Quick Little Landscape Quilts: 24 Easy Techniques to Create a Masterpiece

By Joyce R. Becker

The prize-winning landscape quilter shares easy tips and time-saving techniques in this guide featuring mini-landscape quilts for all skill levels.

In Quick Little Landscape Quilts, Joyce Becker shows you simple ways to work with landscape-themed fabrics to make a quilted wallhanging you'll be proud to show off. This skill-building guide covers a variety of techniques, such as incorporating overlays for perspective; embellishing with machine embroidery; and enhancing designs with inks, pastels, and more. Featured projects range from simple patterns to photo-based designs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Dec 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781607051688

Joyce R. Becker

Joyce Becker is a quilt artist, instructor, and best-selling author. Joyce has traveled the globe teaching and lecturing landscape quilting to thousands of quilters. She lives in Kent, Washington. Joycerbecker.com

Book preview

Introduction

As I travel around the world, I find quilters are anxious to learn my landscape quilt techniques but are often looking for a quick fix, or a faster, easier way to create landscapes. Many quilters seem to be project-oriented and want to finish a project in one sitting. With that in mind, I’ve developed a new series of matted and framed mini-landscapes suitable for all levels of quilting and sewing enthusiasts. I know many quilters around the globe do not have the opportunity to take workshops, and consequently, they learn their techniques strictly from books. This book is structured specifically so anyone can design and create a mini-landscape.

Most of the miniature landscapes included in this book were designed and fused or glued onto fast2fuse, a stiff interfacing, then stitched into place free-motion with invisible thread. After the designs are stitched and embellished (if desired), they are placed inside a photo mat and framed like a photo (minus the glass). Mini-landscapes are wonderful pieces of art and quick and easy gifts for friends and family. In fact, I designed many of the mini-landscapes included in this book as Christmas gifts for family and friends. Unfortunately, I had to hand out IOUs when I decided to write this book!

Once you try crafting a mini-landscape, I’m sure you’ll be hooked and go on to make several designs. I can see these techniques blossoming into mini-landscape parties, where friends and family join in and create their own works of art. Wouldn’t it be great fun to see what your children or grandchildren could come up with as well? Kids can create their own mini-landscapes with just a bit of guidance. Consider themed mini-landscapes, such as seasonal projects or those for holidays, celebrations of family vacations, or poignant memories. The possibilities are endless. Let’s get going…

Chapter 1: Supplies

One of the reasons mini-landscapes are so much fun to create is that you probably have most of the materials on hand already. Your basic sewing supplies, augmented by fancy threads, stash finds, and heavyweight interfacing, will lead you to a beautiful mini-landscape project.

Materials Needed

FAST2FUSE CANVAS

Your completed mini-landscape will be matted and framed; you won’t need batting and backing. Build your design on a piece of fast2fuse, cut to your mat’s outer perimeter.

Fast2fuse interfacings

My interfacing of choice is fast2fuse. It’s easy to stitch on, stable, and fusible. Your design’s background fabrics are fused to the fast2fuse with an iron and a Teflon pressing sheet. If fast2fuse isn’t available, other interfacing can be substituted, including Timtex or Pellon Peltex single-sided fusible interfacings. I like fast2fuse because it’s thinner than the others. You can buy fast2fuse by the yard or in craft packages.

TEFLON PRESSING SHEET

Because the fast2fuse is a two-sided fusible interfacing, the ironing you do to one side can melt the other exposed side to your ironing surface. A Teflon pressing sheet (Appliqué Presser Sheet is one brand name) is used under the fast2fuse to prevent ruining your ironing board’s cover.

FABRIC CHOICES

Scale

Consider this when choosing fabric: What is the scale or size of the landscape elements? If you use a preprinted commercial fabric, remember that in nature, elements in the distance are smaller than elements in the foreground. To create the correct perspective, look for fabrics that accomplish those goals. Fabric patterns for elements in the distance should be smaller in scale and grow larger as you move forward in your design.

Fabric scales

Alaskan Wilderness II, by Joyce R. Becker

Elements in the distance are lighter in value and smaller in size (or scale) than the foreground elements.

Value vs. Color

When selecting fabrics for your project, throw out the rules you may have learned about matching colors. In nature, nothing matches. Pay attention, instead, to the fabric’s value. The term value seems to confuse many quilters. Simply, value describes whether the fabric is light, medium, or dark.

Fabrics with different values

The correct value and scale of fabric in your mini-landscape create perspective.

Don’t forget about the fabric’s wrong side, which can create an element in the distance because the wrong side’s value is usually lighter than the value of the right side. The right side can bring you closer in the design if the value is comparatively