October 2006
Cynthia's Tips
Tip #1
When choosing fabrics for landscapes, don't forget to look on the back side of the fabric. More often than not, the reverse side can be used as another shade. It will already be in the same color family and can be used to blend in other fabrics. You can also use the reverse side of fabrics to indicate distance. The fabric will look out of focus and indistinct. This especially works good if you have a foliage type fabric.
Tip #2
When designing from a photograph, remember that you can use more than one photograph in your quilt as inspiration. You can use parts of several pictures. Just trace the elements you like in each one and then superimpose them to create your own design. For instance, let's say you have a photograph of your front porch and there are potted plants on your porch. Unfortunately, some of them look half dead. Go get some good looking plant pictures and superimpose them over the dead plants. Now it looks as if you have a green thumb! We can now "google" pictures of just about any subject to use as reference.
Tip #3
Give yourself permission to mess up. You can always appliqué over it, paint over it, or rip it out. Sometimes our mistakes come out much better than anything we could ever plan. Just go for it!
Cynthia England / England Design
Cynthia is a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston and has been creating quilts for more than thirty years. Experimentation with quilting techniques led her to develop her own unique style. Cynthia's quilts have been honored with many awards, including two Best of Shows at the prestigious "International Quilt Association". Her quilt, Piece and Quiet was distinguished as one of the Hundred Best Quilts of the 20th Century. Cynthia teaches and lectures nationally and internationally. Visit her website at: www.englanddesign.com
Cynthia England
England Design
1201 Sunset Drive
Dickinson TX, 77539
281-534-1858
Fax: 281-534-1623
cynengland@englanddesign.com
www.englanddesign.com
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