The answer isn't always cut and dyed
I'd like to introduce a textile art master, Sian Martin, who founded Distant Stitch back in 1991. She works out of the UK, and operates a distance-learning program on textile art through City & Guilds. Her web site is http://www.distantstitch.co.uk There is an interview with her at
I took a couple of courses with her, learned a tremendous amount, and highly recommend the program to anyone who has interest in creating art by working with fabrics, thread, wires, paint, twigs, dyes, and even glass.
Here's a little piece that I made a few years ago.
I started with a 10-inch square of black cotton fabric and made patterns with bleach. Another piece of white cotton fabric was tie-dyed with black dye, and a further white piece was printed with black acrylic paint. I took the black piece to the sewing machine and added a zigzag pattern in white thread. Then, after cutting the pieces diagonally and interlacing the pieces, I sewed them together.
The courses Sian teaches have clear, step-by-step, instructions. No matter where you are in the world, no matter whether you are an experienced artist or a beginner, whether you can sew or not, the courses are fascinating!
If you'd like to see more samples I made during the course, you're welcome to have a look at http://threadingonthinice.blogspot.jp.
