Organic Applique from Kathy Doughty of Material Things

Applique is my favorite quiltmaking technique. I learned early that it is forgiving and doesn't involve much mathematics and allows me to be as spontaneous as I want to be.

Detail from When Dreams Came True by Nancy A. Bekofske
Apollo 11 astronauts adapted from NASA photograph

Sometimes I follow a pattern closely. When I reproduce a Marion Cheever Whiteside Newton quilt pattern I am quite precise.

detail from Little Women Quilt by Nancy A. Bekofske
pattern design by Marian Cheever Whiteside Newton

With fusible applique, I sometimes cut the fabric without a template or pattern, as when I created my William Shakespeare quilt. I made a rough sketch and traced out the large pieces then snipped and built up the details with prefused fabrics.

detail of William Shakespeare quilt by Nancy A. Bekofske

Barbie Portraits by Nancy A. Bekofske

I was drawn to the idea of Organic Applique and hoped to learn new techniques and gain inspiration. Quiltmaker and author Kathy Doughty is well known in the quilt world. Her store Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia, is a center for innovation. She has a unique personal style and it shows up in this book. I really get a sense of her artistic vision.

"Designing is a creative leap of faith." Kathy Doughty, Organic Applique

Kathy Doughty at work

"Allow yourself to make choices, to experiment, and to make mistakes." Kathy Doughty, Organic Applique

First, Doughty inspires quilters to follow their vision and not be afraid of 'right' and 'wrong' choices. Don't hold yourself back, she warns. Enjoy the process and jump in.

"I thought it was all about being perfect, and perfect just isn't my thing." Kathy Doughty, Organic Applique

Doughty is MY kind of artist! When I started quilting 27 years ago my biggest challenge was precision. I have never been a perfectionist. I might rewrite and edit and scrap and rewrite but in my sewing I had to learn to cut on the line and sew a straight seam. I made all kinds of mistakes. Some I ripped out. But sometimes I would just applique something over the seam where I didn't get the full quarter inch and found it open when I was hand quilting!

Stolen Moments by Kathy Doughty, from Organic Applique

Doughty always loved quilts with personal signs and symbols. Her quilt Arrival reflects the time when Europeans first arrived in Australia. The Boab tree is her personal symbol in Stolen Moments--"it blooms where it is planted, just like me!"

She draws from various cultural needle art traditions, including Boro Collage, a traditional Japanese mending technique.

Overgrown by Kathy Doughty, from Organic Applique

Doughty's quilt Overgrown is the product of days lost in her studio, caught in the creative flow.

Chapters help the quilter with the basic ideas of design: Creating line, contrast, color, fabric choices, inspiration sources, fussy use of fabric design elements, scale, background choices. She also talks about how she stores and sorts her fabric stash.

Then she turns to the techniques needed: Needle-turn applique, fussy cutting, bias strips, basting (thread, pins, and glue), Broiderie Perse, Boro Applique, English Paper Piecing.

Doughty covers adding borders that pop, hand quilting (she uses perle cotton), and tools.

The next section addresses Design and Layout including inspiration and design concepts and tools.

Eight projects are included including applique, English Paper Piecing, paper piecing, and machine sewing.

Black Bird Fly: A Design Exercise helps the quilter with a free-form construction that is truly 'organic'.

I am very inspired by Doughty! I love her unbridled use of printed fabrics in such colorful abundance!

I was given access to an ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Organic Applique
by Kathy Doughty
C&T Publications
Stash Books
$27.95 softcover, $22.99 ebook
ISBN: 978-1-61745-823-1
UPC: 734817-113454
(eISBN: 978-1-61745-824-8)