Forward Preface The Journey Inspiration for Quilt Design Launching the Design Process Start a Journal or Sketchbook Developing an Idea Finding Line Work Color through my Eyes Creating Strata Techniques for the Toolbox No Ruler Cutting and Piecing Narrow Insert Piecing Pieced Strips Medallion or Log Cabin Piecing Corner Curve Piecing Nuts and Bolts of Quilt Design Elements of Design Principles of Design The Design Process Color Thoughts Color and Value Assignment Getting Started Design the Quilt Making Connections Stuck --- what to do? The Critique Process Tools of the Trade Tools Unconventional Finishing Methods Quilting Lines as Design Lines Detail Stitching Quiltlets Framing Raw Edge Finish Facing Finish Pillow Turn Finish Whole-Cloth Finish Portrait Finish Off the Wall Quilts Three Dimensional Boxes Pincushions Continuing the Journey Resources About the Author
Jean Wells has written or co-authored over 24 quilting books. Jean combines her everyday life with her passion, whether it is putting on the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show near her Oregon home or planting a quilt block pattern in her garden.
What did I find inside this gorgeous cover? So much inspiration but
also the tools to create new works myself. The subject is broken
down into manageable chapters covering such topics as Inspiration
for Quilt Design, Launching the Design Process, Nuts and Bolts of
Quilt Design, The Design Process and the all important Tools and
Techniques. You learn a lot about the quilts in this book which I
love. I think that it is by knowing how someone created something
that you are able to start your own journey taking the piece or the
artist as inspiration. This is a book you could flick through but I
am actually reading it from front and back because the content
really speaks to me. It has already sparked a lot of ideas and has
bought home to me the value of journaling and sketchbooks. Both the
natural and man world world are referenced in the book and from
both the use of line is discussed. Breaking down the whole into its
constituent pieces and sometimes finishing up with a piece that
doesn't resemble the original inspiration at all but you can see
how it has been influenced. Read the full review
here.
*Cut & Alter*
Although primarily intended for quilters, the first section of this
book is about stepping out of the box to look at design, using
colour, line, scale, shape, harmony, pattern and texture as well as
discussing the principles of design. These skills are easily
transferable and essential for any weaver, especially tapestry
weavers. The section on colour is particularly interesting, as Jean
talks at length about 'pushing a palette' by taking the intended
colour, making it lighter, brighter, duller and darker, and goes on
to consider monochromatic, analogus and complementary colours, as
well as accented neutral colours. She continues by discussing value
and contrast, intensity, temperature, seasons, personality of
colours and palettes that relate to places and things. The book is
very well written with clear precise text and beautiful
photographs. For anyone thinking about design, colour and texture
weaving, I can throughly recommend this book, as it will certainly
open up your eyes and make you look at your surroundings in a
completely different light. The second part of this book is Tools &
Techniques used in quilting, so less relevant to weavers.
*Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers*
I really liked this book. The chapters are well considered and take
the reader through the stages of design, stitch and completion in a
sensible fashion. Jean’s method of quilting reminds me so much of
drawing. A great sense of colour and line translate her ideas into
stitched and pieced compositions that convey a message to the
senses. Although the book contains a lot of information it leads
the reader lightly through the stages of inspiration and design to
the nuts and bolts of construction. A final section with ideas for
finishing techniques gives suggestions that all textile artists
would find useful.
In this context, the sections on abstraction and elements of design
were particularly welcome. This is a book to keep handy. I have a
feeling that I am going to be dipping into it rather a lot.
*Workshop on the web*
Creative quilting brought to you by one of the best quilt
designers. This book gives you exercises to follow to design your
own quilts by thinking outside the block. Taking quilting in a new
direction, this book frees up your creativity. Find plenty of
inspiration, guidance and ideas for the adventurous quilter. Full
of examples and colour photos that will make you want to quilt and
quilt again. This book covers design, piecing and finishing. If you
already have the first edition though, I am not sure it is worth
buying the second, it is mainly the photos that have been moved
around more than new content. If you do not have the first edition,
then you can do no better than buy this book. It is simply superb
for the contemporary quilter and those who want to learn more about
the design process.
*Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk*
August 2017 This is Jean Well's 30th book and as well as being an
author, she owns the Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon, which she
opened in 1975 and now runs with her daughter Valeri. Over the
years she's won numerous awards and became the 40th inductee into
the Quilters Hall of Fame in 2012. One of the great joys of her
teaching workshops and through collaborating with other artists,
she has liberated herself from the ruler and now counts her small
digital camera as her best friend. With this she has taken hundreds
of photos that provide her with design and colour inspiration. The
academic side of Jean's approach comes across loud and clear in the
way the book is laid out. Each chapter comes with assignments and
she encourages her readers and students to try one out several
times. There's a whole chapter on piecing techniques with six
assigments including Rulerless Cutting and Piecing and Straightline
inserts, each full explained and illustrated. In essence though,
this book is in two parts: Design and Tools and Techniques makes
the design part easier but she encourages her readers to switch
between the two. Jean's great gift is that she is foremostly an
artist who works primarily in cloth and stitches. Many of her
techniques would easily be suitable for students of other creative
disciplines. The quality of her work is magnificent and it's really
interesting how she transposes shapes, pattern, colour and scale
from her photographs onto her quilts, showing her workings-out
along the way. You'll refer to this book again and again.
*Popular Patchwork*
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