“Art Quilt Collage” review and giveaway

My friend, artist Deborah Bochert has a great new book out called Art Quilt Collage: A Creative Journey in Fabric, Paint and Stitch, and to celebrate, she’s hosting a book release blog hop with video chats! There’s a chance to win the book at each blog hop stop.

Deborah’s book focuses on her interesting collage technique, combining fabric elements with surface design and stitch (both hand work and machine stitching). If you are looking for good basic information about art quilt design, this book has it. It has tons of photos with specific examples, practical advice, and exercises to help you get started or take your work in another direction. It’s a fun read and a valuable resource. I especially enjoyed the section on finding and working with your personal symbols. (One of Deborah’s is the ladder.)

You can get a copy through C&T Publishing here:
http://www.ctpub.com/art-quilt-collage/

Through Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Quilt-Collage-Creative-Journey/dp/161745284X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473552342&sr=8-1&keywords=deborah+boschert

and Deborah has signed copies in her Etsy shop (buy one of the first 50 copies and you’ll get a bonus of original surface designed fabric she made!)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/474377211/pre-order-autographed-copy-of-my-book?ref=shop_home_feat_2

Here’s my video chat with Deborah:

Here’s a chance to win a copy of the book. Leave a comment after this post before noon EST September 30. Tell me if you have a personal symbol. If so, what is it? And if you don't have one (yet), what would it be? One of mine is the moon… constant and comforting, yet changeable; mysterious, and sometimes spooky; far away and unreachable, yet ever present in the night sky.

I’ll pick a comment at random. Make sure you include a way for me to reach you in case you win.

If you live in the USA, you’ll get a paper copy of the book. International winners will receive a e-book version.

Don’t forget to check out the other blog stops for more chances to win!

Art Quilt Collage: A Creative Journey in Fabric, Paint and Stitch
Book Release Blog Hop with Video Chats!

September 20: Teri Lucas, Generation Q Magazine
http://generationqmagazine.com

September 21: Susan Brubaker Knapp
http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com

September 22: Sue Bleiweiss
http://suebleiweiss.com/blog/blog.html

September 23: Lyric Kinard
http://lyrickinard.com/lyric-kinard-blog/

September 26: Lori Kennedy
http://theinboxjaunt.com

September 27: Maria Shell
https://talesofastitcher.com

September 28: Jane LaFazio
http://janeville.blogspot.com

September 29: Judy Coates Perez
http://www.judycoatesperez.com

September 30: Melanie Testa
http://melanietesta.com/blog/


UPDATE: We have a winner! Shilsenbeck has won the book. Thanks, everyone!

“Ione”

A week ago, I was in Cleveland, shooting my sixth series of “Quilting Arts TV” – Series 1900. (I’ll post photos from the shoot later this week!) One of our guests was Teresa Shippy, who is well known for her Cool Classic Rides series, featuring wonderful old cars, buses and campers. They are absolutely fabulous. She demonstrated how she makes these art quilts in a segment, and I came home dying to try it.

Me, with Teresa Shippy, and some of her groovy VW vans!

I’ve been wanting to make a piece for my Dad, based on an old photo he took of his car, Ione (named this because it was the first car he owned: I OWN!)

My dad has dementia/Alzheimer’s, and his memories of things far in the past are much better than those of what he had for breakfast. He loves looking at old photos, and for his eightieth birthday, I made him an album filled with photos from his life, from birth to the present.

My Dad, in 1956, with an earlier family car.

For this piece, I used Teresa’s techniques, working on a piece of painted canvas, and collaging the pieces for the car from cotton fabrics, canvas, and some specialty fabric (the tires are a fake leather). I’m really thrilled with how it turned out. Thanks, Teresa! I’m excited to share Teresa’s techniques with our QATV viewers. Series 1900 will air this winter. 

I hope Dad likes this piece, and it brings back good memories.

Little birdies

Here’s my latest needleturn applique project, some sweet little songbirds. The background newsprint fabric is by Tim Holtz, and I think it sets the birds off really nicely; it’s a neutral, but with enough interest that it’s not boring. I’m creating simple patterns from photos. These are very small 4" blocks, so I can’t add too much detail or it gets too intricate to stitch.

I’m not sure what project I’ll make with these. I’d love to do enough for a small art quilt, maybe about 24x36". I’m using some funky textured sequins, trimmed to size, for the pupils of the eyes. Have you seen all the amazing sequins that are available these days? Check them out on Cartwright’s Sequins.

I’m getting some requests for a pattern for this, but I’m hesitant. I haven’t done patterns in ages! Would you be interested in a pattern for these little birdies?

“Fly”

I’m getting my ducks all in a row this week to shoot Series 1900 of “Quilting Arts TV.” Unfortunately, one of our guests had to cancel due to medical issues. (But she’s being rescheduled for Series 2000.) That meant filling her spots in the lineup. So I’ve been hopping here!

Here’s another piece that will be featured in an episode. It’s based on this sketch of a feather:

And here’s a detail shot so you can see the stitching better:

I’ll explain how I transferred the basic outline of the feather and spine, and then free-motion stitched the feather onto a piece of hand-dyed fabric.

Want to see all the behind-the-scenes photos from the set of “Quilting Arts TV”? I’ll be posting some each day. Follow me on Facebook here (Susan Brubaker Knapp, fiber artist): https://www.facebook.com/SusanBrubakerKnappFiberArtist/

… or on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/susanbrubakerknapp/