Customer Reviews

Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a book that I had been waiting for. I kept buying wonderful gauzes, glitters and silky fabrics because, like the magpie, I just couldn't resist them. I had played with them a bit, gloated over them and added them to my hoard. Some ingredients were still missing. Bonnie McCaffery's book has provided these. She creates new fabrics by layering. She shows you, in brilliant colour, very persuasively how to use a whole variety of sheer fabrics to trap your gorgeous finds. She demonstrates a wealth of techniques how to create and hold together these layered fabrics. She then stimulates you to go and find other treasures to trap and thereby to embellish your work.

The book has a wonderful selection of Bonnies's own work and is crammed with lovely close-ups that really show you how to choose your fabrics, how to cut and place them and how to sew them together. I particularly love the tumbled squares that appear on many of the pages with idea after idea to get your own creative thoughts racing. I think you should find this book liberating. It doesn't give specific projects: it should stimulate thousands. It makes a really scrumptious addition to any quilter's bookshelf.

I got this as a gift from someone who knows I quilt. I have mixed feelings, and most of it is because I quilt for utility and beauty, and this is a technique that seems more suited to beauty.

The instructions are clear, and give you lots of directions to go off on your own, as well as lots of useful pointers (if you're using glitter, remember that gravity will affect things). The results are gorgeous.

That said, I don't know that this book serves my needs for something that can be washed again and again, thrown on beds and floors and grass, and stand up to the rigors of quilt-like use as opposed to wallhanging art-piece news.

If you are looking for an interesting way to add depth and sparkle to your art pieces, this is the book for you. If you plan to wrap a scared dog in what you make, not so much.

Love this book and the abundance of techniques and project ideas. With the clear directions and numerous photographs of techniques, the hands-on rewards are immediate! The outcomes are stunning! This is a must have book for any fiber artist!

Here are some excerpts from my review of this book. You can see the complete review on the Quilter's Review website.

"Have you ever looked for fabric but couldn't find exactly what you wanted? Maybe you found a great print, but it was a little too bright. Or you found something close, but you really wished it had some gold sparkles in it....

"Bonnie Lyn McCaffery shows you how to create the fabric you want, and how to have fun doing it.

"Bonnie has worked out all the details of turning run-of-the-mill fabric into something not only personal, but spectacular. The only limit is your imagination. And if your imagination is limited, Bonnie will help you with that, too.

"Bonnie's technique begins with a base fabric. Cotton, the choice of most quilters, works well, but so do silks, satins, metallics, and many others. To the base fabric she applies a sheer fabric to add a shadow layer, or to create a slight color change. She explains the properties of the different base and top fabrics, and how they work together....

"I collected a printed invitation, small silk flowers, and a folding fan from a bat mitzvah, and have been trying to figure out how to incorporate them into something to commemorate the occasion. I'd thought my only choice was to make a shadow box or frame for these memories, even though I really want to make a quilt. But now, Bonnie's book has given me the ideas and know-how I needed to create a commemorative quilt.

"I can't remember when I've had so much fun playing with fabric. Thanks to Bonnie's book, I now have a whole new relationship with my stash."

Ok, so I rated it really good. I'm the author. But I really do think it's a great book. Let me tell you a little about the technique. Fantasy fabrics are created by capturing a variety of fun things (Tintzl, threads, cut fabrics, confetti, feathers...and lots more) under a sheer top layer of fabric (like tulle netting). This book explores the numerous possibilities and then further shows ways to use this gorgeous fabric. It is playful, fun and instantly rewarding. I hope you'll enjoy the book. Be sure to post it here if you do!

This is a wonderfully visual book with page after page of inspirational photos of the artist/author's exotic quilts (and works by other talented textile artists) and her methods of creating the most amazing textures through her layered surface design techniques. It is easy to read with photos laid out very clearly alongside the appropriate directions and it includes ideas for using both traditional objects and not so traditional, all done with a particular artistic effect in mind.

This book is an excellent source of information on creating truly exciting textures with textiles as well as being just sheer pleasure to thumb through for inspiration with its brilliant use of colour.

Good book for exploring methods of creating your own fabric by using tulle, scraps, glitter, sequins, etc. in layers with other fabrics. Techniques are described well, with plenty of examples/pictures. Helps you to create fabric that is uniquely your own.

You know all those beautiful floral applique quilts you have pictured in your mind? The ones you will stitch when you have time? Fantasy Floral Quilts by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery teaches a very clever method for creating floral quilts by capturing silk flowers under a layer of sheer fabric.

I found this book to be well-illustrated, packed with content, and offering an approachable can-do style. Very detailed quilt examples accompany every technique. Twisted Branches is one of Bonnie's clever techniques for creating a unique and realistic "branch" look and gave me a great idea for a Tree of Life quilt.

Bonnie teaches how to apply color schemes, color value, and flower positioning. One very creative suggestion was to view silk flowers as flowing blocks of color, adding dimension to landscape quilts. Embellishments of thread, beads, buttons, charms, and silk ribbons are an integral part of Fantasy Floral quilting. I really liked the french knots created from silk ribbons and used for flower centers.

Fantasy Floral Quilts by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery is a fun, creative book for all quilters and is a great second step for fans of her first book, Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design.

Imagine the idea of trapping cut-up bits of fabric under sheer tulle -- pushed as far as imagination can take it: trapping glitz and glitter, flowers and feathers -- and creating one-of-a-kind fabrics for backgrounds or as finished works of art. . . Instructions are clear and easy to read. Numerous photos of examples demonstrate a variety of techniques.

Review from Rosalie Cooke, editor, Art You Wear newsletter (Rosekcooke@aol.com) In her newsletter, Rosalie is a resource for the wearable arts community. She reviews books that teach various methods, and reviews and explains patterns that are suitable for art-to-wear. She also describes exhibits and workshops, and lists upcoming events.

Layering all kinds of fibers and fabrics under netting and stitching over it to hold it down is not a new technique, but it is refreshing to see so many variations all in one place. I skimmed the book looking only at the photographs and in that time solved two of my own problems. These were "Why didn't I think of that?" moments. Terrific, I love it when I can find answers so easily! I recommend this book because McCaffery has extensively researched the idea, and then laid it out so that you build up a varied repertoire. There are many photographs of samples to illustrate her point. I found it hard to see the differences between different colors of netting, but of course I could imagine what she was trying to show because I've done it myself. The samples are helpful and inspiring. McCaffrey discusses experi-menting with layers, adding items, and using the fabrics you've created. A large photo gallery is aimed at quilters, but just use what ideas you find to enhance your wearable art portfolio of techniques.

I used this method to test sewing down snowflakes cut from potato chip bags (silver side). This was part of a recycling challenge. Until I saw the book I wasn't coming up with very easy or interesting ideas for stitching down snowflakes. I used little squares of pale blue net, illusion veil, and a heavy silvered netting. Using the net and illusion side by side created more textural interest. Next step is putting it through the washing machine and dryer and seeing what happens to both netting and potato chip bags. If it survives, it's wearable!