Are you afraid to get started designing your own art quilt? Then this is the book you need. Not everyone is going to love Elizabeth Barton's methods, especially those people who like to work "intuitively", but if you are a planner and don't know how to plan one of these masterpieces, you are going to LOVE this book!

Even if you think planning isn't for you, I challenge you to give this a try. The full title of the book is Inspired to Design: Seven steps to successful art quilts. Elizabeth Barton takes you through these steps, from gathering up your ideas and inspirations, to making the basic decisions about composition by chosing the structure, focal point(s), colors and values, evaluating those choices, and putting them all together. Exercises feature prominently throughout the book. More time spent on thinking through design choices will make the time spent on construction more worthwhile!

I have become convinced by Elizabeth about the importance of a design wall and an inspiration notebook.
--mixed-media-artist.com; June 11, 2013

Elizabeth grew up in York, England, which is described in the information about the author as a dark Northern city, a statement most of us Northerners would take exception to! However, the interaction of light and time on buildings influenced her first quilts and the contrast between dark and light continues to influence and inspire her. The book is divided into seven instructional steps with hands-on exercises to guide you step-by-step through the process of designing an art quilt. It includes in-depth sections on composing a design, working with colour and value, and is suitable for art quilters of all levels.
--Fabrications Quilting For You; June/July 2013

There are a lot of design books for art quilters out there, but this one really stands out. Master art quilter Elizabeth Barton takes you in seven steps from finding inspiration and making simple sketches to constructing the actual quilt. Along the way there is a lot of information about elements such as structure, perspective, focal points, value and colour. Drawings, diagrams and lots of photos of her own award-winning quilts are used to illustrate the design elements. The book is easy to read and has many references to the way famous artists have used the elements described. Over 20 design exercises are added, each easy to do with basic supplies such as paper and pencil or a few scraps of fabric. Highly recommended.
--Down Under Textiles Magazine; June 2013

Elizabeth's evocative and captivating art quilts are always instantly recognizable as hers. She shares her design process and the steps that she goes through to create her abstract translations of sketches or photographs, and also the techniques she uses to construct the actual quilts. The exercises provided here are valuable tools for seeing your quilts in a different way and understanding more compltely how to apply the principles of art to your work as you are developing your designs. Images of Elizabeth's art works inspire throughout, and make the reader wish for more.
--Machine Quilting Unlimited; July/August 2013

Elizabeth Barton takes you through the steps of designing with fabric from finding your inspiration to color, value, and omission. If you are looking to step into Art Quilting, this is a great overview of how-tos and what-not-tos, including suggestions on how to critique a quilt or work you find isn't quite right. Most of Elizabeth's work is quite colorful, but she walks you through values and color charts to show how you could change the mood or feel of a project with a few color changes. The elimination of some objects from a photo inspiration doesn't seem to really change the overall impact of the design in many cases - a valuable lesson to this reviewer. The author makes quilting suggestions to continue the intention of your original design, including why and when to use metallic threads and/or the style of fill to use.
--IMQA's On Track! Magazine; Fall 2013

Even if you think planning isn't for you, I challenge you to give this a try. The full title of the book is Inspired to Design: Seven Steps to Successful Art Quilts. Elizabeth Barton takes you through these steps, from gathering up your ideas and inspirations, to making the basic decisions about composition by choosing the structure, focal point(s), colors and values, evaluating those choices, and putting them all together. Exercises feature prominently throughout the book. More time spent on thinking through design choices will make the time spent on construction more worthwhile!

I have become convinced by Elizabeth about the importance of a design wall and an inspiration notebook.