Textures from Nature in Textile Art


Book Description

Harness the beauty of the natural world to create unique textile art pieces. Learn how to create beautiful textile art inspired by details in nature in this practical and inspirational guide. Acclaimed textile artist Marian Jazmik shows how to use unusual recycled and repurposed materials combined with traditional fabric and thread. Marian reveals the secrets of her lushly textured and sculptural embroidered pieces, from initial photograph to finished object. Exploring nature as a constant source of inspiration, she shows how to turn a chance spotting of lichen on a tree trunk or a scattering of autumn leaves into glorious textile or mixed-media art. Marian goes on to explore the myriad of techniques she uses in her work, including: How to begin with photography, homing in on details in nature. How to manipulate images to create microscopic and surprising detail. How to translate the images into 3-D work, using an eclectic mix of natural and man-made textiles, as well as unusual recycled materials otherwise be destined for landfill (packaging, plastics and household DIY products). Hand and machine embroidery. Dyeing, printing and painting. Using heat gun and soldering iron to create heavily textured surfaces. Packed with practical tips, inspiration and illustrated throughout with glorious examples of Marian’s work, this book will provide you with endless imaginative ideas for distilling the wonders of nature into your own textile art.




Textures from Nature in Textile Art


Book Description

Harness the beauty of the natural world to create unique textile art pieces. Learn how to create beautiful textile art inspired by details in nature in this practical and inspirational guide. Acclaimed textile artist Marian Jazmik shows how to use unusual recycled and repurposed materials combined with traditional fabric and thread. Marian reveals the secrets of her lushly textured and sculptural embroidered pieces, from initial photograph to finished object. Exploring nature as a constant source of inspiration, she shows how to turn a chance spotting of lichen on a tree trunk or a scattering of autumn leaves into glorious textile or mixed-media art. Marian goes on to explore the myriad of techniques she uses in her work, including: How to begin with photography, homing in on details in nature. How to manipulate images to create microscopic and surprising detail. How to translate the images into 3-D work, using an eclectic mix of natural and man-made textiles, as well as unusual recycled materials otherwise be destined for landfill (packaging, plastics and household DIY products). Hand and machine embroidery. Dyeing, printing and painting. Using heat gun and soldering iron to create heavily textured surfaces. Packed with practical tips, inspiration and illustrated throughout with glorious examples of Marian’s work, this book will provide you with endless imaginative ideas for distilling the wonders of nature into your own textile art.




Stitch and Structure


Book Description

An essential book for any textile artist looking to expand their repertoire into two- and three-dimensional work. Leading textile artist, teacher and examiner Jean Draper takes you through the entire process from designing through construction to embellishment with mixed media. This beautiful and very practical book includes diagrams, detailed drawings and stitch information to guide the reader through the techniques, which include hand and machine embroidery. It covers: Design, including recording information for translation into stitch (with lots of drawing tips); Choice of Threads, including some unusual threads and customizing them; Constructing with Thread, everything from knotted forms, with decorative threads, grids and stacks, and coiled structures; Stitches in Thin Air, constructing with stitch alone using moulds and soluble fabric; Using Mixed Media in Stitched Structures, such as paper, sticks, wire and plastics; Adding Structure to an Existing Fabric; Three-Dimensional Fabric Structures. Working in two and three-dimensions is a growing genre of textile art and this incorporates a fresh approach and great design advice.




Textile Landscape


Book Description

Textile Landscapes demonstrates how to develop your approach to textile art with a focus on using found objects and paint and stitch on cloth and paper. Cas explains how to exploit the contrast between the hands-on textural quality of working with fabrics and threads and the spontaneity and movement of brush marks to lend a painterly quality to your work. She begins with the basics – keeping a sketchbook to generate ideas, painting and stitching on cloth and on paper and working digitally; Inspiring Landscapes looks at natural and urban space, the changing seasons and great landscapes as well as intimate spaces and travel diaries; Painting and Marking with Cloth explains the practical aspects of painting and dyeing cloth and how to make connections between paint, print, dye, stencil and stitch; Stitch-scapes looks at the different forms of landscape, experimenting with photographs and prints and how to translate those images using ink, stitch, abstract and collage techniques and then at how to transform the image using digital techniques; On Closer Inspection covers using elements and details from landscape and the environment as found objects and for research; finally People and Place explores the relationship we have with the outdoors and the built environment, as well as personal interpretations of place. The book includes artworks by the author that explore the UK, USA, Europe and Australia, as well as works by other internationally renowned textile artists. A creative guide ideal for textile artists of all levels – students, teachers and practising artists and makers – to make unique and beautiful work inspired by the world around us.




Stitch and Pattern


Book Description

The hugely accomplished textile artist Jean Draper gives an invaluable guide to designing and working with pattern in textile art. Jean goes back to basics with simple dots and lines, demonstrating how even basic squares, circles and triangles can have a stunning impact in stitch and textiles. She provides practical and simple instructions for developing and experimenting with pattern, using grids, symmetry, rotation and repeats. Jean draws inspiration from patterns around the world, from West African Kente Cloth to the Gee’s Bend quilts of Alabama. There are instructions on creating bands and borders, strip patchwork and strip piecing, plus an extended study of Banjara stitched textiles. Natural patterns from plants and flowers also offer exciting opportunities for stitch, and Jean explores important design emblems such a the Tree of Life alongside other stitched flower forms. Finally, the ornamentation of the body provides many unique and striking ways to interpret the human form in stitch. Pattern is everywhere and can be used to stunning effect, taking your textile art to the next level. This fascinating and exciting guide brings together inspiration, design methods and stitching techniques to help you develop truly great textile art.




Collage, Stitch, Print


Book Description

Introducing the hottest technique for textile artists today: collagraphy, or printing from collage Packed with hints, tips and exercises exploring how to harness this exciting technique in your own work Illustrated with stunning examples of collagraphy by some of the world's finest textile artists Learn the secrets of one of textile art's most popular techniques: collagraphy. This comprehensive guide from one of Europe's best-known textile artists and teachers contains everything you need to know about the exciting effects you can achieve using the almost endless permutations of collage, stitch and print, and how you can incorporate them into your own stitched-textile work. Includes invaluable information on making a collagraphy plate using embroidery, choosing suitable surfaces for print, combining paper and fabric, embroidering onto prints, and how to work in series. Illustrated throughout with the best examples of contemporary collagraphy in textile art, this book is a fascinating introduction to a technique that could become your latest textile-art passion.




Fragmentation and Repair


Book Description

Discover the rich creative possibilities of fragmentation and repair in textile art. Fragmentation and repair are two of the biggest buzzwords in textile and mixed-media art. In this fascinating book, renowned artist Shelley Rhodes explores both concepts, with a wealth of fresh ideas and practical advice. Drawing on her own practice, Shelley explains how she reconstructs and reassembles cloth, paper and other materials to create new pieces, often incorporating found objects and items she has collected over the years to add depth and emotional resonance. From piercing and devoré to patching and darning, techniques include: Fragmentation of materials, text and image. Repair using darning and patching along with pins, tape, adhesive and plaster. The Japanese concepts of wabi-sabi (finding beauty in imperfection) and mottainai (using every last scrap). Using salvaged and recycled materials, and repurposing household items. Methods of distressing and manipulating surfaces including weathering, abrasion, burning, piercing, staining and burying. Collage, working in a series and collecting fragments. Beautifully illustrated with Shelley's own pieces alongside those of other leading artists, this fascinating book is the ideal companion for any textile artist wanting to bring notions of fragility, fragmentation and repair into their own work.




Stitch Stories


Book Description

The events of your life, from local walks to exotic trips, can provide endless inspiration for textile art. This inspiring book shows you how to record your experiences, using sketchbooks, journals and photography, to create personal narratives that can form a starting point for more finished stitched-textile pieces. Acclaimed textile artist and teacher Cas Holmes, whose work is often inspired by her life and the journeys she makes, helps you find inspiration through your own life and explains how to record what you see in sketchbooks and journals, which can often become beautiful objects in themselves. She explains how you can use photography, both as documentation and as inspiration, and sometimes incorporate it into the work itself, along with found objects and ephemera. Throughout the book are useful techniques that can be harnessed to add extra interest to your work, such as methods for making layered collages, how to 'sketch' with stitch, and advice on design and colour. If you want to create beautiful, unique work inspired by your life and travels, this is the perfect book for you.




The Textile Artist: Layered Cloth


Book Description

Ann Smalls imaginative use of cutting and manipulating techniques, and her layering and colouring tricks, makes this your go-to guide for bringing form and texture to your fabric artwork. This book is a rich resource and reference for textile artists seeking new ideas and who want to experiment with reverse appliqué and related techniques such as layering, trapunto, stacks, puffs and fabric manipulation. • Packed with techniques suitable for quilting and other textile art • Three wearable step-by-step projects • Clear, close-up images make layering enjoyable and accessible.




Dimensional Cloth


Book Description

Sculpture is no longer limited to materials like stone or metal. Sculpting in fabric is shown in ingenious detail here, with more than 350lavish photographs of 3-D cloth configurations along with insightful profiles of the 78artists who created them. The images and text capture the currents that are powering these works, like the do-it-yourself (DIY) movement established in the 1990s and the current revival of the revolutionary sculptural cloth of the 1960s. Works are approached through five themes: investigating nature, capturing the ephemeral, playing with space, telling a story, and "Take Heed." In her foreword, renowned fiber art expert Josephine Stealey helps us put this art form in context, from its origins in 1880 England's arts and craft movement to today. This is essential reading and inspiration for collectors, students, home artists, and anyone who appreciates innovative artwork.