Category Archives: Art Making

Suffering from Silkaphobia?

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Do you suffer from silkaphobia the fear of silk fabric? Does it scare you to use it in your art work? Want help in overcoming your silkaphobia? Then please join me on May 17 at the online Layered and Stitched event on Creative Spark where I’ll show you how to make the silk art quilt, Fine Line Tree above.

My presentation, Creating Silk Art Quilts, is about taking the fear out of working with silk. I’ll talk about what types of silk to use, show you how to paint white silk for a sky, assemble a fused design, and add hand embroidery to the small silk art quilt.

Layered & Stitch: An Art Quilt Experience

The Layered & Stitch: An Art Quilt Experience is a two-day live, virtual event with fourteen expert quilting instructors. You’ll find a lineup of engaging sessions covering quilt improvisation, techniques, tips, materials, and beyond. Learn about landscape quilts, surface design, how to use fabric scraps and silks, finding your creative voice, and so much more!

Come for the mini masterclasses and stay for the giveaways and a virtual swag bag. (I’m giving away a Resources Page with a pattern for the Fine Line Tree above.) Watch live or recorded. By securing your spot, you’ll have lifetime access to all sessions and can revisit your favorite moments whenever you please. 

It is time to overcome your silkaphobia! Sign up here and get $20 off!

Free-Form Design Complete

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Home in the Country #2 by Laura Wasilowski

My free-form design on felt is complete. It is stitched to a rectangle of yellow felt using the fly stitch and French knots around the pinked edges. The yellow felt is stitched to a blue cotton fabric that is wrapped around a stiff interfacing.

Creating artwork by improvising a design can be a challenge but it is always rewarding. Sure, you don’t have a sketch or pattern to work from but designing a composition as you go is a cheap thrill! Without a pattern, you are free to let you imagination and chance help you create something unique. I recommend free-form design to everyone!

Free-Form Design Step #4

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The flying flower is well tethered to the tree trunk with chain stitches. Beware! It’s one of those climbing plants that you can take over the garden.

I’ve decorated the giant flower with a few French Knots around the edge and filled the lazy daisy stitches on the stem with that same Really Red thread. Oddly enough there is a tiny flower growing off the rooftop of the house. How did that get there?