Mole Valley Quilters - Art Quilts to Dye for
Mole Valley Quilters - Art Quilts to Dye for
Janet in her own words is a painter at heart but one who chooses to express herself in fabric through dye, paint and stitch. Her beautiful and dramatic art quilts are created through the combination of precise, detailed and methodical fabric piecing with exciting, spontaneous and adventurous experiments in fabric dying. With her 'to infinity and beyond' approach Janet uses dying techniques such as Japanese Shibori which involve a range of methods including binding, folding, tying, and twisting cloth before dying it. As well as being a City and Guilds tutor and author, Janet is one of only twenty-one members of the prestigious international group of quilt makers, 'Quilt Art - a dedicated group of quilters committed to extending the boundaries of quilt-making as an art form through international tours and exhibitions. In Janet’s recently published book, 'Colour in Art Quilts' she explains in simple terms the various techniques used to help gain a deeper understanding of how to use colour more creatively for visual impact. The book is full of beautiful photographs of both Janet’s and other art quilters’ work and definitely one for the bedside table if you have a passion for fabric and colour. When asked by a member of the audience if she has a special studio, Janet replied that she works in her kitchen at home, having fun playing around with her fabrics, paints and dyes. Who would have thought that the words 'kitchen' and 'having fun' could ever end up in the same sentence? Thank you Janet. Janet’s website www.janettwinn.co.uk is full of information about her work and the courses she runs. |
A grey and gloomy November day couldn’t have been better timing for professional art quilt maker, tutor and author Janet Twinn’s talk on using colour in art quilts. The contrast between the grey weather outside and the harmonious (or sometimes shocking) blend of hand-dyed fabrics in her quilts was a visual feast for all of us who were lucky enough to be in the audience of one of the UK’s leading quilt artists.