Have started scratching out a design on paper....and going for a rummage through my stash...this could actually be the start of something....

We had an Art Quilt Guild that met at our shop. Some of the mediums used were: Shiva Paint Sticks, Tyvek, Texture Magic, thread painting, etc. Some of the ladies hand-dyed their own fabric. Some of the ladies attached non-fabric things onto their quilts, everything from beads to metal washers to parts from a bra. There are several online art quilt forums.....hope this helps!

I started quilting about a year ago and decided it was too much the same, so I started art quilting. I have taken a few online classes and have made two pieces so far. I am getting ready to start my third. It is hard to let my mind go as I want everything to be realistic, therefore, I am trying to break away from that with some abstracts.

Neberlin, you've given me some ideas here on how to play in the abstract. I don't use my machine's fancy stitches nearly enough. If you haven't tried bobbin stitching it is quite useful for those larger threads that won't go through a needle and gives a hand stitched appearance with some threads. I've only done it a few times so I'm not an expert with the technique but the main thing is to wind the thread (like perle cotton or tatting thread) onto a bobbin and adjusting the bobbin tension loose enough to allow thread flow. Then you stitch from the wrong side or back side of your top or quilt. I use this technique when I want a pronounced thread line to show on the top. Since you can't see what you are doing from the back side, echo quilting doesn't work unless you sew an outline stitch in regular thread from the top side first, which then provides a line to follow from the backside with the heavier bobbin thread. Bobbin stitching is great for all over designs using either free motion quilting or following the design of the backing fabric.

Judebug, thanks for the idea of bobbin stitching. I have heard of it but have not tried it yet. :)

Wow, I did my "first" art quilt last year. A friend challenged several of us to do a tribute to Mahalia Jackson (in celebrating her 100th birthday, if she was still living). And this was my Art Quilt. I scrattered words in the song from magazines, machine stitched and covered with netting.

I wish I was an art quilter. I'm not creative enough. :) I love looking at art quilts though. They are amazing!!!

I can draw pretty well, but I tried oil painting and it wasn't for me. So how could I incorporate drawing into an art quilt without painting? Would I use thread? Or do applique? And so many people are dying their own fabric. How cool is that? I would make a mess doing the dying thing. I love applique but I don't know if I drew something and then appliqued a lot of different fabrics together if it would constitute art. It might just be applique.

Pretty much anything you can do on paper, you can do on cloth. They're both made from plant fibers after all. Some suggestions to get you started. All are available at Dick Blick Art Materials, along with much, much more. http://www.dickblick.com/

Watercolor pencils - Inktense Pencils (Derwent)
Oil sticks - PaintStiks (Shiva)
Brush tip markers - Stained (Sharpie)
Fabric markers - Tea Juice Markers (Jacquard)
Acrylic inks - FW Acrylic Water-resistant Artists Inks (Daler-Rowley)
Crayons (Crayola)
Colored Pencils (Prismacolor)

Great quilt!