Tuesday, April 1, 2014

My New Book!

I am so excited that I can finally announce this after months and months of lies and subterfuge. When Fantastical Books of Berkeley, California contacted me about producing my own quilting book, I was hesitant, because I have always assumed that I would be self-published until the end of time. But the great team at Fantastical convinced me that they could bring my dream to fruition without compromising my unique artistic vision. I warned them that I would be a big, whiny diva baby throughout the entire process, and they assured me that they had plenty of medicinal marijuana and it would not be a problem at all.

Now, I have never liked labeling myself as any particular type of quilter: traditional, contemporary, socialist, etc. But I have been so inspired by modern quilting and the piles of cash it is making for so many people, that I knew exactly the direction I wanted my book to take. And, to be quite honest, I have had this title in mind for several years and I'm so jazzed to finally have the chance to see it in print.


Sadly, the people at Fantastical Books were not willing to go full F-bomb on the cover, so we had to compromise with the little asterisk there. I designed the cover with no quilt photography in order to signal to the reader that this book would not be the typical "quilts draped on couches" thing which is really more catalog than book. I want the reader to be able to envision their own quilts without being hindered by contrived notions of domesticity and unattainable perfection. Also, all that negative space is modern as fuck.

The quilt designs all employ solids in bold motifs that practically scream "I once saw a Josef Albers book at the library but didn't check it out or anything."

For example, here is one design titled Far From the Madding Crowd:


 And this one, called Meadowlarking:


This one, entitled, Dream Your Explosion, Tiffany, is a study in tension and contrast:


And finally, what modern quilting book would be complete without a portrait quilt of New York minimalist composer, Philip Glass?

Please look for Modern Quilting: F*ck Yeah! on sale at Amazon and fine booksellers and quilt shops everywhere this summer.

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