Inspired By...

"Where do you get your inspiration from?". That's the number one question we are always asked whenever we teach or give a lecture. And the answer? Well inspiration can be found all around you! We all have themes and ideas that appeal to us, and that we return to time and again. For us inspiration can be found in the landscape, nature, art and music, but what fires you? Maybe it's architecture, plants, historical costume...

Finding Inspiration

In this classroom we'll talk about not only the places you can look for inspiration, but equally importantly, what to do with it when you find it. 

Video Workshops

Projects

Inspired by Ceramics: Table Runner

Discover how Linda chooses a fabric colour palette for a summer table runner inspired by a collection of hand painted ceramics. Follow our lead and be inspired by your tableware to make a perfectly coordinating quilted table runner. She uses stitch and flip technique in a quilt as you go method of piecing. This is an ideal project for making use of many coloured scraps.

Inspired by Hawaiian Appliqué

Inspired by paper-cut Hawaiian appliqué designs Laura will show you how to use the Procreate app on your iPad to create digitally designed versions and audition your fabrics.

Inspired by Seminole Patchwork

Learn a fast and easy method to design for your quilts using strip piecing inspired by Seminole Patchwork. Laura will show you how to work directly with your fabrics for the design process so you can be sure ideas in your sketchbook pages will translate well to your quilts.

Inspired by Nature

Find inspiration in nature and see how Linda interprets a photographic source as a mixed media study in her sketchbook. She'll show you how to use watercolour, charcoal pencils and oil pastel to create rich surfaces sympathetic to the subject matter. Then working from her sketchbook, Linda interprets the mixed media study into a stitched textile. See how she uses opaque and transparent fabric scraps to build painterly layers adding texture with machine and hand stitching. 

What’s the Story? Fractured

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 The Needle Museum

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.

Finding Inspiration

In this archive collection of 5 video workshops Laura will guide you through one approach to finding inspiration for your next project, from sourcing inspirational images to creating interesting layered sketchbook pages.

Art Diary

Are you up for a challenge? How about working along with Linda as she records events, people and places in a visual art diary? It's a fascinating way to approach a creative challenge - you just let your imagination respond to each day as it happens. In this archive collection you'll be encouraged to collect inspirational material, write, draw, print, paint and stitch - before you know it you'll have experimented with a huge range of art techniques and you'll have a sketchbook bursting with ideas to inspire future work!

Still Life- Quick Drawing to Fabric Collage

Start with quick sketches, explore tone and draw with colour. Take what you've learnt to create a fabric collage with machine stitching.

Banjara Inspirations

Linda looks to the traditional textiles of the Banjara for inspiration. Join her to look at some examples and to study the colours, techniques and patterns of these decorative and heavily stitched cloths. Using them as inspiration, Linda demonstrates how you can start your own stitched cloth in the Banjara style.

Archive Three

In Archive 3 you’ll find a lively mix of some of the very first shows we taped for DMTV. Ranging from discharge printing, through altered books and free motion quilting, there’s lots to inspire.

Art as Inspiration

Art, and paintings in particular can provide a rich source of inspiration for textiles. In this series of video workshops Linda guides you through how she’s been inspired by the paintings of Paul Klee to make a small art quilt.