Fabric Art Collage: 40+ Mixed Media Techniques [Paperback]

Rebekah Meier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2009

Everything you ever wanted to know about mixed-media fabric collage. Includes more than 40 original techniques.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rebekah Meier is a self-taught mixed-media artist and designer. She is also the author of several books on a variety of crafting subjects.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: C&T Publishing (June 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1571205802
• ISBN-13: 978-1571205803
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Mixed Media

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and inspiring!, May 28, 2009

By 

Crazy Quilter - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fabric Art Collage: 40+ Mixed Media Techniques (Paperback)

This wonderful book is a comprehensive coverage of fabric and mixed media collage techniques, and its clear instructions and superb visuals should inspire and excite you whether you are a beginner or an accomplished collage artist. It is "stuffed" with information, but even if I never used all that information I would enjoy owning it for the pleasure of browsing in the splendid examples of Ms Meier's creativity and skill. I consider it to be the most promising book in its field which I have purchased in several years.

The heart of this book is its eight sections covering 40+ techniques. These include: formation of interesting and unique collage bases, creation of impressive embellishments, use of innovative painting and dying techniques,and incorporation of other techniques such as embossing, distressing, needle felting and heat tool utilization. Each of the sections includes clear instructions, careful process photos, some intriguing tips and a wealth of beautiful samples in a variety of color ranges.

The "Project" section illustrates splendidly the book's greatest strength. It lists five projects, but without advancing a set of directions for "cookie cutter" replication. Rather each project presents a summary of the artist's approach to creating the piece, as well as specific construction techniques which are cross referenced to other sections of the book. The result is a set of projects which instruct and inspire without attempting to influence the reader's individual creativity.

I was immediately impressed by this book's approach to a complex creative subject. One of my first reactions was to formulate a plan for working through the techniques one at a time, and as I thought of that plan I realized that this is a book which will take me a long time to exhaust. I think that you, too, might find it to be the only book you will need for quite a while!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars have lots of money for supplies!!!, February 10, 2011

By 

alecia723 "Alecia723" (Covington, KY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Fabric Art Collage: 40+ Mixed Media Techniques (Paperback)

I must say, I don't think I've ever found a book I was really disappointed with until now. I've never even written a review until now! I'm just stunned...
I've been an artist my whole life and love to buy books on different styles with different medias for inspiration and the hope of learning something new - 40+ yrs - and I'm still in shock that I was let down so much. The author does have some nice ideas and her own style, yes, but all artists do, and I was looking at this book not as an artist, but as any person who would like to learn something new, and I was totally let down.
First, the list of supplies she gives at the beginning is HUGE, and she does not give any alternatives or substitutions you could use if you don't have any of these things. The only thing I saw that could be laying around the house is bleach & paper bags. It would cost more than a small fortune to accquire these items to do these techniques. Also, she doesn't explain exactly why they are used, only what the general product discription is. ex.- used for distressing fabric. What if you don't know what distressing fabric is, and are there any other ways it can be done? Also, when listing materials for a project and starting with, "embossed wool felt", the author does not explain earlier in the book - and I don't believe I've seen it later, either - how a person would go about embossing wool felt. It's stated as if it's something you can pick up at your local craft shop...it's not.
If you're a beginner or advanced, I would recommend Mixed Media Explorations: Blending Paper, Fabric and Embellishment to Create Inspired Designs, Beryl Taylor's book, also Susan Stein's, Fabric Art Workshop: Exploring Techniques & Materials for Fabric Artists and Quilters, and the book Fabric Embellishing: the Basics & Beyond: More Than 50 Techniques With Step-by-step Photos, by Chandler, Kettle, Thomas, & Vlcek, (which is in a spiral form. That's nice.) These books are all full of fantastic techniques and ideas for the advanced artist or the beginner, and they also don't overwhelm the reader with the idea that if you don't have this exact list of supplies, it can't be done. (not to mention the mental dollar signs you see reading each item.) I know from my own supplies that purchasing certain dyes, paints, and powders alone can cost at the very least a few hundred dollars. I tend to be obsessive when purchasing supplies as it is. I like to have something of everything for a particular art style I'm working with "just in case" I may want to use it one day, and I don't even have half of these items.
So beware fellow artisian, if you're quite advanced at fabric art, I'm sure you already know these techniques, so it would be a waste of money. If you're intermediate to advanced, the other books I mentioned show the same ideas, but using techniques & supplies anyone can afford & things you most likely already have. If you're a beginner & would like to learn more about fabric art, please, don't spend your money here & get overwhelmed. Try any of the books I've previously mentioned, & you'll be more than happy with your purchase. There is nothing new or never b-4 done in this book that's not in the others.
Rebeckah Meier does some beautiful work, but let's face it, there are a lot of artists that do beautiful work out there, and they do it with a MUCH SMALLER BANKROLL, more descriptive explinations, and much more detail....Sorry Ms. Meier, the two stars I gave were just because I like the photos of your work.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific guide to getting started with mixed media techniques, May 30, 2009

By 

Susan Bleiweiss "Sue b" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Fabric Art Collage: 40+ Mixed Media Techniques (Paperback)

Without a doubt Rebekah's work is beautiful and if you're new to the world of mixed media then you'll find this book an invaluable reference. The author covers a wide range of techniques for adding color, texture, stitching and embellishments to fabric along with ways to create distressed fabrics and work with heat tools. There's no in depth look at any of the techniques but she gives enough information to get the reader started along with variations to consider and helpful tips. There are 5 small quilt projects provided and a five page gallery of the authors work provides a lot of eye candy and inspiration. Artist new to the mixed media art form will find this book easy to read and follow and a great guide for jumping in and experimenting with a wide range of techniques. Experienced mixed media artists will find it a nice reference to have on hand especially when looking for inspiration, a finishing touch technique for their own pieces or a memory jogger for a technique they haven't used in a while.