Quilting Arts Magazine Fall 2023: First Look

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For our readers, every creative journey starts with inspiration, and the Quilting Arts Magazine Fall 2023 issue is overflowing amazing quilts that capture the imagination and challenge the artist within. From the incredible cover quilt by Margaret Abramshe to the fantastic work of Karen Post on the last page, there is so much beauty to be discovered between the covers!

Art quilters are known for embracing the joy of creativity as they explore making art with fabric and thread. Cover artist Margaret Abramshe’s work *“Joy”* expresses emotion through expert use of the elements of design.

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Celebrating Artistic Achievement

While curating the collection of articles in this issue, I learned that many contemporary art quilters approach their work from different perspectives. Some, like Margaret Abramshe and Vicki Conley, are classically trained artists who have studied extensively, while others are self-taught.

quilting arts magazine fall 2023 — *Stand Back! It’s Skunk!* by Vicki Conley | Photo Courtesy of the Artist

Several, including Lisa Thorpe, Lea McComas, and Susan Brubaker Knapp work full time as artists and teachers, spreading their knowledge to others.

Lisa Thorpe loves to share how she alters imagery in digital apps then create collages. Her article takes a deep dive into digital pet portraiture.

Candice Phelan shared her love of longarm quilting (and using scraps!) with readers plus provided us with this adorable project available as a free digital download to make from the quilted cloth.

A Practice in Many Different Mediums

Most of our contributors work in fiber primarily, but also dabble in other mediums such as photography, collage, printmaking, painting, and drawing. But they all have so much in common, especially their passion for making art.

Beth Schillig takes us on another journey into dyeing fabric – this time, tea towels. The perfect hostess gift!

This issue focuses on that passion, examining contemporary art quilting through the lens of an artist. Whether self-taught or professionally trained, today’s art quilters approach their craft and hone their skills through extensive studio practice and continual education.

With that in mind, we looked at the elements of design and how they can be applied to quilts. Karen Fricke’s article about value is an example of putting technical knowledge into practice. With just a few fabrics and an understanding of how value changes can make or break an image, Karen achieves the illusion of light, shadow, depth, and texture in a portrait. What an amazing lesson! Click here to download a PDF of Karen’s Fabric Value Grading Workshop for your own personal use.

This quilt *Crossing Over* by Susan Matson of Everett, Washington was one of the many examples of inspirational beauty from the **Art is a Bridge Reader Challenge.**

Every page of Quilting Arts is filled with nuggets of inspiration and expressions of pure joy in fabric and thread. I’m especially drawn to the quilts made by readers responding to the prompt, “Art is a Bridge.” Art truly is a bridge – it connects us and supports us all through life’s journeys. I’m so happy to share this journey with you!

Dive Into Quilting Arts Magazine Today!

This is only a sampling of what you have in store on the coming pages. But the real question is, what will you do with all this inspiration? I hope you share it with our community! We’d love to see more readers submit their work to reader challenges and share their talent with others. Stay tuned for an artistic journey that will inspire and captivate your inner artist. Click here to get your copy of Quilting Arts Fall 2024! And don’t forget to share your thoughts on the issue with us on Instagram, Facebook, or the comments below.

Best,
Vivika