Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting [Paperback]

Mickey Lawler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

Perfect for beginning fabric painters and those who have dabbled with fabric paints. Easy exercises show how to create skies, earth, seas, and gardens. Includes a quilt project, too!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Renowned textile artist Mickey Lawler's exquisite hand-painted fabrics are eagerly sought by quilters. Here she shares her amazing way with color and design, instructing readers of any skill level how to paint cottons to achieve remarkable scenic effects suggesting sunrises, sunsets, night skies, storms, seas, landscapes, and gardens. Most of all she exhorts us to have fun, to relax and develop a playful attitude toward our work, to enjoy the serendipitous results these techniques produce. Strewn throughout these vivid pages are gorgeous quilts by various artists utilizing Lawlor's hand-painted fabrics. Also included is one brief project for turning your own painted fabrics into a simple quilt. --Amy Handy

From Library Journal

Like many of C&T's offerings, Skydyes takes an easygoing tutorial approach to teach quilters new aspects of their craft. Known for her beautiful hand-painted cotton fabrics, Lawler here teaches the art of fabric painting to those who would rather paint their own than buy custom-painted fabric. Once supplies and equipment, fabric preparation, and painting techniques have been covered, the reader is led step-by-step through a series of landscape painting exercises illustrating each technique. All of the exercises are then pieced into an abstract landscape quilt that will serve as a permanent reference for the aspiring fabric painter. An excellent resource list and inspiring full-color photos of unique landscape quilts add to the value of this title. An excellent choice for any library collecting in this area.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: C&T Publishing (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157120072X
• ISBN-13: 978-1571200723
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,662 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mickey Lawler has been involved in quiltmaking and
an enthusiastic instructor since 1968. She is the creator of
SKYDYES hand-painted fabrics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily create beatiful skies & landscapes, Inspriational, January 2, 2000

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book that will allow you to easily create magnificent pained skies, sunsets, gardens, landscapes & seascapes on fabric. Throughout the book, photos of beautiful & unique landscape quilts will inspire you.

The author shows how, by using the right materials and some simple techniques, anyone can achieve beautiful and dramatic results even if they have no actual painting talent or ability.

The basics of supplies, fabric preparation, & color mixing are covered first. Then, each technique is demonstrated & explained with clear step-by-step instructions accompanied by color photos.

In the back, there are complete instructions for a gorgeous vertical row harbor quilt. The resource list is a nice bonus. I highly recommend this book for any quilter or fabric painter.

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Create Your Own!, November 10, 2002

By 

Heart To Hand (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting (Paperback)

After taking a fabric dying class one hot summer in the back parking lot of a favorite quilt shop, I fell in love with creating my own fabric for quilting and wearable art. When my teacher never came back to teach more I went looking for directions. Of course I had tie dyed in the 60’s, did Batik in the 70’s but never created my own sky fabric for my own lighthouse vest. So, I borrowed, purchased and reviewed many different books on Fabric painting until I found Skydyes. Mickey gave me the information on getting the right materials to create that perfect sun set, Cannon Beach rocks, and the wild Oregon surf! Create the fabric that you see in your own mind’s eye! You can do it!

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I thought! Even better!, July 15, 2003

By 

JP "iamlilymunster" (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skydyes: A Visual Guide to Fabric Painting (Paperback)

I was reluctant to buy this book because there were only two reviews, and I usually like to have a little more of an idea on books I can't actually look at myself, but this book is fabulous. I thought it was about dying fabrics, because when most people refer to fabric painting they mean painting on fabric with dye; this book really means paint. Mickey uses fabric paints that still leave the fabric soft to the touch, not rough. The talent and inspirational pictures and examples in this book simply are breathtaking. I can't wait to buy the paints and begin. I think this book will do very well with Piecing by Ruth McDowell, which I also purchased. Thank you Mickey for a book that was worth the cost, ten times over.