If you've been following my personal or the Hartford Stitch Instagram account for a while, you know that I love a wide variety of sewing projects. I'm happy sewing clothes, quilts, home decor, bags, you name it. In the past few years, though, I have turned my focus to my art quilts (I'll include a couple of recent ones below!).
What is an art quilt? Well, that term seems a little loose. I think of a quilt as having multiple layers: at the very least, a front and a back, though there's usually something in between. The top then becomes the "art" part. The quilt top is not made of traditional blocks. There may be fabric piecing involved, but I've also seen some beautiful quilts that are whole cloth and use printing, dyeing, and stitching methods to add depth.
I typically think of an art quilt as not functional but created to hang on a wall. Then again, I've made (what I consider to be) art quilts that get turned into bags or pouches. Maybe it's one of those things you know when you see it?
How do I start?
I always tell students in our 101 classes that the sewing machine is just a tool like any other you may have in your house. SEWING can seem daunting because there is so much to it: machine, patterns, fabric, notions, but if you first and foremost look at the sewing machine as a tool, it can simplify everything. First, you learn how to use the tool, and then you learn what you can do with it.
This is where I think art quilts are unique—they elevate the way we think of using a sewing machine. In art quilting, you get an opportunity to play with all those stitches, manipulate the tension to do some crazy things, use different threads to create unique textures, and more. The sewing machine becomes another important tool in an artist's toolbox!
If you're coming from a world of patterns or even just practical sewing, you may be at a total loss for where to start. First and foremost--- join us in the studio! Whether you're stopping into an Open Workshop or checking out one of our technique workshops (this winter, we have one on Foundation Paper Piecing, Thread Sketching, Improv Piecing, and Hand Applique -not machine sewing, but still applicable).
Where can I find inspiration? These are my favorite places for art quilt inspo:
Art Quilting Studio: This is an excellent magazine published by Stampington. It combines artist highlights with technique explanations.
Studio Art Quilt Associates: I just joined this year and have been in awe of all the works shared on their Facebook page. If you're not in a position to join, be sure to check out their IG page and be on the lookout for member shows so you can see some works up close and personal.
Search for #artquilt and #textileart on Instagram. You'll be amazed at what comes up!
It's Been a Day. Monoprinted cotton with acrylic and fabric paints, polyester thread, raffia.
Want some specifics? Here are some more of my favorite artists. Some specifically make art quilts, and others are textile or textile-adjacent artists.
Emily Van Hoff makes the most incredible shaped quilts.
Our friend Kat Owens creates powerful statements on trash in the ocean with her animal quilts made from plastic.
Spirit Cloth works beautifully with layers and raw edges.
Karolina Bakowska's work is postcard-sized, which is an excellent reminder that I don't always have to think big!
Zak Foster has been incorporating a lot of text and repurposed materials in his quilts, which I absolutely love.
Carolyn Murphy has me dreaming of straight lines and dense quilting.
It's not directly textile-related, but I have learned much from Drew Steinbrecher about gelli printing, which I use in my work.
If you have other resources (or your own Art Quilt definition!), leave a comment below!
Until next time... happy stitching!
Laura
Comments