Landscape Quilt Inspiration
Monday September 11, 2006
Maybe I'm just paying more attention to them than I used to, but I've noticed a lot more landscape quilts lately in quilting magazines and at quilt shows. I've never been real talented when it comes to interpreting a scene on cloth, but I'm determined to improve--it's one of the many techniques I've put off for too long. I'm lucky to live in a landscape-rich area. My North Carolina county is called the land of waterfalls, with hundreds of falls and streams that have inspired artists for generations. The waterfalls and surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains should get me started. So I'm taking more landscape pictures and glancing back at pictures I've taken in the past. And looking closely at my surroundings. Want to join me? Maybe some of the photos in this growing gallery will inspire you make a landscape quilt. One note--these are not quilts, they're photos to help inspire us to make quilts.
Comments
Yes, I feel the same way as you do, I also would love to get more involved in the landscape quilts. But, I don’t have tha nack to take a picture and copy it. Wish I did. I like to find one and copy someone elses pattern.
Hi Bobbi. Ami, one of our forum hostesses, replied to my forum post about landscape quilts. She has some good advice for anyone who wants to get started with landscape quilts.
I took a class once (and I have forgotten the teacher’s name–that’s awful because she was excellent). Anyway, she had us build landscapes by free-cutting fabrics, placing them onto a background base and appliqueing them in place. The choice of fabric for different areas was what gave each piece a unique look. Every quilt was very nice, no matter whether the person was a beginner or not. I’ll see if I can find her name because I believe she had a few books.
Another idea would be to print scenic photographs on an inkjet printer, then use them in a quilt. One of our forum members made a Christmas Quilt by placing a commercial print of Santa behind a group of attic window blocks. You could use individual photos and that block–or maybe snowball blocks–anything that would be the right size to showcase the photos. It would be different than an overall landscape, but would be really pretty.
Landscape quilting is what I want to try next, sure would like to have more information on how to do it.
Eva
I’ve had lots of emails about this, so maybe we can learn together. I’ll work on getting some basic instructions on the Quilting Web site, then add to it as we go. Some of our forum members have offered excellent ideas for landscape quilts, and I’ve received some wonderful examples of quilts for display in the Art Quilts Gallery. So watch that for new additions in the next few days.
Great site, i`ll pass it on to all my friends
Hi, Janet! I took a class on Quilt University on landscape quilting taught by Susan Brittingham. It was FABULOUS! Called Miniature Landscapes. I am currently taking a harder, but more artistically satisfying class called On Land and Sea. It is so wonderful, all your questions answered daily on the discussion forum and the lessons make you feel like you really CAN do it. I recommend it: http://www.quiltuniversity.com I am not affiliated, just a happy customer. I also did a search on the internet using “landscape quilts” and got a lot of hits with very inspiring quilts. I have studied them, as well as a lot of books on the subject, but I couldn’t do it at all until I took the class. Good luck and happy quilting!
Sally
would like to see more on landscape quilts and instructions
It is the coolest site,keep so!