backing onto the felt.
No mitered corners or matching points. Jamie doesn't bind her quilts, nor does she stitch blocks together. Instead, she joins sections of her quilts with trim or zippers.
No rainbow of thread spools. Jamie uses black thread only, because it adds a design element that looks like drawing.
No fussy stitch motifs. In Jamie's world, the needle is like a pencil that she doodles with in a free-style, free-motion way.
No worries. Overall, Jamie's attitude is, "It doesn't have to be perfect; it just has to be fun."
Now that's a tune I can dance to!
Jamie takes you through her entire design, quilting, and finishing process in her new Quilting Arts WorkshopTM video, "Rebel Quilting: Thinking Outside the Block," now available for download and DVD pre-order.
P.S. Tell me about your rebellious side: what has been your favorite rebel quilting moment?