inspired

Quilt
to
8 Creative Experiments
in Art Quilt Imagery

melanie testa
contents
x

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3

The Fabric Foundation
Explore fabric surface-design techniques
:: Monoprinting to create texture
and transparency
:: Freezer Paper: Positive and negative
resists, as a means to screen-print, use
with monoprint, dye crayon
:: Stamp making, carved, cut, and
alternative materials
:: Direct dye painting
:: Thick and thin line
Creating Art Quilts
Inspired by Your Journal
Combine techniques with
creative inspiration
:: P roject to create a map
:: Freezer paper resist/registration
:: Building your layers
:: Washing
Creating Collage and
Transparent Effects
Dig into you fabric stash and explore
fabric-collage techniques
:: S ynthetic demands/machine appliqué
:: T ucking silk sheers—it’s never too late
to add motifs
:: C utting away organza to create pop
chapter 4 chapter 5 chapter 6
Sandwiching and Quilting Surface Embellishment Finishing Techniques
Starting with quilting the layers, explore fabric Explore surface embellishments for
manipulation, machine-embroidery images, quilts from beading to hand drawing chapter 7
thread color gradations, and more :: Hand embroidery Small Works,
:: Hand drawing Series, and Exploration
:: Troubleshooting
:: Machine drawn line—before quilting :: Gold leaf :: P rojects and Patterns
and after :: Beading
:: Thread gradations
:: Darkening and accentuating with tulle
4 inspired to quilt
 Chapter 3 :: Creating Collage & transparent effects

So you’ve washed and ironed your whole cloth layers, and you are almost within
reach of being able to sew your layers together, but you’d like to add some collage.
This step is magical. It allows you to complete mapped design elements, introduce
new fabrics, textures, and motifs. The difference between the collaged fabrics and
the dyed work creates a feeling of substance and depth.

Sandwiching your quilt top with batting
and a backing creates a firm foundation
for machine-drawn line, fusing mapped
imagery, and adding a few new motifs,
too. Missteps in printing can be fixed at
this point. You might be able to find a
sheer fabric that blends into your pattern
so perfectly that no one will notice its
placement or create a pretty “butterfly” to
cover a wayward splotch.
Fixing Printmaking Mistakes
Fixing mistakes is much easier than it
might, at first, appear. As an artist (and
human), it is helpful to disengage from the
fear of making mistakes because frankly,
mistakes are an opportunity to expand and
think creatively. Let your mind wander,
knowing you will find the workable
solution.
Oftentimes fixes merely fool the eye away
from settling on the misstep. Registering
the layers can be problematic. The freezer-
paper resist might not have been applied to
the organza on grain, and it will only show
up after the fabric has been washed, and
you are about to sandwich the work and
move on to the exciting part!
Never fear! Perhaps you can add a fused
doodle over the wayward splotch, add
a similarly colored or textured organza
between the layers—masking the cotton
layer below it or cut away the bit of organza
that offends and quilt the all the layers
together, quickly!
In the example opposite, the partial
inverted word, “Dreamlan(d)” had one such
mistake. The organza wasn’t on grain when
I adhered the freezer-paper resist. After
printing both layers and washing, the layers
did not match up. No amount tugging
would make the letters match up.
The Dreamlan(d) piece required that I
apply fusible to some white silk habotai, a
lightweight silk that is just opaque enough
to cover over the “l”, “a” and “n” that were
misprinted and apply it to the cotton layer.
When fixing this type of misprint:
:: The organza layer becomes the master
or map.
:: Pin the organza layer in place.
:: Lift the organza enough that you can
place your fused habotai, aligning it to
the organza while applying it to the
cotton layer.
:: Iron fused habotai in place.

5
Project gallery

6 inspired to quilt
7
 Transform
concepts
into stunning
art quilts
Explore the art quilt design process through journaling, technique experiments, and making small projects
using a variety of step-by-step mixed-media, fiber-art, and surface-design techniques. Inspired to Quilt helps art
quilters translate a concept to finished product by delving into new and innovative ideas while coaching them
to find their own unique voice.
Inside readers will learn:
: : A variety of hands-on exercises and surface-design methods to jumpstart the design
process and discover personal style.
: : Step-by-step instructions and photography for methods including: fabric printing,
fabric manipulation, stamping, resists, layering, fabric painting, dyeing, stitching, Melanie Testa is an
appliqué, collage, machine embroidery, beading, and more. accomplished textile and
quilt artist. She attended
: : Useful finishing techniques that put the final touches on an art quilt, plus make
the Fashion Institute of
unique bindings and creative fixes.
Technology in Textile/Surface
: : A chapter on constructing small projects such as fabric postcards, artist trading Design and has taken many
cards, and more as ways of examining new ideas and techniques. courses from well-known
: : Helpful insider tips and tricks for making the most of time and resources. quilt and surface-design
artists including Natasha
Advanced beginner art quilters and fiber and mixed-media Kemper-Cullens, Ann
artists will enjoy learning the inventive processes for Johnston, Carol Soderlund,
designing art quilts in Inspired to Quilt! and Jane Dunnewold. She
exhibits her fiber art at
various galleries and quilt
shows around the country
and currently teaches fiber
arts at Coconino Community
College. Her articles have
Paperback, 81⁄2 x 101⁄4 , 144 pages appeared in Quilting Arts
200 photographs Magazine and the Studio
ISBN 978-1-59668-096-8 Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)
Journal. She lives in Flagstaff,
$24.95
Arizona.
May 2009