Visit Us at the Quilter’s Unlimited Show!

Artistic Artifacts — and its sister company Batik Tambal — will be exhibiting at the Quilters Unlimited of Northern Virginia Quilt Show, May 31 – June 2 at the Dulles Expo and Conference Center in Chantilly, VA. Over the years many visitors have compared the show favorably to larger events such as the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show, and we couldn’t agree more. This is the guild’s 40th Anniversary Show, so it’s sure to be a must-see if you are located in Virginia, Maryland, or DC, or will be visiting the area on vacation. Make plans to stop by to say hi and see our treasures!

Please note that because we must commit all staff for this event and Batik Tambal’s demonstrations at The Textile Museum’s 35th Annual Celebration of Textiles, the processing and shipping of all online orders may be delayed. We apologize in advance for that inconvenience but do appreciate your support and understanding!

New Splash of Color Products

We’ve previously mentioned some of the wonderful products by Splash of Color, such as the LuminArte Twinkling H2O Watercolors, and we’ve recently added a wide range of products from Viva Colour, imported from Germany: Modeling Creams (create dimensional pearl or metallic effects oncardstock, chipboard, canvas, wood, ceramics, glass, Styrofoam, foil and more), Crackle Paint (create extravagant 3D crackle effects on a wide variety of surfaces), Precious Metal Paints (highly pigmented, vibrant metallic and high opacity paint), Ferro Special Effects Pastes (3D effect paste with a realistic metallic finish), German Glitter Pens (formulated with a high concentration of premium double-sided German made glitter and crystal binder) and much more. Shop the full Splash of Color/Viva Decor line »

Add Color with New Faber-Castell Tools

Faber-Castell’s new MIX & MATCH sets are color coordinated, ensuring a solid color scheme with a variety of mediums designed to perfectly work together. The Mixed Media Sampler packs are perfect for beginners in mixed media; the sets includes color matched Art GRIP® Aquarelle Watercolor Pencil, PITT® Pastel Pencil, PITT Artist Pen (waterproof, smudgeproof, archival, and odorless), Stamper’s Big Brush Pen (to ink rubber and clear stamps; its India ink is archival, permanent and waterproof when dry), and Gelatos®. The Design Memory Craft Gelatos are also available in color coordinated packs. These compact, acid-free pigment sticks glide on creamy smooth for vibrant color and coverage and blend easily with or without water. Try this unique medium on paper, canvas, or wood! Shop all inks and pens »

New Quilting Books!

Schiffer Publishing writes that there has never been a more exciting time to be a quilter or a lover of beautiful quilts than now, with the birth of the art quilt movement, and two of its latest publications illustrate that point beautifully!

Creating Celebration Quilts by Cyndi Souder illustrates how quilts can help us commemorate the important events in our lives, capturing memories in fabric and freezing special moments so they can be revisited later. This book, illustrated with 126 photos and a useful worksheet, takes you through the creative process of five such quilts as you learn to design and make your own celebration quilt with the help of this detailed guide. And Cutting-Edge Art Quilts by Mary W. Kerr, mentioned in our last enewsletter, presents 51 quilters, accompanied by 270 color images, sharing their love of the craft and encouraging others by offering design and technique tips. It’s a great resource for quilt lovers, textile collectors, and design students.

Join Both Authors for a Book Signing Party!

For those of you nearby (or who will be in town for vacation), please join us on Sunday, June 9 from 2:00 – 4:30 pm for a reception and book signing — now featuring both Mary and Cyndi! You won’t want to miss this complimentary opportunity to mingle with your fellow quilt and fiber art enthusiasts, enjoy light refreshments, and have your copies of Cutting-Edge Art Quilts and Creating Celebration Quilts signed. Plus a select number of art quilts featured in the books will be available to view!

Can’t join us, but purchasing either of the books? Email us after placing your order and we will arrange to have your copy personally inscribed by the author! Shop all books »

One of a Kind Vintage Copper Tjaps!

We’ve added “new” vintage tjaps to our website! Our contacts in Indonesia work to find us the most beautiful examples of these vintage tjaps, which are always one of a kind, and thus cannot be reordered once they are sold — order today so you don’t miss out! (All orders are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.)

In the same shipment we have restocked many of our popular regular tjap designs, also handcrafted by artisans in Indonesia. While many collect these copper tools to display as a piece of art in their own right, they can also be used to create your own batik fabric, for stamping or rubbings on fabric with Shiva Paintstiks.

Summer Fun in Our Classes

There are plenty of wonderful classes taking place in June, with even more coming for the remainder of the summer! Remember that we frequently update our website, so please check in frequently! Take a look at these opportunities for the month of June, or view our full list:

• Saturday, June 8: Scrappy Little Book with Laura Hummel — many supplies provided! Use those little scraps of papers and small objects from your stash in a unique 4" x 4" book using a variety of papers, colorants, and embellishments. Many techniques covered; no experience necessary.
• Saturday, June 8: Dye Day with Judy Gula — Ideal for those who loves color and the hand-dyed look but don’t want to worry about preparing (and cleaning up after) multiple dye solutions.
• Saturday, June 15: Making Memories Tag Book with Diane Herbort — most supplies provided! — Transform shipping tags into gorgeous collaged pages using paints, scraps of fabric and paper, journal on the back of each page, then connect the pages with colorful fibers to create a wonderful keepsake or gift.
• Sunday, June 16: Altered Art Assemblage: Recycled Robots with Leslie Brier — Recycle/upcycle familiar objects, such as alarm clocks and spice tins, and give them a creative new identity as you construct your own altered art robot.
• Friday, June 21 thru Sunday, June 23: Stitch Journeys with Liz Kettle — In this comprehensive 3-day workshop, suitable even for beginners, gain mastery of your sewing machine and develop the confidence to tackle any kind of specialty thread as you learn fabulous techniques.
• Friday, June 28: Block Printing with Jamie Malden of Colouricious — Join leading British textile artist Jamie Malden as she instructs you in the age-old techniques of using wooden printing blocks to print fabric and paper.
• June 29-30: Soy Wax Batik with Lynda Poole Prioleau — Create your own gorgeous and one of a kind textiles as you enjoy two days of fun and experimentation with soy batik: a cleaner, greener version of the traditional batik techniques.