What a great book! I disagree with the person who says it is for an absolute beginner. I am far from a beginner and was very impressed with the different techniques in this book. The instructions are clear, with an additional suggestion at the bottom every page. The supplies needed for the techniques are fairly easy to come by. I look forward to trying them!

This book is only for the absolute beginner. I could find nothing to inspire me.

This book has so many different techniques, it's delicious! I have most of the products to start in my own stash and purchased a few more. It's enough to keep me busy without boredom. 5 stars!!

I was very pleased with this book. It's creative techniques and clear instructions will be refered to often as I attempt art quilts.

If you like a clean house or a hot meal or clean clothes, don't, I repeat, DON'T buy this book. I received this book from Amazon, opened it up and started to read it. I was so innocent then. Then the book grabbed me and off I went on projects. I bought supplies, came home and started making samples. Vacuum? Dust? Oh, those can wait,--there is another project to try! The projects are fun, they are easy and the results are fabulous. If you want to try some fabric painting and dyeing in various forms, for example, this is your book, and that is just a small portion. Grab the book, be prepared to forget everything around you exists, and have fun!

This is a great textbook for budding art quilters. There's a new technique every 2 or 3 pages. I'm planning to work through it one technique at a time. It provides enough information to get you started with each technique and gives you some ideas for what to do with your creation. I definitiely recommend it for people intersted in exploring art quilting techniques.

This is a wonderful book if you are experienced in multiple methods of working with fabrics and fibers. It gives short, concise, information on techniques, and lets you 'run with it' on your own. I needed to research a method of working with fiber that I had used before, quite some time ago, and had forgotten the exact method for the process. This book quickly brought me up to speed, giving me an excellent reminder of how to start. I was then able to work through what I had done before to achieve my results. It also gave me the basics on a method I had thought about, but never knew how it was done (fabric beads). In a couple of short paragraphs I had the process down and was able to experiment at will.

If you aren't an experienced fabric worker, or like to be given clear, step-by-step instructions on methods and examples of what you can actually do with different methods, may I suggest Art Quilt Workbook, by Waterston?

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Quilt-Workbook-Techniques-Creativity/dp/157120377X/ref=pd_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213469647&sr=8-6

It is very clearly written, gives good, clear instructions, and examples of projects you can try. It is an excellent choice for a beginner's book.

Good luck, and have FUN!!!

...thank you again and again for this easy to follow workbook full of ideas for ways to enhance fabric for use in the fiber arts. Many new ideas in a very usable format with easy to get materials and great results. I almost didn't buy this book as I have been disappointed in the past with "how to" books. This one delivers.

Very nicely illustrated with step-by-step instructions. Susan Stein explains briefly what each technique/product is and then lists material supply list on the page and the next pages(s) have the step-by-step instructions of how to create with that art medium. She shows how to use everything from Angelina fibers, to painting on fabrics with several different mediums, to making fabric beads, to screen printing and using shaving cream to make marbled fabric and several other techniques as well. The last 9 pages show photos of the artists' gallery, and how the techniques in the book were used to create books and quilted wall hangings.

If you want a book that tells you how to be creative in several ways with fabric, this is a nice book to have.

Beautifully photographed, easy to understand and not intimidating. Helped me to make friends with my scanner.

Oh, I want to try all the workshops at the same time, so inspiring! But where do I find the time? But I will try them all!!! Promise!

This book has lots of great pictures and a huge varity of ways to manipulate, change, enhance and combine fabrics. I'll use it a lot.

I really didn't know how comprehensive this book was until I got it! It covers a wide variety of techniques and would be a great addition to someone's library who likes to play and experiment with various techniques in fabric embellishment and altering. My only critcizm is that there aren't enough detailed instructions. But then again, if there were, the book would have to be much thicker and probably a lot costlier. The author does make suggestions in places for other books on the particular techniques (like the angelina fibers). It's a great book for someone like myself who has a minimum knowledge of the various products and techniques mentioned, but just needs a bit of guidence in how to use them.

If you're expecting to learn the techniques in this book you'll be disappointed. The author uses 2-4 pages on each mini "workshop" with limited photos that are not helpful. The "instructions" are sparse and confusing. If you want exposure to various materials and possible sources and/or referrals to other books for greater detail on 2-3 of the materials then this might be a helpful resource.

I am not familiar with the author Susan Stein but I bought the book because I liked the look of the artwork on the cover, and the fact that the book covered a wide range of techniques for art quilting.

Best things about it :-
: the techniques were well illustrated and many showed four different ways of applying them.
: a very wide range is covered, some of which you don't find elsewhere such as making fabric beads, burned edge appliqué, distressed felt, rust dyeing, doing stuff with silk cocoons and the like.
: some very appealing discharge work and fabric collage

Worst things about it:-
:no real criticisms except that I am already familiar with many of the techniques

Overall appraisal : I'm still happy to have bought this book despite the above comment. It's easy to follow, has lots of ideas, and brings a host of things for art quilters together in one place. Many surface design books concentrate on putting your mark onto the fabric but not with what happens next. This book goes that little bit further.

I am not familiar with the author Susan Stein but I bought the book because I liked the look of the artwork on the cover, and the fact that the book covered a wide range of techniques for art quilting.

Best things about it :-
: the techniques were well illustrated and many showed four different ways of applying them.
: a very wide range is covered, some of which you don't find elsewhere such as making fabric beads, burned edge appliqué, distressed felt, rust dyeing, doing stuff with silk cocoons and the like.
: some very appealing discharge work and fabric collage

Worst things about it:-
:no real criticisms except that I am already familiar with many of the techniques

Overall appraisal : I'm still happy to have bought this book despite the above comment. It's easy to follow, has lots of ideas, and brings a host of things for art quilters together in one place. Many surface design books concentrate on putting your mark onto the fabric but not with what happens next. This book goes that little bit further.

I was very anxious to get this book, I thought I might learn something new. I unfortunatly was disapointed to find I already knew most of the techniques in the book. I also found the "step by step" instructions a bit limited. It is however a visually beautiful book. I would recommend this book to someone who is a new to working with fabrics, or someone who has little experience in art in general.

This is a well-presented book, covering many of the newer embellishment and mixed media techniques that have exploded onto the market in recent years. Each technique is presented in about 4 or 5 pages. The illustrations are what make it so useful. You can work from the fairly brief written instructions because the pictures are so easy to follow. Each technique offers 4 samples used in different ways. From this you could improvise and adapt the technique to your own requirements. It is an excellent introduction for people wanting to play with a range of new materials and techniques before concentrating on one or two.

This book covers most of the popular surface design techniques in current use, including Angelina fibers, various printing and painting approaches, bleach discharge, and even rust dyeing. There are good photos and one page dedicated to each subject, so it is meant to give basic steps for the beginner. It's an excellent reference for those experimenting with surface design, or anyone who wants to have a quick and dirty guide with all the information in one place. Obviously, it wouldn't replace a hands-on class in each topic for depth, but it really packs in a lot of information in a usable form. I highly recommend it for gifts or for those who can't get to classes.

This book is a must have for anyone working with fabric in experimental ways. It is loaded, and I mean LOADED, with surface techniques (over 25), each with photo step-by-step instructions and several different ways to use each one. In the back of the book is a section on fabric collage quilts with artist's examples, but the techniques could be used for many different projects in textile art. I plan on using it for my art dolls! Great book!! I'm pleased to add it to my library!