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Imagine, if you will, me in my studio trying to use adhesive-backed water-soluble stabilizer. I carefully peel away the non-stick backing only to find that the sticky part doesn't stay put on my work surface. So now I am trying to hold down one edge of the stabilizer with one hand and peel away the...
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It's officially summer, and that means blueberry season. I'm lucky enough to live right next to my father-in-law's blueberry patch--more of a field, actually. While they last, I just have to walk out my back door and down the path to have access to fresh blueberries for breakfast, a snack...
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My entrée into the world of contemporary art quilting began with a timeless needlework technique: hand embroidery. From there my repertoire rapidly expanded to include modern machine embroidery, free-motion stitching, machine needle felting, and much more. But I often return to the simple joys...
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Last weekend the Bolton clan convened for its annual family reunion. Although it rained a bit, we had plenty of sunshine, beautiful views, and great times. Of course, I brought a slew of art-making supplies, the better to bring people together through art. Plus, who wouldn't be inspired to create...
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I just returned from Spring Quilt Market in the Twin Cities and had a really fabulous time! Outfitted with my new, spiffy Nikon DSLR camera, a journal, and comfortable sandals to traverse the show floor, I took note of several quilting trends this season… Fowl Play ! Pretty Poultry! Cute fabric...
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I’ve been full of anticipation for the past few days since I am finally attending my first quilt show: Quilt Market in Minneapolis. At the moment, I have just returned from an initial visit to the convention space which is enormous and enthralling—I truly feel like a kid in a candy shop,...
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I started Cloth Paper Scissors magazine back in 2004 in part to give voice to forms of art that mixed fabric and stitch with paint, glue, and embellishment but were not strictly speaking art quilts. Forms like altered books, fabric and paint collages, shrines, assemblages, and paper quilts. One of my...
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I thought that headline might grab your attention. I recently took a brief three-day break to a beach before our publishing schedule vamps up this summer, and decided to turn my vacation a Stitch-cation. As summer approaches––and so do vacation plans––no road trip or spa break...
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Isn't it funny how sometimes the simplest of art processes can be so satisfying? I mean, you know I love my Thermofax screen printing and I am a sucker for hand embroidery. Thread sketching fascinates me and I never get tired of dyeing. But when it comes to hands-down fun, I have to go with stamping...
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Many of you probably know I have five furry, four-legged "children." But did you know I feel a similar motherly instinct toward Quilting Arts Magazine ? Asking me to choose a favorite issue is like asking me to choose a favorite child. I love them all equally! Having said that, an issue I revisit...
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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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Something about the spring weather has me out and about more than usual these days. During the cold winter months, I like hunkering down in my sewing room all night long, but lately I can’t resist venturing out into the sunshine whenever possible, taking road trips on weekends, and dining al fresco...
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One of the things I most enjoy about International Quilt Festival is seeing all the little stitchers-in-training who attend with their moms, grandmothers, or aunts. These kids come with their ATCs to trade (or, like young Lexus Estes, they submit their quilts to the show), they participate in workshops...
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As a devotee of "Project Runway," one of the things I love most about the show-after the hilarious Tim Gunn quips-is watching how the designers translate their inspirations into line, pattern, and form. Take last week's episode, where Anthony and Maya were inspired by New York's Chinatown...
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Above: Diane Nunez's dimensional fabric flowers Five days, 39 segments, and 13 episodes later, Season Six of Quilting Arts TV is born. A number of very talented guests joined me this season: Jane Dunnewold was back to dazzle us with two surface design/ resist techniques and to tape her hour-long...