Optical Illusions for Quilters [Paperback]

Karen Combs (Author), Mary Jo Kurten (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

Learn how to unravel the mysteries of creating space, depth, and perspective in your quilts - textile pictures that play tricks on your eyes!

Author Karen Combs reveals these secrets by examining masterpiece quilts created by well-know quilt artists and explains their use of optical illusions.

Each section explores different visual illusions. Hundreds of illustrations and traditional quilt block designs are used to show how dimension and movement can be added to quilts and wallhangings. Chapter 8, Illusions of Color contains information helpful in producing all types of illusions.

This book contains full-size patterns for 12" quilt blocks showing illusions, and complete instructions for the cover quilt using isometric perspective.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Karen is known for taking a traditional pattern and giving it her own unique twist. She has always been intrigued with quilts of illusions and has been designing quilts with the illusion of depth for the many years.

She loves to share her quilt knowledge, teaching for quilt guilds and conferences nationwide, and was nominated for Teacher of the Year by "Professional Quilter Journal" in 1995. She is co-founder of Maury Quilter's Guild, has served several terms as president and vice-president and published their newsletter.

Her quilts have appeared in major quilt shows and her articles and patterns have appeared in many quilting magazines. Karen is also the co-author of "3-D Fun with Pandora's Box" published in 1997.

Karen grew up in Michigan and in 1990 moved to the rolling hills of middle Tennessee where she lives with husband Rick, daughter Angela, son Josh, two cats Gizmo and Benjamin, and at last count, four fish.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: American Quilter's Society (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891458921
• ISBN-13: 978-0891458920
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #683,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Useful, December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Optical Illusions for Quilters (Paperback)

Karen Combs has done an excellent job of condensing several books on 3-D and perspective into one readable, useable source. She takes the reader step-by-step through various types of perspective problems. Not only does she do this with drawing techniques but also with a delightful and inspiring quilt gallery and a few sample projects.

The reader should realize that this is not a project book; this is a design book. It is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to add persepctive to their quilts. I read this book cover-to-cover when I was creating a quilt for the APNQ "Invoking Spirits" exhibition. I wouldn't have designed as nice a piece without this valuable resource.

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opener for all quilt enthusiasts, August 2, 1998

By 

Bethany Reynolds - See all my reviews

This review is from: Optical Illusions for Quilters (Paperback)

Glance through "Optical Illusions for Quilters" and you'll be struck first by the gorgeous array of quilts of every type, from traditional pieced designs to pictorial applique. It's a top-notch quilt show you can stroll through at your leisure, with entries from nationally known quilters like Charlotte Warr Anderson and Carol Breyer Fallert as well as spectacular but less familiar works. Take a moment to read the text with each photo, though, and you'll find you're actually on a guided tour with a very knowledgeable hostess; one who will open your eyes to aspects of these works you might otherwise never notice. Karen Combs explains how these master quilters have used line, color, composition, and other visual devices to convey depth, transparency, motion, and more. With clearly written text and plenty of illustrations, she shows how you can apply these techniques in your own quilts. Whether you are a traditional or contemporary quilter, this book will help you! appreciate the quilts you view, and enliven the quilts you make. This is a book to read and enjoy, and a reference to keep close at hand.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very technical, August 1, 2003

By 

P. Lassak "Sheltie mom" (Sequim, WA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Optical Illusions for Quilters (Paperback)

I have made 2 of Karen Combs patterns and while they turned out well, I would have hated to have tried them as an inexperienced quilter. Her directions are not that easy to follow and require much rereading. The book is very technical. She does wonderful designs but really needs to have the pattern instructions written by someone else and it is not her forte.