I do mostly art quilts and love them. I started doing them before it was very popular. I do mostly portrait quilts and animals but am trying to incorporate more 'landscape" stuff in my pictures. I posted one a few days ago titled "Little boy and his dog". here on the Quilting board. I am currantly working on one of my Dad and Uncle with our hereford cattle. Thanks for starting this thread.

These are so beautiful. How does a person find out how to learn to art quilt?

I do mostly art quilts now, and generally abstracts. Some of mine...

9"x9" mixed-media quilt mounted on a stretched 12"x12" canvas - commercial batiks, Japanese paper, fused, machine quilted
http://i29.servimg.com/u/f29/13/49/59/13/yellow11.jpg



21"x28" interpretation of a painting titled "Rural Mailboxes" by Dan Brown, a Texas artist - done for a "telephone" style art quilt challenge - commercial cottons, beads, buttons, paper, fused, machine quilted, hand embroidered
http://i29.servimg.com/u/f29/13/49/59/13/challe12.jpg


34"x46" abstract titled "Welcome to My World" - a Quilt University design class project - commercial cottons and batiks, fused, machine quilted
http://i89.servimg.com/u/f89/13/49/59/13/005_co11.jpg

Beautiful Quilts! I've seen the class offered in Quilt U. You did a great job! This is my interest as well. I have lots of ideas but my skill level is not developed enough to do them justice. I've been working on journal quilts to try new techniques and for practice. Perfect way to learn what not to do. :).

Ghostrider I love your quilts! Not sure which I like the best. Here is my use to be really ugly but I fixed it today flower.

Quilt Journaling is the act of recording thoughts, actions, procedures, (ie experiments with fabric, fibers, mixed-media etc.) using quilting as the 'recorded page' of your personal diary. The 'quilt pages' you create may be daily, weekly, monthly or whatever appointed time you choose to commit to. It helps to set specific personal guidelines such as size restriction, and personal expectations so that you will stay inspired with a play and learn approach. Copy and paste the following link onto your browser to read my blog post on this topic. http://wwwjudywedemeyer.blogspot.com...ilts-2009.html I would also recommend searching Journal Quilting on Google. You'll get loads of articles and book titles to look at.

If you are open to suggestions and ideas, when you get 'stuck in the middle' post a photo of what you are working on and ask for ideas. I've never known creative folks to be short of ideas ~ especially on a project for someone else. :)

MissTreated- thanks for sharing your lovely quilts. They were new to me and probably for others as well. Your guy looking through the window puts a smile on my face and yet makes me feel a bit creepy... like I'm being spied on. What a novel idea. Thanks again for taking the time to share with us.

I am really glad this thread has reappeared, it would be nice to be able to make a permanent thread or whatever it is called from this one. I enjoy seeing everyone's quilts and also am wanting to do up my own art quilts. I haven't done many and they are gone now, so would like to get started again and I think this thread will help!

JuneBillie, You've asked what probably many following this thread are also thinking. I'm no expert on the subject but I'd like to encourage EVERYONE, that you each have a creative voice and are capable of using it - with or without a 'formal' artistic education. When I decided to leap into art quilting in 2009 I'd surfaced from 21 years of traditional quilting techniques which had provided me with the confidence to branch out. I'd also crafted and played with many other art mediums so I was comfortable with combining them in various experiments with my small quilts. I brought up the idea of Journal Quilting earlier in this thread because it provides a routine practice of playing with what you already know and purposefully trying something new each time. If you stay within a 12" square or something not much larger, you will not feel like you are wasting supplies and time on big pieces you may not like or come to a dead end on. Art quilting is really all about experimentation, getting comfortable with various techniques and then you may want to work in a series or on a specific theme to keep you more focused on what you want your artistic voice to say in your work. Due to the surge in art quilt popularity over the past several years, there are plenty of art quilting technique books available on the market online or in local book shops. If possible, find a buddy with like interest who will experiment with you. This thread will hopefully enlighten all levels of art quilters through encouragement and sharing your experiences and photos. Set your goals and get going!