A trip to Quilt Market is like time traveling to the future. And I'll tell you, the quilting future is filled with fabric. Specifically, the future is about how to quilt with your own fabric or fabric by a designer.
 |
Some friends I met at Quilt Market.
Are they from the past, or the future? |
It seemed like everywhere I turned, there was another quilter-turned-designer with his or her own fabric line. I saw everything from batik background fabric to '60s and '70s throwback designs to surface-design patterns based on original artwork.
These fabrics gave me all kinds of ideas for quilt projects. And I also thought that we must have a crystal ball at Quilting Arts Magazine, because we have several articles coming up later this year that will show you how to make your own fabric, how to have your fabric designs printed, and how to become a commercial fabric designer.
One of those articles focuses on fiber artist Marcia Derse. After years as a book artist, Marcia returned to fabric and textiles. She starts with a blank canvas; a bolt of muslin, fabric dyes, and the primary colors in silkscreen paints.
 |
|
Marcia on the set of Quilting Arts TV where she shows how to use common everyday objects as stamps for surface design.
|
Marcia designs fabrics, which are available commercially, and she also uses her fabrics to make quilts.
After designing the quilt on her studio wall, she makes a quilt sandwich with backing fabric and batting, stitching it together so that the lines infuse the fabrics and colors with additional meaning.
I know you will find Marcia's story—and other stories of how to make quilt fabric—inspiring. Perhaps the upcoming issues of Quilting Arts will inspire you to become a fabric designer and next year I'll see you at Quilt Market!
If you haven't subscribed to Quilting Arts yet, this would be the perfect time to start!
P.S. Do you use your own fabric when you make a quilt? Do you have a favorite quilt fabric designer? Tell me about it in the comments section below.