Capture the Places You Love with Quilting

They say there's a time and a place for everything. When the time comes, and it's magical, spectacular, and heartwarming, how do you capture the place that holds a cherished memory? Aside from photographs, we have a favorite way to remember the good times: map quilts and landscape quilts. 

We gathered art quilters and fabric artists for their take on capturing the places we love with quilts. If you're feeling inspired to make your own special project, each artist has their own online course so you can follow along each step of the way.

Mapping Personal Places

At first glance, award-winning artist Valerie Goodwin’s quilts are stunning for the intricacy of their lines which create complex shapes and designs. Closer inspection slowly reveals these patterns are city blocks and urban landscapes captured from an aerial perspective. Drawing inspiration from architectural maps, plans, and blueprints, Goodwin’s combined love for architecture and art is evident through the detail and care in her works.

Valerie shows you how to use fabric, paint, and thread to make your own beautiful fiber art map. Have fun learning collage and mixed media art processes to add to your arsenal of techniques.

Map Making with Fabrics

Art Quilter Timna Tarr shows you how to transform your favorite vacation spot, neighborhood, or hometown into a charming quilt. Choosing a location is only part of the process. Learn how to transfer and modify your image, and select details for your unique design.

Throughout the workshop, you will learn how to translate a paper map into a personal map quilt. Timna will show you several techniques she uses to make map quilts and walk you through adding fusible appliqué, prepared edge appliqué, and paper piecing. 

Beautiful Landscape Quilts

Joyce Becker, experienced landscape designer and lecturer, invites you to a fun-filled, humorous lecture where she shows a collection of her landscape quilts and how she decorates her studio and home with them. Along the way, she shares tips and tricks about some of the techniques she uses when creating these beautiful quilts.

This humorous presentation includes motivational dialogue about the trials and errors of quilting and a reminder that perfection is never required when on your quilting journey. The lecture also features 35 of Joyce’s most famous realistic landscape quilts. You’ll walk away feeling inspired and ready to start your own landscape journey- plus, don’t miss the special guest when Joyce shows her quilt “Blondie’s Garden” where Blondie, the Cocker Spaniel, makes a very special appearance.

Design Your Quilt: From Photo to Imagination

Fiber artist Vicki Conley has been making art quilts since 2007 and is known for her National Park Art Quilts, inspired by the beautiful sights of her travels. By showing you how she made Glacier Bay, Vicki demonstrates the process of simplifying and combining photos into a workable design. As the course name implies, you'll learn how easy it is to take your own photographs and make paper piecing patterns for countless projects.

In the first part, Vicki shows you how to select specific photographic elements for your quilt design, whether you work with one photo or a collection. She walks you through enlarging and printing your pattern and teaches you how to cut and piece the quilt stabilizer. Next, you'll learn everything you need to know to put it together — walk through turned edge machine piecing, sewing the pieces, lettering techniques, and more valuable skills you can transfer to any quilt project.

Sign up for Mapping Personal Places

Sign up for Map Making with Fabrics

Sign up for Beautiful Landscape Quilts Lecture

Sign up for Design Your Quilt: From Photo to Imagination

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