Fabricadabra

Paula Nadelstern is an award-winning designer, teacher, and author whose unique work echoes the brilliant effects of a kaleidoscope. She was the first contemporary quilt artist featured in a one-person exhibit at the American Folk Art Museum. She designs textile prints exclusively for Benartex, Inc. and travels extensively, teaching her kaleidoscopic quiltmaking techniques. Paula lives in New York. www.paulanadelstern.com

Dec 2016Paula Nadelstern's book is full of colourful, kaleidoscopic quilts. They look incredibly complex but come from the author’s realisation that the complex quilts she had previously made could be simplified in structure, still retaining the detail and illusion of complexity through clever fabric choices.Unusually, you start the book with the Gallery. Each quilt is described, a diagram provided of how it is constructed plus any notable detailing or story behind it. Fabrics used before they were cut are shown and compared to the pieces that are used in the finished quilt. They are all breathtaking in their patterns and colours.Following the Gallery is a section on Design Matters where you learn more about the method of fabric cutting. This is illuminating and you can see how the author’s use of clear templates allows her to find the pattern within a larger piece of fabric and piece it all together to create a  kaleidoscope. This is a new take on creating a new pattern repeat and the results are fantastic.There are further instructions on piecing techniques, how to cut fabric and work with angles (the author works with traditional patchwork blocks).This book is great if you have a collection of ‘busy’ fabrics and want to give them a new lease of life. Finding a new pattern beyond what exists in your stash could be an addictive pastime.

• Quilt Gallery Design Matters Design Strategies Seemingly Seamless Common Ground The Butterfly Effect Sea Foam The Kaleidoscope Legacy Details, Details, Details Line Fabric Prima Donnas Bilaterally Symmetrical Pseudo Symmetrical Medallion Layout Directionals Classic Stripes Wacky Stripes Ombre Allovers Prints Reads Like a SolidAlso Known as Tonals Black is the Best Black Black & White Weird Greens More Good Stuff Batiks Silk The Hand of Fabric Sashing and Border Ideas Piece Policies Tools Templates The Reason for Templates How to Make a Template Types of Templates The Template Fabric Interface Marking Clues on a Template How to Mark the Fabric How to Cut the Fabric Continuous Templates Drafting Angles Strip Piecing Detangling Angles Faux Curves Behavior Problems The Final Girdle About the Author