Fiber Optics by Maria Shell, 2010, 48˝ × 48˝, Photo by Chris Arend ● Piece new prints and patterns out of solid fabrics and use them to create original, dynamic quilt designs ● Empower your creativity! Work freely without preconceived ideas ● Join author Maria Shell in a step-by-step journey of artistic discovery with this fascinating visual guide Maria Shell's Studio Work Space, Tools, And Thoughts Your work as a quiltmaker is simple—you cut, stitch, and press. Very few tools are required to do these jobs. Clearly, you want to do your very best, and proper tool selection makes that possible. If your scissors hurt your hands, get a new pair! If your rotary blade is dull, change it. If your step stool wobbles, find a new one. Life is too short to work with inadequate tools and materials. Empower yourself to do the best work you can by using only quality tools, supplies, and materials. Over the years, I have collected what I find to be the ultimate collection of tools for my sew¬ing space. I have found tools at Home Depot and at restaurant supply stores. Just because the tool was not made for quiltmaking does not mean you can’t use it for that! Other favor¬ite sources are my local quilt store and online specialty stores; support these businesses when you can. Do your research and buy the very best tools you can afford. Check out the tools of fellow quiltmakers. Ask questions and be curious. Workshops, books, and blogs are excellent places to find out what tools your favorite makers use. Big Rad Plaid by Maria Shell, 2017, 48˝ × 54˝ (Quilt made with Designer Essentials solids by FreeSpirit Fabric) Color From A Quilter’S Perspective It is useful to know that when you mix blue and yellow, you will get green, but as a quiltmaker you don’t nec¬essarily need to have that information. Unlike a painter or fabric dyer, who actually mixes colors, a quiltmaker uses already-colored fabric. But it’s imperative for successful quiltmaking to understand and pay atten¬tion to... how colors work in relationship to each other. It’s also useful to know that when you mix black with a color you get a shade, and when you mix gray with a color you get a tone. While these shades and tones may be just what you are looking for in a color palette, they can also look muted and dead, sucking the life out of other colors or making a color palette murky or dull. On the other hand, pure colors (with no black or gray in them) will be more lively. Keep these characteristics in mind when you are pulling together a color palette. Most quilters come to quilting with a natural inclination toward a particular palette. You may be very fond of earth tones or you may love the primary colors. It is helpful to identify where your comfort zone is and then grow. We all have colors we don’t like. Challenge yourself to use them. I find maroon disturbingly ugly and for years wouldn’t touch a shade of brown. After I welcomed brown into my palette, my work immediately gained a level of sophistication that it had been missing. Dance Party at Tamara’s House, by Maria Shell, 2012, 37˝ × 37˝ Photo by Chris Arend Working with Bits: Another pathway to creating original quilts is through what I call bit making—making a lot of smaller units that can then be placed on the design wall and arranged. Each chapter in this book, from Ruler-Made Stripes to Checks, Tracks, and Plaids, provides instructions on how to make bits. Sometimes I make dozens of bits before I put anything on the design wall. If I like bit, it tends to travel around, appearing in an assortment of quilts.
✔ Author(s): Maria Shell
✔ Title: Improv Patchwork: Dynamic Quilts Made with Line & Shape
✔ Rating : 4.8 out of 5 base on (140 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1617454966
✔ ISBN-13: 9781617454967
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about Improv Patchwork by Maria Shell
Melody Blake
What a rollercoaster of emotions! I laughed, cried, and everything in between. The author's ability to evoke such raw feelings is truly commendable. It's a story that will stay with me forever.
Elaine Leonard
I loved the powerful messages hidden within the story. The book tackled important social issues and made me ponder the world we live in. It's a must-read for everyone.
Sydney Richardson
This is a book I'll cherish and recommend to everyone. It touched my soul and made me reflect on life's profound mysteries.
