Simple appliques
This is probably the most common way of adding a foreground, or subject, to an art quilt. If you have not done much applique, I will put instructions for raw edge applique at the bottom of this page. But any type of applique can be used! The leaves in the first one have two fabrics in each, but they look like even more than that is going on as I used hand dyed fabrics with plenty of mottling. (From Starr Design Fabrics) Often the fabrics themselves can do some work for you!
Another little trick is to have branches, stems, or trees go off the edge of your quilt or section they are in. This keeps you from having to deal with how they end or blend into the background. (chickadee quilt)
This is probably the most common way of adding a foreground, or subject, to an art quilt. If you have not done much applique, I will put instructions for raw edge applique at the bottom of this page. But any type of applique can be used! The leaves in the first one have two fabrics in each, but they look like even more than that is going on as I used hand dyed fabrics with plenty of mottling. (From Starr Design Fabrics) Often the fabrics themselves can do some work for you!
Another little trick is to have branches, stems, or trees go off the edge of your quilt or section they are in. This keeps you from having to deal with how they end or blend into the background. (chickadee quilt)
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Night Owl, pattern available
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Summer Dragonfly, kit and pattern available
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More complex appliques
Once you get the hang of appliques, you can start doing more complex designs that way. Either more fabrics, or add details with thread, beads, or paint.
Once you get the hang of appliques, you can start doing more complex designs that way. Either more fabrics, or add details with thread, beads, or paint.
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Appliques fussy cut from printed fabrics
Another way to do an easy applique is to use an image from printed fabric. I often do trees this way, as there are lots of great tree fabrics out there! But it doesn’t have to be trees, it can be birds, animals, planets, anything you can find printed on fabric. The fish cards have a watercolorish fabric background, free motion stitching, the fish cut out of fish fabric, and a real fly. The journal cover is just the same stripey background technique but turned into a book cover instead of a wall hanging. Tutorial here: https://www.onthetrailcreations.com/quilted-book-cover-tutorial.html
I generally try to avoid doing too much of this one, because if the colors aren't right it can look patchy. Especially if you use more than one, like trees from one fabric, rocks from another, etc. But sometimes it works!
Another way to do an easy applique is to use an image from printed fabric. I often do trees this way, as there are lots of great tree fabrics out there! But it doesn’t have to be trees, it can be birds, animals, planets, anything you can find printed on fabric. The fish cards have a watercolorish fabric background, free motion stitching, the fish cut out of fish fabric, and a real fly. The journal cover is just the same stripey background technique but turned into a book cover instead of a wall hanging. Tutorial here: https://www.onthetrailcreations.com/quilted-book-cover-tutorial.html
I generally try to avoid doing too much of this one, because if the colors aren't right it can look patchy. Especially if you use more than one, like trees from one fabric, rocks from another, etc. But sometimes it works!
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Panels
Panels are really fun to work with, and can be the beginning of an art quilt. You just have to add your own touch to them!
Panels are really fun to work with, and can be the beginning of an art quilt. You just have to add your own touch to them!
For this panel, by Teresa Ascone, I added several borders with some extra decorations, thread sketching on the panel, and some trees that extend over a couple of the borders.
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This panel is by Karla Morriera. I tried to extend the design into the borders, even adding another fish with Inktense pencils where it crossed to a border.
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Another Teresa Ascone panel. This time I made a bargello background to put it on. This was much easier than trying to do that design as borders.
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Thread Only
And last, but not least, I thought we'd go a little bit past the very beginner level of techniques, but I still wanted to include it for the adventurous people out there! This is a good way to play with thread sketching, do the whole design that way! If you draw it on first, and choose a sketchy design to start with, it’s not toooo scary :-) The ballerina quilt (based on a drawing by our friend Grace Bennett) also has quilted diagonal stripes for the background, again with a gradation. Free motion quilting and thread sketching take practice, for sure, but if you expect that, it can be less scary and really addicting!
And last, but not least, I thought we'd go a little bit past the very beginner level of techniques, but I still wanted to include it for the adventurous people out there! This is a good way to play with thread sketching, do the whole design that way! If you draw it on first, and choose a sketchy design to start with, it’s not toooo scary :-) The ballerina quilt (based on a drawing by our friend Grace Bennett) also has quilted diagonal stripes for the background, again with a gradation. Free motion quilting and thread sketching take practice, for sure, but if you expect that, it can be less scary and really addicting!
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Ok, now it's time for possibly my biggest secret weapon, borders! If you are dubious, fasten your seat belt! 🤣
