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An Interview with Barb Fricano It’s no secret that art quilters love quilt and fabric shops. Today our Quilt Shop Spotlight continues with a trip to Dearborn, Michigan. Barb Fricano, owner of The Material Girls quilt shop, was kind enough to share the story of how her quilt shop got started as...
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I was first exposed to spunbonded "fabrics" like Lutradur and Tyvek several years ago and was captivated by their seemingly infinite possibilities for textures, surface design, construction, and more in your fabric art. You can paint them, heat-distress them, stamp on them, print on them, foil...
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When someone asks me what's the difference between contemporary art quilts and traditional quilts, one of the first things I think of is embellishment, especially beads and encrustation. Beaded embellishment is just not something you are going to see on a traditional quilt, but it does pop up in...
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I love the sparkle and shine metallic thread gives to my fabric art, but the hassles--shredding, the curling, the broken threads-give me such a headache. I always approach metallic threads with trepidation, and I could swear the spool can smell my fear. According to Liz Kettle, that may be true. "Don't...
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Every time I come back to our editorial offices back east I'm greeting with more Quilting Arts @10 anniversary postcards. I love it! We'll be featuring some in the next issue of the magazine, so watch for them. Each postcard reminds me of the techniques we've shared with you over the years...
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Little by little, I'm establishing a style for our Colorado home, accessorizing with pieces of artwork here and some new furniture there. With one eye on the budget and another on the time I have available for decorating (almost none!) I have been looking for some quick, easy, and budget-friendly...
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If I could sum up the way the world looks to me during the holiday season in one word, it would be "sparkle." Sparkle is everywhere, from the moonlit snow that twinkles like diamond dust to the strings of Christmas lights up on the rooftops, to the flickering candles lit for Hanukkah and Advent...
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I'm excited to decorate our new home in Colorado, but lately I've had to do it on the fly--literally--ordering furniture online as I hop from airport to airport to attend the Cloth Paper Scissors CREATE art retreat and the taping of "QATV" Season 7. Still, even though we have moved...
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When we first started Quilting Arts , one of the ways we spread the word about our fledgling magazine was by passing out lapel pins with funny, quilt art-related sayings on them at quilt shows. "Give me all your buttons and nobody gets hurt" was one. "I don't exaggerate, I embellish...
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"I wish I had more time to make art." I hear that all the time--from art quilters at shows, from my friends, the Quilting Arts staff...and out of my own mouth. Unless you're a full-time artist, you've probably said it yourself many times (and I'm willing to bet even full-time artists...
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I love quilts that have been encrusted with lots of beads, baubles, buttons, found objects...you name it. The more outrageous the embellishment, the better! So I can't wait to share with you our latest ready-to-download eBook, Fine Embellishment Techniques from Quilting Arts : 5 Innovative Ways To...
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Quilting Arts June/July 2010 issue has been on the newsstands for a few days now, so hopefully most of you have seen its fabulous cover quilt by Diane Nunez. The instant we saw this fun and funky art quilt with unusual embellishment techniques at the Quilting Arts office, we new it would be perfect for...
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Is there such a thing as too much texture? I don't think so! Texture is what we art quilters are all about. Texture is what excites the quilt artist and it's what entices the art quilt viewer to come up and take a closer look. Plus, adding more texture to our quilts gives us a great excuse to...
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Since falling in love with the art quilting world more than a decade ago, I've seen thousands upon thousands of quilts. Despite the fact that each one is unique, I've noticed some themes and motifs that attract quilt artists repeatedly: nature, the sea, faces and memories of loved ones, and geometric...
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I love the soft shimmer of metal embellishment on a quilted surface. Just a touch of metal can act as an elegant focal point. An all-over quilting pattern of metallic thread, couched wire, or foil can add texture and make the quilt seem to glow from within. Two fiber artists who are renowned for their...