Quilting Arts Articles

Techniques For Printing on Fabric: Free Tutorials for DIY Screen Printing, Monoprinting and More

Cate Prato — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:46:53 GMT

Printing on fabric may look complicated, but screen printing and monoprinting is easy and fun if you know some of the tricks of the trade. In this free eBook, five screen-printing and monoprinting experts will show you everything from how to make a silk screen, a gelatin monoprinting plate, and a collograph plate with simple materials from home to screen printing techniques and monoprinting techniques you’ll use over and over again.

The Art of Thread Sketching: Free Thread Drawing and Thread Painting Techniques

Cate Prato — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:08:34 GMT

In The Art of Thread Sketching: Free Thread Drawing and Thread Painting Techniques, five quilt artists show you how to turn machine stitching into drawings with thread. Depending on the style and density of the stitching, thread sketching and thread painting can stand on its own or be combined with other techniques to give your quilt motifs dimension and life.

Sewing Techniques for Quilters: 5 Free Articles on How to Sew a Quilt Including a Sewing Tutorial on English Paper Piecing

Cate Prato — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:35:29 GMT

In this free eBook, Sewing Techniques for Quilters: 5 Free Articles on How to Sew a Quilt Including a Sewing Tutorial on English Paper Piecing, we give you four options for how to sew a quilt from expert quilt artists, plus a basic guide to sewing machine techniques, including a quick reference guide to basic tools and terms.

Handmade & Holiday Gift Ideas: 6 Free Homemade Gift Ideas for Art Quilters

Cate Prato — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:04:44 GMT

So you're hosting a holiday party and you want to personalize your dining room table-quick! Or maybe you have a party to go to and want to bring a handmade gift to your hostess.

Look no further. In this free e-Book, Handmade & Holiday Gift Ideas: 6 Free Homemade Gift Ideas for Art Quilters, we offer you six easy gifts to make for your friends or your own home décor.

Download your own copy of Handmade & Holiday Gift Ideas: 6 Free Homemade Gift Ideas for Art Quilters, and start creating your own handmade holiday now.

4 Free Patterns for Quilted Table Linens including Quilted Placemats, Napkins and Quilted Table Runners

Cate Prato — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:38:42 GMT

What's more beautiful than a well-set table? A table set with quilted placemats and other quilted table linens.

In this new downloadable eBook from Quilting Daily, 4 Free Patterns for Quilted Table Linens including Quilted Placemats, Napkins, and Quilted Table Runners, you'll find projects that will help you set an artful table.

Vivika Hansen DeNegre's contemporary table runner showcases beautiful fabrics and easy techniques. This quilted table runner pattern is fat-quarter friendly and appropriate for quilters of all levels.

You can create a festive setting for any holiday or special occasion with Jane Dávila's quilted table linens, including quilted place mats and napkin rings.

For a quick way to jazz up your table, make Jen Eskridge's quilted placemats and napkin rings. The metal button detail on the napkin rings adds a little bling to the design.

Alissa Haight Carlton's improvisational modern quilting placemats sew up quickly and add a nice pop of color to any table setting. They are a matching group, but each quilted placemat is unique.

Your table will make a pretty picture when you set it with your own quilted table linens made from 4 Free Patterns for Quilted Table Linens including Quilted Placemats, Napkins, and Quilted Table Runners. Just add food and friends!

Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Art Quilters

tiffwarble — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:45:30 GMT

How Much Do You Know About Copyright?

Quilting Daily and the staff at Interweave have released a new free eBook Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Art Quilters to help raise awareness of the issues surrounding copyright and give credit to the talented writers, designers, artists, photographers, and innovators who work with us to share their products and ideas with our readers.

This guide to the basics of copyright is for anyone and everyone: designers and makers, crafters, retailers, library staff, educators, and more.

"Most people think of pirated movies or music when they hear about copyright violations," says Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits magazine. "But we answer questions about copyright for crafters, artists, designers, and authors every day—copyright and other intellectual property issues are a big deal in the DIY marketplace, where the "I can do that!" spirit and respect for original, independent design and authorship need to coexist peacefully."

This free resource addresses topics such as:

What is copyright?
How does copyright work?
What is copyright infringement?
Plus other pressing topics from simple questions to more complex issues, such as:
- Can I resell a pattern/magazine/book/DVD I own? What about purchases of my digital downloads?
- Can I make and sell projects I found in a book or magazine?
- Where can I find more instructions for projects that I can make and sell?
- How can I tell if a work is in the public domain?
- Do I always retain copyright as the original author of a piece?
- What do I do if someone’s violating my copyright?
- And much more.

"Ultimately, copyright is about protecting the creative process, ensuring that the creator of a work can benefit from that work," adds Jang. "Our goal at Interweave is to educate our consumers about what copyright is, and why it matters—and to give authors, artists, and designers everywhere the tools they need to protect their own rights so they can continue to create new works and share them with the public."

Quilting for Beginners: 5 Easy Quilt Patterns Plus Lessons on How to Quilt for Beginners

Cate Prato — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:31:59 GMT

If you’ve wanted to learn how to quilt but didn’t know where to begin or didn’t want to take on a big projects, our new free downloadable eBook, Quilting for Beginners: 5 Easy Quilt Patterns Plus Lessons on How to Quilt for Beginners, is for you!

The eBook offers you basic quilting techniques and advice from some of the most experienced quilt artists and teachers around. Each of the projects is small and manageable, just right for beginning quilting, and the quilting how-to information is easy to follow.

Easy Resist Fabric Dyeing Techniques for Batik-Style Dyeing and Surface Design

Cate Prato — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:49:10 GMT

Batik is one of the oldest methods of dyeing fabrics for surface design. Using hot liquid wax as a resist for dye, batik yields beautiful patterns and rich colors. But traditional batik is time-consuming and labor intensive.

But what if you could learn how to batik without the hassles? In this free eBook, Easy Resist Fabric Dyeing Techniques for Batik-Style Dyeing and Surface Design, you will learn surface design and resist techniques using soy wax, kitchen cupboard staples, and glue gel, and simple batik tools.

Cynthia St. Charles shows how to create a colorful batik design using glue gel as a resist for textile paints in “Color Therapy.”

In “Batik with Soy Wax: Easy and Effective Techniques for Original Fabric Design,” Melanie Testa uses this food grade, environmentally safe alternative to paraffin for resist dyeing with textile paints.

Jane Dunnewold uses the non-toxic flour paste resist on fabric, drawing designs into the paste and then letting it dry. After painting the fabric and rinsing out the paste, you get a surface design with the crackly background that is the hallmark of batik.

Finally, Lisa Kerpoe applies corn syrup as an economical and easy-to-find alternative to sodium alginate, a thickener used as a resist with fabric dyeing techniques. You’ll love this kitchen-shelf method of textile dyeing.

Once you download this free eBook, Easy Resist Fabric Dyeing Techniques for Batik-Style Dyeing and Surface Design from Quilting Daily, you’ll be creating be creating easy batik fabric in no time.

Quilt Squares for Modern Quilters: 4 Free Quilt Block Patterns to Make Quilt Blocks

tiffwarble — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:44:33 GMT

In Quilt Squares for Modern Quilters: 4 Free Quilt Block Patterns to Make Quilt Blocks, we've rounded up three contemporary quilt designs with quilt squares and easy quilt blocks, plus a fresh take on traditional quilt blocks in the form of a shower curtain.

"Rubik's Crush" by Ashley Newcomb comes together quickly, pairing large print quilting squares with more intricate pieced quilting blocks.

Tina Givens' "Birdhouse Rock" quilt is based on nine simple quilt blocks in the shape of a birdhouse. A mix of solids and prints makes each pieced quilt square unique.

"A Dotty Garden" is one of those quilt block patterns that would look perfect at a cottage or sunny bed-and-breakfast in the country. Designer Sarah Fielke shares her easy method for how to appliqué quilt blocks in this pattern, and templates are included, too.

Finally, fill your bathroom with quilt block beauty by making a quilted shower curtain like the one by Jina Barney for Riley Blake Designs. Quilt squares come together to make larger quilt blocks in this combination of two traditional quilt block designs: the snowball and the Irish chain.

With so many easy quilt block patterns to try, we're sure you'll enjoy Quilt Squares for Modern Quilters: 4 Free Quilt Block Patterns to Make Quilt Blocks.

Designs for Handmade Baby Quilts: 4 Free Baby Quilt Patterns

Cate Prato — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:26:09 GMT

Baby quilts make great gifts to welcome a little one, and the smaller size makes them a perfect project for the beginning quilter.

In Designs for Handmade Baby Quilts: 4 Free Baby Quilt Patterns from Quilting Arts, we offer you contemporary baby quilt patterns from the easy to intermediate. You can choose fabrics similar to the ones our artists did, or adapt the color schemes and motifs to your own (or the baby's) taste.

Free-motion stitch all over the design or simply stitch in the ditch to quilt. Either way, you will end up with a baby quilt that will be a welcome addition to any nursery and may become an heirloom for generations to come.

5 Free Articles for Creative Quilting: Exploring Quilt Art Through Artist Trading Cards, Inchies, Landscape Quilts, and More

Cate Prato — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:54:25 GMT

Quilt art can come in many forms. From wall hangings and landscape quilts to paper quilts and fiber art that fits in the palm of your hand, quilters’ art options are unlimited.

In this free eBook, 5 Free Articles for Creative Quilting: Exploring Quilt Art through Artist Trading Cards, Inchies, Landscape Quilts, and More, we’ve pulled together five ways for you to explore quilt art and expand your creativity.

Essential Embroidery Stitches: Free Hand and Machine Embroidery Designs and Techniques

Quilting Daily — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:16:31 GMT

In this free eBook, Essential Embroidery Stitches: Free Hand and Machine Embroidery Designs and Techniques, we’ve assembled four of our best articles on machine and hand embroidery techniques. Each one gives you tips, hints, and instructions for adding embroidery patterns to your quilts.

How to Quilt: 4 Free Projects to Learn How to Make a Quilt

Erin Carey — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:33:44 GMT

In this free ebook, How to Quilt: 4 Free Projects to Learn How to Make a Quilt, you'll learn how to quilt using fabric scraps, craft-store flowers, a fish, and canvas and paint. At the same time, you'll receive basic quilting lessons for making a quilt binding, machine quilting, and fabric fusing. You'll even learn how to make a quilt in two different ways using the same theme and dimensions.

Traditional and Modern Quilting: Designs and Techniques for Quilt Designs

Cate Prato — Mon, 23 May 2011 17:35:51 GMT

Learn to create your own quilt designs based on techniques from traditional and modern quilting styles with this free eBook.

Floral Gift Tags

ellen seeburger — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 19:14:31 GMT

By Jill Amanda Kennedy from the November/December 2009 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.