Art Quilt Anyone Can Make

It may not be your Grandmother’s quilt, but there were probably some grandmothers who would love to try some of the tools and media we have at our disposal today in their quilts. 

They could not have imaged their grandchildren and great-grandchildren being able to draw and paint on fabric and have an image that would last as long as some of their quilts have lasted.

When I began quilting after retiring 15 years ago my approach was to learn to create traditional quilts. After attempts at matching points, stitching lines that were straight and maintaining a scant quarter of an inch seam I realized that I was better suited to be an art quilter. Now and then I do a traditional quilt just to improve my sewing skills.

A few years ago while attending the National Quilt Show in Paducah I had a EUREKA moment. There was a booth demonstrating and selling Derwent Inktense Pencils. They are watercolor pencils that can be applied to fabric and then wet with a brush and once they dry they are permanent. The color stains or dyes the fibers of the fabric.

Since then over half of my quilts have some element that uses these pencils or markers that are made for use on fabric. I am an art quilter.

Over the past few years of ‘sheltering in place’ I have had a plenty of time to create art and Inktense has been a huge part of that.

Download and print the list of supplies from the Supply List.pdf This list tells what supplies you will need and how they will be used to create your small painted quilt.

Choose a simple image to paint. Use images from coloring books, clip art (Dover), downloaded images, etc. Choose fabric to draw image onto. It can be plain white or a tone-on-tone (white printing on white fabric). Transfer the image to the fabric using Gel Roller for Fabric by tracing using a light box or window. Heat set the ink by ironing from back.

Place drawing on top of paper towels to absorb excess water in the paint. Pick up paint with brush with very little water in it. Dab against paper towel to remove excess water then brush into shape. If you have too much water the paint will bleed into other areas. If you have too little water the paint does not penetrate the fabric.

Gradations can be done by pre-wetting the fabric and then applying paint into wet area then adding a little water to brush to lighten the color. Be sure to use paper towels under the fabric and blot the brush before touching it onto fabric. Use the largest brush you can manage. Do not paint an area adjacent to an area that is still wet. If it is cold to the touch it is still wet.

Iron when dry by pressing between paper towels.

The painted piece can be framed without quilting but if you want to quilt it here are some guidelines. There are two ways to quilt a quilt. One is with a regular presser foot and the other is called free-motion quilting. The difference is that with a regular quilting foot the machine is set as for usual sewing with the feed dogs up so that as you sew the feed dogs under the fabric pull the fabric through the machine. You must guide it to go where you want. Straight lines and gentle curves work best for this type of quilting. The second method is done with a free-motion foot and the feed dogs down so that you determine where the fabric moves by guiding it to go where you want. This method takes ome practice. I recommend doing some practice by sewing two pieces of felt as your 'quilt'. This simulates the look of quilting with three layers that are used in quilts.

The small quilts shown here show two methods of sewing the three layers together. The Christmas decoration with the blue background was done with free-motion foot and the feed dogs down, and the bird with the green background was done using the regular presser foot with the feed dogs up.

A quilt is defined as three pieces sewn together to keep the batting from shifting if the quilt is washed. The painted top will be on top of the three layers with a coordinated fabric on back with batting of some type in between. Most quilters use cotton from the top and the back and a cotton batting or a cotton/polyester batting in between. Choice of thread can matching the fabric or something that contrast with the color of the piece. The bobbin thread should be a 50/60 weight thread that matches the top thread. (I often use use a thread that matches my back fabric although if the tension of your machine is off the thread will pop through the top or bottom.)

Measure the perimeter of your little quilt. You will need a strip of fabric that will go around the edges with a slight overlap (maybe 4-8 inches). For instance, if the sides of your quilt measure 8" x 10" you will need at least 36 inches plus another 4-8 inches or 40 - 44 inches. This will probably be the width of the fabric. If it needs to be longer you may need to join two pieces. The fabric should be two and one quarter inches wide. After cutting press lengthwise with a hot iron s that the fabric is folded with raw edges together(image 1).

Align the raw edge of the binding with the outside edge of the quilt. It can be pinned into place or not. Leave four to eight inches of the end of the binding loose and begin sewing about an inch before a corner(image 2). Stop sewing one quarter of and inch before the next corner and cut your thread (image 3) and move to the next side. Fold the binding in the direction opposite the next edge, then fold it back in the direction you are sewing with the folded edge aligned with the outer edge of the quilt(image 4). This makes a small folded triangle sticking up from the corner(image 5). Start sewing one quarter from that corner and repeat at the next corner(image 6). When you are back to the side where you started turn the corner and sew about 5-6 stitches leaving the other end of the binding unsewn(image 7). Let the ends overlap and cut off the end you began with straight across the end at a 90 degree angle. Let the remaining end of the binding overlap and cut off making sure that end overlaps by a bit more than the width of the binding when unfolded. Using the piece that was cut off unfolded place it on top of the long end and accurately mark the other side of the strip. The top piece should overlap the short piece on the bottom by the width of the binding (2 and one quarter inches). Trim the piece just short (about one sixteenth of an inch) of the mark on the fabric.

Place the ends with right sides together at a 90 degree angle to each other and align the ends to form a corner. Pin together. With the point away from you draw a diagonal across from left to right corners of the two pieces. Sew along this line.

Once the ends are sewn together return the piece to folded and flatten onto quilt. Go back to sewing the rest of the binding down to complete the final side.

Now you can turn the folded edge to the back of the quilt and hand stitch it down on the back. The corners will end up being like a mitered picture frame.

YOUR PAINTED QUILT IS DONE! Happy Dance!