TextileArts news and re:views

The latest issue of Fibre&Stitch (issue 3) is newly out, offering a feast of techniques, projects and information. Scanning down the table of contents, some headings immediately caught my eye - Terri Stegmiller with a series on techniques and methods for writing on fabric, and special guest articles by Linda Stokes on shibori with transfer dyes, and Helen Suzanne Alexander on achieving depth and distance in fibre landscapes.

There's also a fascinating article by guest author Virginia A. Spiegel in which she explains how she collects and records information in her studio journals, and shares the thought processes that led to a particular series of art quilts.

The talented artists who contribute to Fibre&Stitch have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ideas for colourful and beautiful projects and this issue is no exception. I especially liked Terri Stegmiller's cheerful 'scrappy fabric coasters' and Debra Jo Hardman's 'thread-play scarf', to name but two - and there is much more here to stimulate creativity.

To see what's on offer, you can download the table of contents in PDF format from the Fibre&Stitch web site, or to get a practical taste of Fibre&Stitch, look at the generous range of projects and techniques on the free projects page.

Fibre&Stitch is a quarterly electronic publication in PDF format. You can subscribe online ($29.95 USD for a year's subscription), and a single issue is $8.95 USD.

A new venture by artists Linda Kemshall, Laura Kemshall and Catherine Nicholls, thr3fold is subtitled 'the journal of creative vision'. Issue 1 of the journal will be launched at Ironbridge on Sunday 3 June 2007 - admission by advance ticket only. Linda, Laura and Catherine will be exhibiting nine new quilts and other works, demonstrating techniques featured in the first journal and giving a lecture.

Filled with inspirational articles, projects and information the journals cover a broad spectrum of creative subjects including quilting, drawing, painting, printing, embroidery, knitting and collage. Each journal consists of a 52 page book gloriously illustrated in full colour and a CD packed with further information including printable patterns, copyright free images and video demonstrations.

You can preorder Issue 1 on the thr3fold website, or from the DesignMatters store, where there's a preview of another exciting goodie from Linda and Laura Kemshall, their new book The Painted Quilt, due out in August.

The forthcoming issue of Maggie Grey's online magazine, Workshop on the Web, is a very special issue - a moving tribute to Valerie Campbell-Harding, who died on 5 October.

Few people can have touched as many lives in the world of textiles and embroidery as Val: inspiring, teaching and sharing her great knowledge and delight in exploration. Her life, her work, her writing and her teaching are all remembered and celebrated throughout this issue by those who learned from her, worked with her, and loved her.

December's WoW also carries an article by Val herself, 'Seeing Pink Elephants', an invitation to play and discover new textures in the oddest of raw materials.

Workshop on the Web represents joyful excellence in textile art, an ethos that owes much to Val's influence and inspiration. It consistently demonstrates the wonderful creativity of those who practise embroidery and other textile arts, and it's going from strength to strength as a community. I always love to read it, and this issue is definitely one to treasure.

The December issue of Workshop on the Web is out on 1 December.

www.workshopontheweb.com

Starting in 2007, both Quilting Arts Magazine and Cloth Paper Scissors will be going to a six-issue publication schedule - great news for fans of these wonderfully creative and inspiring magazines.

To say I'm excited about the new schedule is an understatement; it just means we can do so much more with both publications. Patricia Bolton, Editor

More on the Quilting Arts Blog

The premiere issue of a new off-the-wall craft magazine is on sale now in the US, and by subscription elsewhere. There's also a digital edition.

Traditional crafting practices and techniques are still the foundation for what we're doing, yet we're also incorporating technology, creative recycling, innovative materials and processes. There's a fun sense of irony, irreverence and attitude in our mission. Carla Sinclair, Editor-in-Chief

CRAFT is the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance happening within the world of crafts. Our premiere issue features 23 projects with a twist! Embroider your skateboard, light up your clothing, felt an iPod cocoon, knit your own boots, stitch a robot, and more!

Textile crafts are well represented in the table of contents, with needlepoint bangles, a crochet robot, silk screening, 'New Wave Embroidery' and 'Geek Girl takes on Fashion' among the many articles on offer.

CRAFT: transforming traditional crafts

Looks like a lot of fun - anyone who's seen it - what do you think of the first issue?