Barbara Wisnoski

Barbara Wisnoski "Happily freed from precision, this is cutting and sewing as a mantra, as pure, riotous activity." Barbara deconstructs textile items and reconstructs them working with the tactile, visual and the historical qualities embodied in reused textiles, where the wear on the fabric like the wrinkles on a face show character and history.

" I am interested in the relationship between texture and time. . .the prospect of decay is key to the work . . .they are made from living fibres and like us, evolve and deteriorate. Also like us, these pieces become more themselves, therefore more beautiful, with age."

Workclothes Quilt

1950's American work clothes quilt, denim is abundant and cheap, I like the shapes made where the pockets have been removed revealing the unfaded denim.

Katherine May

Above: Barbie Clothes Quilt

Katherine May reinvents traditional techniques of patchwork creating rich original pieces. Katherine also appreciates the story or narrative of textiles and the value of social history that is bound into quilt making.

Students Upcycle Louis Vuitton

Students from Parsons The New School For Design have had a day's upcycling of Louis Vuitton designer clothes, weaving, applique and quilting were amongst the techniques used, see and read more here.

Alison Willoughby

Alison Willoughby, uses every technique available to a textile artist/ fashion designer/crafts person. Like a fine chef she throws unusual ingredients into the mix to create garments with unique character, flavour and flare. Be inspired . . . by Alison Willoughby.

Liaquat Rasul

This months issue of Selvedge has an article on Liaquat Rasul and includes in its editorial a picture of this amazing quilted and embroidered dress.
Liaquat Rasul was born and raised in Wales to Pakistani parents and he draws from his unique heritage in producing works with the beauty and colour of Asian fabrics combined with the structure of British Tailoring.

Aina Muze

Aina Muze is a Latvian textile artist who lectures at the Latvian Academia of Arts. Her quilts are very modern, I especially like her denim one (top image) and the use of labels and rivets in the design.

Louise Bourgeois Textiles

Wonderful textiles from the amazing artist Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) will be exhibited at Hauser and Wirth Gallery, London from 15th October-18th December 2010.

In the examples above, you can see how Louise Bourgeois has quilted patterns together to create bold designs, she has combined patterned fabrics with plain, embellished and weaved scraps together.

Louise Bourgeois was a sculptor and artist who moved between mediums of wood, rubber, bronze, and stone. However her favourite medium was textiles, it was in her blood her mother was an expert weaver and seamstress, the family business had been the restoration of tapestries.

Louise Bourgeois's works are often sexually explicit, witty and emotionally charged, she was an artist who constantly created and recreated herself as an artist throughout her 98 years. Louise Bourgeois was always surrounded by other artists and her influence on fellow practitioners in her adopted home New York was great, her opinion and expertise kept her current and at the forefront of the artistic life of the city. (thanks)

Quilts from the Victoria and Albert Museum's 2010 Exhibition

Above: Table Cover 1900-1940

Above and Below: Detail from Ann West Quilt 1820

Above: detail including text from pomegranate quilt 1705

Above Patchwork detail from 1800-1850's Quilt.

Above and Below: Details from 1851 Applique Quilt

Here are some examples of 'Quilts 1700-2010' the Victoria and Albert Museum's first ever exhibition of British Quilts.

Sashiko

Below: Circular sashiko design on indigo fabric, Above: Sashiko stitches on patterned and plain fabric by fairybread.

Below: Kimono's from the Sashiko Exhibition at the Collins Gallery Glasgow 27th Feb- 10th April 2009

Sashiko is a traditional form of Japanese textiles. Sashiko textiles are made by layering fabrics and securing and decorating them using simple running stitch to build up pattern, texture, strength and weight to domestic textiles and clothing.

Traditionally sashiko was practiced by peasant workers who were only allowed , by law, to wear clothing that was indigo and they were limited to very simple stitched designs. As a result of this strict regulation on their clothing the people became very skilled at using the limited resources available to them to make clothing and quilts of incredible complexity, individuality and beauty whilst adhering to the limitation's placed on them.

The simple running stitch is called rice stitch as it resembles grains of rice, the designs created by this simple stitch become amazingly intricate and decorative.

Tracey Emin Quilts

Tracey Emin uses quilting and embroidery techniques, and domestic traditional textiles and environments to add to the shocking quality of her art. It is a scrap book diary using textiles, possibly textiles with a history and memory to them old dresses and sheets to add to their evocative nature.