DesignMatters TV

What thread do we use for our machine quilting? In this article Laura will share her tips for how to choose the right thread for the effect you’re looking for.

A flip-through Linda’s hand-bound, plant printed sketchbook with drawing, painting and stamping.

See how you can remix a single piece of hand dyed fabric to create a beautiful appliqué design. Laura’s using digital embroidery for her example, but you could try the technique with traditional bonded appliqué too.

Season’s Greetings everyone! Here is our Christmas card to you for 2022. You are welcome to download, save and print the image.

Find out more about the basics of digital stitch and see how Amelie’s used it to make a motif patch to customise a jacket.

Linda is adding the final touches to her latest fish quilt using fabric painting. See how it’s coming along.

See the box that Linda made inspired by chameleons!

Linda’s working on a new quilt featuring monoprinted fish. Take a look at the piece in progress and see how she’s adding the quilting and painting.

Take a look at some of the digital stitch examples that Laura demonstrated at Festival of Quilts 2022.

See some of our photos from Festival of Quilts 2022.

Take a look at an antique Drunkard’s Path quilt which caught Laura’s eye recently.

Take a look at some of the digital stitch examples that Laura demonstrated at Festival of Quilts 2022.

Have a look at the drawings Laura’s been working on this week.

We’ll be exhibiting at Festival of Quilts in August. Come and see our work in a gallery hosted by Madeira threads.

Linda’s written an article for the Summer 2022 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine on the topic of combining digital stitch with fabric painting.

Linda talks about how you can integrate elements into your sketchbook or altered book and make them look like they belong.

Laura demonstrates the Sketch module of Premier+ embroidery software to show how it can be perfect for creative quilting.

Laura talks about her recent digitising project and shares a few tips on how to translate a sketchbook design into stitch using software.

Take a look at some of the highlights from the Portrait Artist of the Year exhibition at Compton Verney.

Take a look at some paintings from the British Portraits room at Compton Verney and explore how the artists represent the garments of the sitters with a particular focus on embroidery.

Take a look at how Linda’s been using a combination of commercial digital stitch designs, freehand quilting and hand painting to produce a composition.

The Charlie Caftan by Closet Core is a great pattern. Here’s my latest version and a step by step look at my method for tackling the trickier part of the make.

Take a page by page look through Linda’s plant printed artist book. The book is hand made from a variety of plant printed papers. As you’ll see she’s added painted birds and insects, these are worked in watercolour, gouache and acrylic ink.

Take a look at some pages from Linda’s poppy sketchbook.

We love to find inspiration in our gardens and you know we both have used poppies in our work. Take a look at these beautiful examples and maybe use them to draw or paint from in your sketchbook.

We love working in concertina sketchbooks. In this post we’ll share our tips for the best paper to use when making your own concertina books and you’ll also find a link to our worksheet of instructions to make your own.

Laura’s latest dressmaking project has patch pockets. See how she sews them for great results every time.

See how Linda’s combined ideas from two workshops for great results. She’s using techniques from Plants in Altered Books and working into her Plant Printing pages.

Refashion a dress into a simple skirt. This is a super quick project which gives a whole new lease of life to an unworn garment. You’ll just need some elastic and a few minutes of time.

Free – Take a quick flip-through tour through Laura’s sketchbook. This one isn’t finished, but we hope you enjoy seeing how the pages are shaping up so far. This book makes use of a lot of monoprint, collage and drawing with pen.

Create a layered painting in acrylic with a messy underpainting of bright colour, stencilled pattern and brush marks. Then overpaint with a negative painting of your own hand to make a personalised piece of art that’ll look beautiful in your home. This is an easy painting technique that even a beginner can try, but experienced painters will love too!

Download our partridge a pear tree image and make your own Christmas cards.

A flip-through video of Linda’s altered book Nests and Eggs.

A flip-through video of Linda’s altered book Art is Food.

A flip-through video two concertina books made using plant printed pages. See how Linda’s worked into the plant prints with collage, drawing and painting.

Make a beautiful felted and stitched landscape with Linda. She’ll guide you through the process step-by-step from needlefelting the background to freehand machine stitching motifs and adding final details with hand embroidery.

A flip-through video of one of Linda’s altered books. We’ll show you page by page through her book Crow where you’ll spot lots of techniques that we cover in our workshops including stamping and oil pastel and wash. 

If you enjoy dyeing fabric, then it’s highly likely you’re going to want threads to match! In this show see how Laura prepares skeins ready for dyeing.

Discover the inspirational sources that Linda brought together in the making of her quilt ‘Fractured’. Linda also discusses the techniques that she used in the making of the quilt.

Discover how to sew geometric designs with English paper piecing. Laura guides you through the simple steps for this satisfying method of patchwork that works beautifully for piecing even small shapes with accuracy.

Variety of art mediums is the way to get lots of mileage from a single source of inspiration in a sketchbook.

Discover the fascinating Needle Museum and learn about the history of the dangerous business of making needles from Jo-Ann Gloger, the curator of the collection.

We’ve been experimenting with 3D printers to make rubbing plates. Take a look at how we’ve been getting on…

Work with Laura to create a Drunkard’s Path design using faux piecing. She’ll show you how to use your own hand dyed fabrics (maybe you dyed some using her Exchange Dyeing video workshop), but you can use any of your favourite fabrics from commercial cottons to hand painted cloth.

Discover the story behind Laura’s recent quilt ‘In and Out of Love’, a digitally printed photographic quilt.

Discover one of our favourite print block materials – compressed sponge. It’s easy to mark and cut out into any shape you like. Then simply immerse in water to create a sponge printing block to use with acrylics or fabric paints.

Linda’s enjoying more sketchbook drawing and painting today. With spring in the air the garden provides the inspiration.

Choose a quote that’s personal to you, find some scraps of felt, and make a dent in that stash of beads with these funky motto cushions.

See how Linda is making one of Laura’s printed sketchbooks her own!

Take a peek at pages from Laura’s sketchbooks.

Laura’s art kit essentials for sketchbook working on the go.

Brighten your home with a winter themed table runner using fabric painting and quilting.

Get your workspace ready! It sounds like procrastination, but seriously, sharpen those pencils…

Laura shares her tips for getting started on a new project.

Make an appliqué hanging perfect for this season. Linda will show you how to turn through a perfect appliqué shape, arrange the design and add quilting.

My first time making this Marcy Tilton pattern.

Take a look at Linda’s drawings of poppies using Derwent Graphitint pencils.

Find out what Linda’s art essentials are for sketchbook work…

We’ve got the dressmaking bug again! The sun is suddenly shining so we need new summer clothes. Immediately! This simple top in cotton lawn was the first off the production line…

Learn how to thicken Procion MX dyes with Manutex (sodium alginate) so that you can paint or print with them.

Linda demonstrates how to make sheets of recycled paper at home using simple equipment.

Learn how to make a quick infinity scarf

Free Video Workshop – Whether you’re nervous of drawing, or are just looking for a new sketchbook technique, why not consider using tracing?

Waxed papers are perfect for paper and stitch projects. Join Linda to find out how to make your own.

Create your own festive decoration for the tree and start a new family tradition!

Explore the potential of monoprinting techniques.