Design Explorations for the Creative Quilter by Katie Pasquini Masopust, softback published by C&T Publishing in the USA. ISBN 978-1-57120-455-4, price 24.95 US dollars.

I first came across Kate PM in the Master Quilt Artists book by Lark (see review). She is one of my favourite all-time quilt artists. So I am thrilled to be reviewing not only one of Katie’s own books but also her DVD (see separate review). This book is subtitled ‘Easy-to-Follow Lessons for Dynamic Art Quilts’ and there you have in a nutshell just what this book is all about.

What do I love so much about Katie PM’s work – she’s extraordinary. I love her multi-talented design that encompasses colour, shape, texture and form. I love the way she has developed her work – she does not stand still – what will Katie do next?

This is an 80 page book that simply knocks you of your feet. I don’t think Katie’s work could be better portrayed. hats off to C&T publishing, they went to town on the photography to bring Katie’s vibrant use of colour to full life. What will you learn form this book? All about the process of design, from initial idea to colour explorations to putting a quilt together. That’s a lot to learn in a small book. Each steps is bite-sized, so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

The creative process starts with your tools and materials. Katie then looks at the composition of a quilt and explores lots of ideas. She then gives one of the best analyses of colour that I have seen in a crafts book on any subject. She then looks at shapes and lines in design, repetition – ways of splitting the fabric into smaller pieces to form a coherent design. We then come to perhaps the most interesting part of the book in many ways – Katie discusses different ways to motivate all those people who believe they can’t – can’t draw, can’t paint, can’t make. She helps you discover your inner artist with some very basic and simple exercises I bet you have never tried. I tell you – it opened my ideas to a whole new world, a world of fantastic possibilities. Thanks for sharing this Katie. 

In ‘from design to pattern’, Katie shows the whole process of selecting an image, transferring it to paper and cutting, placing and piecing fabric together to make a beautiful, finished art quilt. Throughout the book, there are example not only of Katie’s art quilts – worth buying the book alone for these, but also some of Katie’s colleagues and students. 

The 10 fun approaches to designing art quilts are essential and work for everyone no matter what skill level. The approach is clearly explained. Katie is a great teacher. You should definitely get a copy of this book, it’s superb.