Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design

by Bonnie McCafferty and Bonnie Lyn McCaffery

Book Overview

Move from fabric lover to fabric designer! Discover simple techniques for making dazzling original fabrics that will add texture and dimension to any fabric-based project you create. Learn to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1564772721
• ISBN13: 9781564772725
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Martingale and Company
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.4" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

A very creative technique

You know all those beautiful floral applique quilts you have pictured in your mind? The ones you will stitch when you have time? Fantasy Floral Quilts by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery teaches a very clever method for creating floral quilts by capturing silk flowers under a layer of sheer fabric. I found this book to be well-illustrated, packed with content, and offering an approachable can-do style. Very detailed quilt examples accompany every technique. Twisted Branches is one of Bonnie's clever techniques for creating a unique and realistic "branch" look and gave me a great idea for a Tree of Life quilt. Bonnie teaches how to apply color schemes, color value, and flower positioning. One very creative suggestion was to view silk flowers as flowing blocks of color, adding dimension to landscape quilts. Embellishments of thread, beads, buttons, charms, and silk ribbons are an integral part of Fantasy Floral quilting. I really liked the french knots created from silk ribbons and used for flower centers. Fantasy Floral Quilts by Bonnie Lyn McCaffery is a fun, creative book for all quilters and is a great second step for fans of her first book, Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design.

Create Your Own Fabric For A One-Of-A-Kind Look

Here are some excerpts from my review of this book. You can see the complete review on the Quilter's Review website."Have you ever looked for fabric but couldn't find exactly what you wanted? Maybe you found a great print, but it was a little too bright. Or you found something close, but you really wished it had some gold sparkles in it...."Bonnie Lyn McCaffery shows you how to create the fabric you want, and how to have fun doing it. "Bonnie has worked out all the details of turning run-of-the-mill fabric into something not only personal, but spectacular. The only limit is your imagination. And if your imagination is limited, Bonnie will help you with that, too."Bonnie's technique begins with a base fabric. Cotton, the choice of most quilters, works well, but so do silks, satins, metallics, and many others. To the base fabric she applies a sheer fabric to add a shadow layer, or to create a slight color change. She explains the properties of the different base and top fabrics, and how they work together.... "I collected a printed invitation, small silk flowers, and a folding fan from a bat mitzvah, and have been trying to figure out how to incorporate them into something to commemorate the occasion. I'd thought my only choice was to make a shadow box or frame for these memories, even though I really want to make a quilt. But now, Bonnie's book has given me the ideas and know-how I needed to create a commemorative quilt. "I can't remember when I've had so much fun playing with fabric. Thanks to Bonnie's book, I now have a whole new relationship with my stash."

Fantasy Fabrics

Love this book and the abundance of techniques and project ideas. With the clear directions and numerous photographs of techniques, the hands-on rewards are immediate! The outcomes are stunning! This is a must have book for any fiber artist!

Fantasy fabrics are fun

This is a book that I had been waiting for. I kept buying wonderful gauzes, glitters and silky fabrics because, like the magpie, I just couldn't resist them. I had played with them a bit, gloated over them and added them to my hoard. Some ingredients were still missing. Bonnie McCaffery's book has provided these. She creates new fabrics by layering. She shows you, in brilliant colour, very persuasively how to use a whole variety of sheer fabrics to trap your gorgeous finds. She demonstrates a wealth of techniques how to create and hold together these layered fabrics. She then stimulates you to go and find other treasures to trap and thereby to embellish your work.The book has a wonderful selection of Bonnies's own work and is crammed with lovely close-ups that really show you how to choose your fabrics, how to cut and place them and how to sew them together. I particularly love the tumbled squares that appear on many of the pages with idea after idea to get your own creative thoughts racing. I think you should find this book liberating. It doesn't give specific projects: it should stimulate thousands. It makes a really scrumptious addition to any quilter's bookshelf.

Fantasy Fabrics: Techniques for Layered Surface Design

Ok, so I rated it really good. I'm the author. But I really do think it's a great book. Let me tell you a little about the technique. Fantasy fabrics are created by capturing a variety of fun things (Tintzl, threads, cut fabrics, confetti, feathers...and lots more) under a sheer top layer of fabric (like tulle netting). This book explores the numerous possibilities and then further shows ways to use this gorgeous fabric. It is playful, fun and instantly rewarding. I hope you'll enjoy the book. Be sure to post it here if you do!