I don't sew (other than hand hemming and altering clothes as needed) and I would like to learn about quilting as an art form. Where do I begin?. Can anyone help me?

Thank you,
Kathleen

I recently bought a machine and taught myself with a little reading and some good advice from other quilters. The machine took a few days to learn enough to piece on. The rotary cutter was easy, though very sharp so be careful. Buy lots of extra fabric (100% cotton). And if you are an artist, just let it happen.

It's taken about a month to learn a few of the basics, and I imagine over time all the principles will fall into place. I always did like building blocks as a kid. More than anything quilting is fun and a great way to practice patience. If you already hand stitch you are one step ahead of where I started out. Go have some fun!

Oh yeah, the Jinny Beyer's books are great if you are talking artistic as apposed to utilitarian. I think a combination of both art and craft are always involved though.

http://www.saqa.com/ Go to google and type in art quilts and lots come up. I have resently posted a few web sites where people were selling quilts in the THOUSANDS. Alot of the women on THIs site that are talanted enough to put them to shame :mrgreen:

http://www.boundlessgallery.com/buy-art/449,Quilts.art
here is the site of the big money art quilts

I recommend Quilt University through EQ. ( www.quiltuniversity.com )They have lessons for beginners to advanced. You log in whenever you like and can download or print out the lessons. There are photo galleries you can look at and later share your work on. You can also email the teachers for help.

The classes are very reasonably priced and each gives a list of what you'll need.

There is also a free class when you sign up so you can get your feet wet without having to buy anything.

Art quilts use the same basic design techniques as the other visual arts, they just use fabrics and embellishments as the medium.

This is Studio Art Quilt Associates's definition:
SAQA defines an art quilt as a contemporary artwork exploring and expressing aesthetic concerns common to the whole range of visual arts: painting, printmaking, photography, graphic design, assemblage and sculpture, which retains, through materials or technique, a clear relationship to the folk art quilt from which it descends.

And this is Quilt National's definition:
The work must possess the basic structural characteristics of a quilt. It must be predominantly fabric or fabric-like material and must be composed of at least two full and distinct layers - a face layer and a backing layer. The face layer may be described by any or a combination of the following terms: pieced, appliqued, whole cloth, stitched/fused to a foundation. The face and backing layers must be held together by hand- or machine-made functional quilting stitches or other elements that pierce all layers and are distributed throughout the surface of the work. At least some of these stitches or elements should be visible on the back of the work. As an alternative, the work may be a modular construction (an assemblage of smaller quilts). Each individual module, however, must meet the above structural criteria.

If your background is in the arts, you have a valuable head start, but it is certainly not mandatory. Quilting Arts Magazine is a good source for new techniques and trends that most readers can successfully master. Learn as much as you can about artistic fundamentals (color, movement, balance, scale, focal point, texture, etc) and quilting fundamentals (piecing, applique, fusing, etc). Then pull out all the stops and let your vision guide you where it will. It's a great ride!! Most of all, have fun! :wink: