Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter:
easy-to-follow lessons for dynamic art quilts by Katie Pasquini Masopust C&T
Publishing 2008
The text Katie writes is focused on her own thinking processes of analysis and
alternatives as she plans a quilt from finding the initial concept to the
various ways you can turn your idea or photo into a one-dimensional design. She
includes her methods known as ghost layers, fractured landscape and the
painterly painterly approach.
The
chapters in Katie’s book are the sequential steps for developing your visual
into fabric. Each chapter is short and to the point, heavy on diagrams and photos to show many examples
of what she is talking about.
This is not a
pattern book. It is a book about developing the design and method for your quilt
using the principles of design for painting and wall art. Construction
techniques are a very short couple of chapters at the end of the book.
Katie presents a great deal of information in such a way that anyone could follow
her method or use it as a reference for idea generation and color and design
compositions. Gallery photos of many finished
quilts are also located at the end of each chapter. Katie’s and her students
work are inspirational and stimulating to the creative mind.
What I also like about the book are the multiple examples in illustrations,
colored drawings, and fabrics, to support every point Katie makes. For example,
when she discusses myriad color combinations possible using the color wheel,
sixteen printed fabric swatches in a block demonstrate each combination
resulting in 44 color schemes from twelve colors on the wheel.
Her use of actual fabric swatches simulates being in her class to watch her give
this lecture. The impact of seeing actual prints rather than solids colors as is
typically seen in the color wheel is significant.
