These engaging works of art represent a range of styles across the abstract art spectrum. 300 gorgeous art quilts, bursting with color and excitement, capture the work of 124 major quilt artists from 18 countries. In-depth interviews with 29 of the artists help us understand their inspirations, their techniques, and their challenges. Learn about how Denyse Schmidt makes her color choices. Find out how Fumiko Nakayama first discovered the mola techniques for which she is famous. Discover why Sue Benner is drawn to plaids and why Deidre Adams likes old books. Participating artists come from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the UK, and across the US.

Through personal interviews and galleries of bird-related fabric artwork, this book celebrates birds and the artists that have been inspired and moved by them. Escape into an unexpected world of avian fiber art. This collection -- brought together by Martha Sielman, executive director of Studio Art Quilt Associates, Inc. (SAQA)tells how artists live creatively and how birds fit into their lives and inspire them. Bird lovers, needlecrafters, quilters, and other crafters of all ages will be delighted by this book with gorgeous images of avian art on and with fabric and other materials. Interviews with and quotes from more than 100 of these artists give "live creatively" advice and inside information about the gorgeous bird-inspired art that they create. Over 200 master crafters -- quilters, embroiderers, and other fabric artists -- from 15 countries on six continents from different backgrounds and experiences share their love of birds and the inspiration they find in them. Includes photographic galleries of avian art and crafts sorted by bird types, including birds like finches, gulls, owls, woodland birds, birds of prey, and many more. Over 500 full-color images; Readers can curl up in their favorite chairs and enjoy the best of "bird stitchery." Or they can share it with the bird lovers in their life!

Until now, there has not been a comprehensive, chronological history of the studio art quilt, which is an international phenomenon. This feast for the eyes offers full-color images of 400 masterpieces along with engaging interviews and profiles of 58 influential artists, key leaders, important events, and significant collections. Organized by decade, an additional 182 international artists' works are featured. An introduction by Janet Koplos, former senior editor of Art in America, and a conclusion by Ulysses Grant Dietz, emeritus chief curator of the Newark Museum, help us to understand the impact and the future of the art. This publication originated with Studio Art Quilt Associates, a nonprofit professional organization founded in 1989 and now serving 3,500 members in nearly 40 countries.