I remember when I first started quilting in 2000, I devoured books and magazines to teach myself the basics of construction and to learn more about the range of techniques and styles available. These days there are so many valuable resources online to suit every kind of learning style and budget. It is my pleasure to review the 75 minute Quilting Arts workshop by Sarah Ann Smith – Art Quilt Design From Photo to Threadwork. This workshop is available from the Interweave Store in both DVD and digital download formats or you can order the DVD from Sarah directly.
Not wanting to wait around for a DVD to ship from the United States to Australia, I went for the digital download option onto my PC. It’s a BIG file (900+ MB) so you obviously need broadband but otherwise it’s instant gratification! Before you know it, you will be virtually alongside Sarah’s worktable to share her enthusiasm for transforming photos into fabric art enhanced by textile paints and thread drawing.
Step by step, Sarah takes you through the process of selecting an image and collating the tools and materials required for the project. She talks about the array of items that you can see in this photo. I found this very instructive. I have always looked at my mini-Rotary cutter with a little disdain but, in Sarah’s hands, this cutter turns into a “sporty “Maserati”. Humble pot scrubbers apparently have a useful role in “good fusing hygiene”. And wait until you see what she does with that iron!
Whether you’re a fine detail person who revels in cutting out lots of small pieces or you prefer a more laidback, “blobby” approach, Sarah provides tips and inspiration on how to create shadows and light and texture in your composition.
When she moves from the worktable to the sewing machine, you can almost hear Sarah sing. She is very knowledgeable about all things relating to machine stitching and is author of the book Threadwork Unravelled. Her expertise and enthusiasm shines through as she demonstrates the transformative power of stitch and thread.
Learning new things and making modifications to suit your own way of working is the strong theme of the workshop. Along the way, Sarah mentions how to use the scissor/thread cutters on the machine but still keep lovely long thread tails to neaten off by hand. It’s so obvious now that I think about it but in all the hours at my machine, I had never worked it out how to use the scissors that way! Proof indeed that you can always learn something new.
Blog Hop Giveaway
For an opportunity to win a digital download of Art Quilt Design From Photo to Threadwork, pop over to Sarah Ann Smith’s blog for her giveaway and include a one or two letter code at the end of your comment being a colour that begins with the same letter at your first name. For example, Margaret might use the code “Magenta” and Zelda could put “Zingy Lime”. Look out for the other giveaways on the blog hop:
- November 14: Marie Johansen
- November 19: Jaye Lapachet
- November 23: Susan Brubaker Knapp
- November 27: Daphne Greig
- Late November: Lisa Walton
- Early December: Sarah Ann Smith with the Grand Finale including goodies from MistyFuse and Havel’s Scissors!
PS: if you are visiting from Sarah’s blog, welcome! You may be interested to know, I am curating another travelling textile art exhibition in 2014/2015. Read more at Living Colour! Entries close on 31 January 2014.