Inspiration: Make it Personal by Hilary Beattie

Make it Personal is a new self published book by Hilary Beattie.  She decided to write the books she wanted in the way she wanted and this is the first in a planned series.  As it is so personal, the design and layout of the book do not follow the norm, which is lovely.  It is a shame when an author’s voice has to be subsumed into a standard layout in a magazine or book.  I like quirky!

A spread from the book

Although the books overall are going to be about working through different themes in textiles, Hilary quickly realised that she needed to equip readers with the techniques first of making your fabric personal and this is what this book does.



Asters 2 by Hilary Beattie

I really like the way she does not follow rules for the sake of it, but uses the techniques in an exploratory manner and encourages the readers to do the same.  She runs through different materials, media and methods, such as thermofax printing, using thickened dye, creating rubbing plates, using stencils, screen printing etc.  It is packed full of examples of Hilary’s work over a range of subjects, particularly showing good use of nature.

Master Caster

I enjoyed reading the book and seeing how one artist has developed her techniques into a way that suits her.  Hilary also shares this information very generously.  If you need encouragement to look at textile surface design techniques, this could be a good place to start.  You can buy it direct from Hilary at www.hilarybeattie.co.uk or on Amazon.  You can find out more about Hilary on her website or in an upcoming article I've just written about her in Popular Patchwork.

 

Jugs 4 - Queen of the Night by Hilary Beattie