Quilt and textile art design study
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Unlock your inner (quilt) artist.
Welcome to the Artful Quilt Design School lens!
Here you'll be able to find information on the study of colour and design as these relate to textile/quilt art, as well as information about my new online quilt school. Some of the contents are excerpts from the courses available at AQDS.
The Artful Quilt Design School is brand new, and Australia's first online quilt school. My quilt teaching expertise in substantial and I am a famous australian quilter and patchwork writer, so I bring lots of skills to the school.
The key is the school's symbol, it unlocks the (quilt) artist within.
Here you'll be able to find information on the study of colour and design as these relate to textile/quilt art, as well as information about my new online quilt school. Some of the contents are excerpts from the courses available at AQDS.
The Artful Quilt Design School is brand new, and Australia's first online quilt school. My quilt teaching expertise in substantial and I am a famous australian quilter and patchwork writer, so I bring lots of skills to the school.
The key is the school's symbol, it unlocks the (quilt) artist within.
What's new?
Recently added:
New format, using Joomla!
Celebrating with a new look
And a new name!
The school is three years old in February, and I decided to aim at a wider group of people.
I've introduced three student levels:
Basic: for those who want to begin making quilts.
Beyond Basic: if you have some basis patchwork skills and want to increase them.
More Challenging: for when you want to challenge yourself and your inner artist.
Try out Jan T's Patchwork School
Lots of free lessons and tips
Excerpts from various courses to whet your appetite.
- Jan T's Patchwork School - Home
- Jan T's Patchwork School - great courses and free lessons - quiltmaking, patchwork, Electric Quilt, colour and design - for beginners, more experienced quilters - from Jan T Urquhart Baillie
Why take classes in textile/quilt art?
be open to new things
Are you wondering why you need to do a course in colour? Or quilt design? There are many reasons to take classes in any subject.
For quilt and textile artists, especially those who are just venturing into this area, it can be truly beneficial.
Some reasons might be to:
My (late) second husband Paul used to say you have to learn something new every day.
I am often heard to say: "That's my thing for today!"
As I am a naturally curious individual, I don't think that I will ever stop learning.
Why don't you join me?
For quilt and textile artists, especially those who are just venturing into this area, it can be truly beneficial.
Some reasons might be to:
- build your design skills
- increase your discernment
- practice creativity
- learn where to find inspiration
- learn from other participants' work
- study topics that haven't occurred to you as relevant for you
If you have an open mind, you are always ready to learn something new.
My (late) second husband Paul used to say you have to learn something new every day.
I am often heard to say: "That's my thing for today!"
As I am a naturally curious individual, I don't think that I will ever stop learning.
Why don't you join me?
School news
Current courses available at Jan T's Patchwork School
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Free Lessons for students at all skill levels
Many tips and tutorials available -
Creativity and Inspiration
Explore creativity, inspiration, creative block, visual journals. AUD $25 -
Designing Quilts with Jewel Box blocks
learn to make this block with fast piecing, and see how many different quilt designs there are. AUD $20 -
Quilts from Your Fabric Stash
Use what you have on hand to make stunning quilts. Fun and easy. -
Make your first patchwork quilt
Easy quilt to start you in quiltmaking. AUD $60
Join the others
at the school, and learn with Jan T
Learn about, creativity, colour, design, abstraction, quiltmaking, and much more...
Start to unlock your inner artist!
Section 1: creativity
A fun way to see who you are
a treasure chest
Here's a great way to make a 'picture' of yourself.
- Get a tea tray or a large-ish container about the size of a tea tray.
- Find at least ten objects from your home that can fit inside the container.
- Arrange them in an artistic fashion that pleases your artist's eye
- Place the tray near to where you pass each day on your way to the kitchen ̵ or your studio or workspace.
- Take a photo of the tray when you put it in place.
- Each day, try to add another object to the treasure chest.
- Rearrange the objects whenever you add or remove anything.
- Each new change, take a picture.
- At the end of a week, take all the objects out and lay them on a table so they are all visible.
- Write in a journal why you think each item says who you are.
- Of the objects you took away (if you did), why did you feel they didn't cut it?
- Put them all back in the treasure chest and ask your family/friends if they know who the box is about.
Where does inspiration come from?
Look around you...
There's inspiration anywhere and everywhere.
Sometimes from unexpected things.
Sometimes from unexpected things.
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A sign with an amazing layout on the highway
Take a photo of the sign. Jot down on whatever is handy the trigger right then and there. -
Some wonderful knubbly thread
Wonderful colour, texture, colour combination. Record what it is that you like. -
Some fabulous fabric
Buy some of the fabric, or beg for a piece if it's not for sale. Take a digipic of it. Don't forget to write down why you loved it. -
A photograph
Now that's an easy one! Write down the spark that gave you the design idea. -
Words
Sometimes you hear a truly inspirational talk, or even just a phrase. Quick! Jot down the inspirational thought that popped into your head.
Inspiration from nature
go for a walk
When you want inspiration for an artwork, go for a walk in the great outdoors.
Go to a nearby park, wander around the trees, especially the large ones, and look closely at how the bark curls, or how the bark has lots of different textures, or how the leaves are shaped, or the many different colours in the leaves.
What about a large rock?
So many colours, textures...
Shapes might even appear that you could use as a starting point for a new piece.
Go to a nearby park, wander around the trees, especially the large ones, and look closely at how the bark curls, or how the bark has lots of different textures, or how the leaves are shaped, or the many different colours in the leaves.
What about a large rock?
So many colours, textures...
Shapes might even appear that you could use as a starting point for a new piece.
Inspiration from a photograph
of a place you love
Many of the favourite places in our lives can be inspiration for an artwork.I have produced several quilts using photos of our travels around Australia, some in a series about one truly beautiful place, Cape York Peninsular, at the tip of our beautiful land.
The Tip as it is known is right up at the 'pointy bit'.
The quilts in that series have been exhibited as Crossings and you can read about the quilts on Quilts at Jan T's Utopia
(Photo: Wikipedia Commons)
Quilts inspired by photos
from the Crossings series
Punsand Bay
the inspiration photo
Photograph by Paul Urquhart
Punsand Bay quilt
from my Crossings exhibition
Inspiration from an experience
and the photo of the spider
When I was exploring the pictures I was to use in my Crossings exhibition, my late husband Paul, was adamant that I use this photo.
His reason was that you are always bumping into these huge St Andrew's Cross spider webs around Cape York Peninsular. They are almost invisible, and you are in the web before you realise there's one there.
His reason was that you are always bumping into these huge St Andrew's Cross spider webs around Cape York Peninsular. They are almost invisible, and you are in the web before you realise there's one there.
A big spider in his/her web
That's my fingers in the bottom right.
I'm pointing the spider out for the photo, because it so well camouflaged.
He is as big as my hand, and although these spiders don't bite people, they scare the heck out of you when you get tangled up in the strong silken threads.
The 'spider' quilt
Inner Sanctum
Words as inspiration
spider, web, house, home, hidden, surprise, fright, fear
All these words would fit the experience of getting entangled in that huge spider's web in the rainforest.
I thought about how the spider lies in wait in the inner sanctum of the jungle, and the word inner spoke to me.
There is an old traditional patchwork design called Inner City, and perhaps that would be the design for the quilt. Although the pattern is usually produced using half-hexagon templates, and sewn using the English paper piecing method, I decided to sew it in my favourite way — using 60° triangles.
As this method is my forte, the rest was easy.
The pattern is usally complete over the entire surface, but the rainforest at the tip of Cape York Peninsular in the very top of Australia, is a mere remnant.
The 'city' on the quilt is a patch of habitation, and the spider calls it his Inner Sanctum.
The next step was to decide on fabrics for my interpretation of the spider's home.
The choice was obvious there: jungle greens.
I thought about how the spider lies in wait in the inner sanctum of the jungle, and the word inner spoke to me.
There is an old traditional patchwork design called Inner City, and perhaps that would be the design for the quilt. Although the pattern is usually produced using half-hexagon templates, and sewn using the English paper piecing method, I decided to sew it in my favourite way — using 60° triangles.
As this method is my forte, the rest was easy.
The pattern is usally complete over the entire surface, but the rainforest at the tip of Cape York Peninsular in the very top of Australia, is a mere remnant.
The 'city' on the quilt is a patch of habitation, and the spider calls it his Inner Sanctum.
The next step was to decide on fabrics for my interpretation of the spider's home.
The choice was obvious there: jungle greens.
The pattern works like this
paper piecing hexagons
He is in there!
I hid him in the quilt
Even if you could view the quilt 'in the flesh', you'd find that he's not easy to spot.
That's how I got caught in his web!
That's how I got caught in his web!
Learn about creativity
at Jan T's Patchwork School
- Jan T's Patchwork School
- Would you like to learn how to make a quilt?
Do you want to improve your existing patchwork skills?
Challenge yourself more?
Learn with Jan T Urquhart Baillie, one of Australia's leading patchwork and quilting writers, tutors and columnists. Jan T makes learning about quilting great fun! Enrol in
Inspirational Art Quilt sites
to inspire you
Exciting art quilters and art quilts from around the world
- Ozquilt Network Inc
- Australian Art Quilts and Quilters at Ozquilt Network: showcasing fine art quilts and textile art from Australia's organisation for art quilters
- 2QAQ - Queensland Quilters Art Quilts
- What is 2QAQ? It stands for Queensland Quilters Art Quilts.
QQ has long supported traditional quilting; with the impact art quilting
is having within the quilt world, it is time that QQ members have the
opportunity to - Studio Art Quilt Associates
- Professional Art Quilters Association
- PAQA -- Professional Art Quilt Alliance
- Professional Art Quilt Alliance
- Kansas Art Quilters
- Formed in January 2001, Kansas Art Quilters is an organization whose members are quilt artists or people who are closely associated with the art quilt community.
- My Place
- MY PLACE is a travelling exhibition of 90 contemporary art quilts from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa curated by Jeanette Botha, Dijanne Cevaal and Anne Scott.
- Twelve by Twelve: A Collaborative Art Quilt Project
- Twelve by Twelve is an international group of twelve artists undertaking a collaborative art quilt project creating 12x12 inch quilts to designated challenge themes. Includes quilt galleries sorted by theme and by artist together with profiles of Twelve by Twelve artists
Books I love
about art and creativity and quilt art on Amazon
I have read (and re-read) these!
Section 2: colour
Using colour: the basics
Where do you start?
Excerpt from the Colour and Design course at the school
Much has been written on colour over the years and the topic can be quite daunting. But you don't want to know all about colour theory, you just want your quilts to work better from a colour standpoint.
A few guidelines
The aim of a good colour scheme is balance or harmony. Too balanced can be a bit boring so a bit of accent is called for.
Not sure what that means?
Colour Wheels
These can be complex or simple. The twelve step wheel is shown here, but each colour could be divided from the centre out into several rings, making many tints or tones, and these make more complex wheels.
Using a colour wheel can be very helpful. You can buy an inexpensive wheel from paint shops, or even some fabric stores (such as your local patchwork shop or Spotlight). You can download a great colour wheel from Color Wheel Pro - a program that allows you to create colour schemes and preview them on real examples.
Much has been written on colour over the years and the topic can be quite daunting. But you don't want to know all about colour theory, you just want your quilts to work better from a colour standpoint.
A few guidelines
The aim of a good colour scheme is balance or harmony. Too balanced can be a bit boring so a bit of accent is called for.
Not sure what that means?
Colour Wheels
These can be complex or simple. The twelve step wheel is shown here, but each colour could be divided from the centre out into several rings, making many tints or tones, and these make more complex wheels.
Using a colour wheel can be very helpful. You can buy an inexpensive wheel from paint shops, or even some fabric stores (such as your local patchwork shop or Spotlight). You can download a great colour wheel from Color Wheel Pro - a program that allows you to create colour schemes and preview them on real examples.
Is combining colours difficult for you?
Help is at hand.
Excerpt from the Colour and Design course at the schoolAs you create your quilts, do you sometimes find that the colour isn't working as you'd like?
Learn what influences colour and how it works, so that the process is easier altogether. Go to the school and enrol in the colour course.
Here's an excerpt from one of the topics:
Choosing colour can be daunting...
There is help at hand. Using the lessons taught by Johannes Itten and many others before and since, we can reliably pick combinations which work to satisfy us and the viewers of our artwork.
Colour is subjective
Depending on the personality of the person, colour combinations will be forceful or subdued, luminous or subtle.
Colour style
What's yours?
Each of us has a 'favourite' colour combination, a combination which pleases us.It turns out that this is usually innate and relates to our colouring!
Fair 'types' like the colours of:
- spring
- kindergarten
- bright flowers
Dark 'types' like the colours of:
- night
- autumn
- the blues
Exercise in finding your colour style
Excerpt from Start Designing Quilt Art course
- Collect several fabrics that are your favourites from your collection.
- Arrange these into sets which you might use to construct a piece.
1. Do they say you are a 'light type'? Or a 'dark type'?
2. What colour is your (natural) hair; your eyes; your skin?
3. Photograph some of the sets and insert them into your colour workbook.
Label them as 'dark' or 'light' and if possible, place a picture of you with them.
It would be useful for you to explore other outside your comfort zone combinations so you can experiment, and expand your style.
I bet you can't tell what my (natural) hair colour was before it turned silvery.
Can you guess by the quilt picture in the Combining colours article above?
Books that will change your life!
Tony Buzan
Mind Maps rule!
Section 3: design
The Elements of Design
Learn more at the Artful Quilt Design School
Design is a way of arranging the parts of a whole.
The tools we use when we design are the elements of design.
The elements are:
The tools we use when we design are the elements of design.
The elements are:
Line
Shape
Form
Space
Colour
Texture
line shows movement or direction
shape defines areas of our subject matter
form depicts intent
space shows where the elements exist in our piece
colour is what we love the most in artwork
textures beckons us to feel or to perceive the feeling
About Line
the characteristics
Lines have length, not width.
Lines are expressive.
They can be:
Lines can give the illusion of motion.
Lines are expressive.
They can be:
- Straight or curved.
- Angular or flowing.
- Dynamic or stable.
- Horizontal or vertical.
- Radiating (like a fan) or static (like a circle).
Lines can give the illusion of motion.
- A diagonal line is more dynamic than a horizontal or vertical line.
- A straight line may be less dynamic than a zigzag or a curving line.
Exercise: Lines
Practise your discernment
Cut out or copy pictures from magazines that have a strong line in them. You could also use your own photographs for this.
With a thick felt marker or a highlighter, draw the line that is the strongest on each picture.
Glue these pictures into your visual journal, and label them with horizontal, radial, stable or what you see each line as.
Can you also say what feelings the lines engender?
For example, a jagged angular line may evoke anger or fear.
Of course the colour and the rest of the composition play a part also. If the angular line is a pretty pale blue or pink, surely that would not suggest anger?
With a thick felt marker or a highlighter, draw the line that is the strongest on each picture.
Glue these pictures into your visual journal, and label them with horizontal, radial, stable or what you see each line as.
Can you also say what feelings the lines engender?
For example, a jagged angular line may evoke anger or fear.
Of course the colour and the rest of the composition play a part also. If the angular line is a pretty pale blue or pink, surely that would not suggest anger?
Exercise: texture
using bits from your studio
Using an A4 sized piece of paper, any colour, glue scraps of fabric, thread, ribbon, lace, rough surface fabrics, shiny fabrics...
Make a pleasing design with the textured materials, write beside the bits why you chose each piece, and what you feel when you touch it.
Which of your choices would textures work best to depict:
When the piece is completed, insert it into your studio journal.
Make a pleasing design with the textured materials, write beside the bits why you chose each piece, and what you feel when you touch it.
Which of your choices would textures work best to depict:
- tree trunks
- faces
- mountains
- sea...
When the piece is completed, insert it into your studio journal.
Design classes at Jan T's Patchwork School
- Jan T's Patchwork School
- Would you like to learn how to make a quilt?
Do you want to improve your existing patchwork skills?
Challenge yourself more?
Learn with Jan T Urquhart Baillie, one of Australia's leading patchwork and quilting writers, tutors and columnists. Jan T makes learning about quilting great fun! Enrol in
Is it art or is it craft?
a rose by any other name... - said Will Shakespeare
The debate rages, as it has for many years.
When is a quilt or textile work considered to be art?
That's not art, it's craft!
MeltedRachel says:
Craft has all the benefits of art as well as being useful and functional! I say forget about art and embrace craft! Art is what bored businessmen put on the walls of their sterile office spaces, craft is taking art into life and cherishing it!
ElizabethJeanAllen says:
I consider all of my quilts works of art, but I still classify them as crafts. I just have fun making them.
Anything is art if it 'speaks' to people.
Pastiche says:
As an artist I consider quilts works of art achieved through craft technique - much the same as all fine art is made.
Laniann says:
It is in the intention of the person creating the piece. If the person says it is art - It is art. Maybe good art or bad art, but it is art.
JanTUB says:
If work has good design and invokes a response from a viewer, then art is what I'd call it.
Art quilt lenses
for your inspiration
Websites I own
Links listing
The web is evolving almost faster than we can see.
- Quilts at Jan T's Utopia
- Quilts at Jan T's Utopia
...heaven for quilters
Browsing through Quilts at Jan T's Utopia, you'll find quilt galleries — showcasing quilts by Jan T (Urquhart) Baillie and by her students over the past twenty-odd years. There's free online patchwork and quilting tutorials, and much more to enjoy.
Who is Jan T?
The school ma'am.
Send the school ma'am a message
it'll get you good marks on your exam (just kidding)
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JanTUB
Jun 18, 2009 @ 1:39 pm | in reply to Pastiche | delete
- What a lovely comment! Thank you.
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Pastiche
Jun 18, 2009 @ 8:57 am | delete
- This is a beautiful design lens - your ideas apply to all sorts of creative inspiration. I love the quilts you've created (to me they are fiber paintings ...). This lens is a welcome new addition to Senior Geek Squids group! 5*
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JanTUB
May 28, 2009 @ 11:17 am | in reply to Laniann | delete
- I hope the students thinkso too. Thanks for the *
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Laniann
May 19, 2009 @ 5:15 pm | delete
- Sounds like a very good school. Good information and tips. Thank you for sharing. 5*s
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JanTUB
Apr 25, 2009 @ 11:24 am | in reply to a_willow | delete
- Thanks for those kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed them as I did making them.
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by JanTUB
Designing web pages from the mid 1990s when hardly anyone she knew had a computer, I, Jan T (Urquhart) Baillie, was the first in Australia to have a c... more »
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