Books for Quilters!
More than 150 Titles, Most at a Discount, in the Planet Patchwork Quilters'
Bookstore!
Number Twenty-One * January 1, 1998
Classifieds | Table of Contents
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BOOK REVIEW: Fooling Your Eyes
Optical Illusions for Quilters
By Karen Combs
American Quilter's Society, 1997
162 pages, $22.95
Available at a discount from the Planet Patchwork Quilters' Bookstore
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0891458921/planetpatchworkA/
One of the qualities that
distinguishes "fine" art from primitive, or folk art, is the effective use of
perspective. Medieval paintings and contemporary folk art painting, for instance, often
share a flatness or a distortion in the relative sizes of "far" and
"near" objects that tell us the artist is not trained in (or has no interest in)
creating realistic illusions of depth. Quilters, too, over time have learned to use more
advanced techniques in their art.
In Optical Illusions for Quilters, Karen Combs provides quilters the ultimate
reference, shy of formal training in art, for mastering not only perspective but a wide
array of other "illusions" that can add depth, motion, and interest to quilts.
Whether the goal is to create a realistic picture or a quilt of dancing parallelograms
that seems to recede into infinity, this book explores and explains the various ways it
can be done.
Depth, perspective, motion, and color are the four major topics that organize the book, as
Combs takes a highly technical and potentially intimidating subject and breaks it down
into its component parts, with lots of illustrations and photos to help make things clear.
She walks us through one-point, two-point, three-point and isometric perspective with the
help of detailed diagrams and step-by-step instructions on how to draw objects in these
ways, and how to apply it to quilt design.
Combs applies the same detailed and painstaking explanation to the variety of factors that
contribute to the illusion of motion on a flat surface. In both realistic and abstract
images, including many quilts, she demonstrates how art can be brought to life with simple
techniques for suggesting movement through the proper arrangement of juxtaposition of
elements. The explanations are both academic and practical, and in many cases they are
inspirational as well, by showing what can be created by applying these techniques through
simple forms.
The last section of the book, on color, demonstrates how colors play off one another and
can be manipulated to create illusions of space, advancing or receding to our
delighted-to-be-deceived eye.
Although the book explores some arcane territory, Combs never forgets that her audience is
quilters, not scientists, and ties all of her observations and lessons back to quilting.
Each section contains several pages of traditional quilt blocks that show the
characteristics of depth, motion or other illusion that she has been talking about in the
chapter. At the end of the book is a section of 12-inch patterns and templates for blocks
which lend themselves to illusionistic design.
Best of all for those of us who must have our dessert first is the liberal sprinkling of
gorgeous quilts used as illustrations throughout. Not stinting on the colored ink, AQS has
produced stunning and generously sized plates on nearly every page. The quilts are in all
styles, from realistic pictorials such as Cynthia England's "Come into the
Light" to abstract inspirations such as Ellen Anne Eddy's "Quilts in Space"
or Emily Richardson's mysterious "Journey: Lost/Found," which looks like a
vision of the Underworld. The only thing marring this aspect of the book is that a few of
the photographs are muddy or out-of-focus.
In just the right balance of pedagogical detail and artistic fancy, Karen Combs has
created a book which will become dog-eared with use by both beginners and quilting
veterans who want to add that "extra dimension" to their art.
The MINI DUST-IT. Genuine sheepskin duster on a 6" stick that is perfect for picking up dust and lint from your sewing machine and serger. Soft, beautiful sheepskin won't scratch polished surfaces. Picks up the lint and tiny threads; doesn't spread them around. Prevents lint build-up. Inexpensive way to protect expensive sewing machines and sergers. Fun and handy to use.
Price: $3.50 each including mailing.
To order send check to Silver Dollar Sheep Station, 5020 Winding Way, Sacramento, CA 95841. 800-887-8742. SILVER DOLLAR SHEEP STATION
QUILTBROKER
Happy New Year, 1998! I would like to thank all of you, customers and
visitors to the QuiltBroker in 1997, who helped make the year, 1997, a success for Design
Plus. We will be adding some NEW and exciting features to the QuiltBroker web site (http://www.quiltbroker.com) in the near future, so
watch for details in upcoming TVQ announcements.
We now have a FREE PATTERN that you may print directly from The QuiltBroker web site, and
share with your quilting friends, as well as some extra special pricing on quilting books.
Point your browser to http://www.quiltbroker.com/thangles.html.
You save even more money when you buy from Design Plus at The QuiltBroker because WE PAY
the shipping on prepaid orders.
Heidi Wurst, owner lv2quilt@frii.com
P. O. Box 273, Esperance NY 12066
ANTIQUE QUILT & TEXTILE CONVENTION. May 21-23, 1998. Held in Lowell, MA, the
birthplace of the American Textile Revolution. Features private tours of museums and
conservation centers as well as lectures by noted curators, authors, appraisers and
conservationists. For more information, write Hickory Hill Antique Quilts, Box 273,
Esperance NY 12066 or see http://www.HickoryHillQuilts.com/lowell.htm
Quilt Shop Service -- Discount Prices
**New: Save on Fabric!** PineTree is now discounting fabric! With more than 2000 bolts on
the floor, more fabric goes on the website catalog each week, at prices 20% off retail.
Don't miss PineTree's **New** Stash Stockers(tm), the exciting selections of six fat
quarters from top manufacturers!
Shopping online for quilting supplies is now easier than ever! PineTree Quiltworks now
offers a secure server for credit card transactions! Just scope out the website catalog at
http://quilt.com/pinetree and place your credit
card order from the ***new*** secure website order form. Visa, MasterCard, American
Express, and Discover are welcome.
PineTree's your source for discounted quilting supplies and books! PineTree offers
attentive customer service and prompt shipping, along with website convenience and 20%
discounts!
You'll find a huge selection of batting, from Quilter's Cotton fine cotton batts to the
full lines of Hobbs' and Fairfield's cottons, blends, and polys. Look for tools to make
applique easier and more fun; fabric and hand care products; pencils and markers;
templates and template plastic; needlecraft gloves; rotary cutters and related supplies;
rippers, clippers, snippers, and scissors; machine sewing needles; seven (!) brands of
hand sewing needles -- including Jeana Kimball's renowned Foxglove Cottage needles;
basting systems; thread, including Mettler and Gutermann cotton sewing and quilting, Tire
silk sewing, and Sulky rayon, metallic, and sliver, and *new* Roxy 100% cotton thread on
economical 1200-yard spools; patterns ... and more. There are many more books at PineTree
than you'll find in the books listing online, so if you don't see what you want, ask for
it! All books are discounted 20%.
Check out the catalog on the web at http://quilt.com/Pinetree,
or request a free hard copy by e-mailing snail mail info to pinetree@quiltworks.com. If you are on AOL and
prefer to contact someone there, you'll find us at PineTreeQ!
PineTree is online to answer questions about quilting products at pinetree@quiltworks.com
Gridded Geese(c) is a unique paper foundation method for
mass-producing Flying Geese units up to 24 at once (no kidding!).
Schoolhouse Enterprises, inventors and manufacturers of this revolutionary product, offers
both an on-line (http://quilt.com/GG) and printed
version of their catalog. They search for items for quilters (and friends of quilters)
which are unique and often overlooked by other catalogs you might connect with. Their
newest catalog, hot off the press, offers such interesting items as Photos-to-Fabric(tm)
photo transfer paper, Danforth Pewter jewelry and buttons, and the Ott Light... all at
discounted prices!
And while you're visiting their web site, be sure to check out their on-line catalog for
their Monthly $pecial$!! If you're not able to access their web page, just e-mail
Schoolhouse Enterprises (gridgees@algorithms.com)
with your "snail mail" (post office) address for your FREE CATALOG and Sample of
Gridded Geese(c)! (Samples are only available in the printed catalogs.)
Perfect Square is a reusable iron on transfer used to make half square triangles quickly, easily and accurately. Each sheet can be used at least 10 times, usually more. For those of you who like to work small, there is the Mini Pack with finished sizes from 1/4" to 1 1/2". Perfect Square also comes in real sizes for anyone intimidated by the small stuff.E-mail for more info or check out the Perfect Square web site at www.webworldinc.com/perfectsquare.
ARTFABR!K now carries a Color Card for their extraordinary hand-dyed perle cotton threads available in sizes 3, 5, 8 and the finest, size 12. Please send $7 plus $1 for shipping to ARTFABR!K, Laura Wasilowski, 324 Vincent Place, Elgin, IL 60123. E-mail artfab@suba.com or see our web site at http://www.qcx.com/fabrik/artfab.html
Beautiful hand Dyed Fabric perfect for piecing, applique and pictorial quilts. Colors range from a sunrise spectrum of mauves, pinks, and golds to deep purples, blues and teals. Available in the following convenient packages:
| 8 step color progression- | fat eighth cuts- | 1 yard | $25.00 |
| 12 step color wheel- | 6"x22"cuts | 1 yard | $25.00 |
| 24 step color wheel- | 6"x22" cuts | 2 yards | $45.00 |
| 10" squares | 1.5 yards | $35.00 |
Send a self addressed, stamped envelope for free samples and full price list or to order send check or money order to:
Jay Dee Designs 18640 South Lowrie Loop Eagle River, Alaska 99577
E-mail: unique@alaska.net
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