Meet Betty Jo Tatum
I retired in January of 2012 to pursue my interest in fabric art full time. I originally learned needlework and other creative arts from my brilliant and artistic mother, but I've had a lifelong interest in fabric art that I pursued with both formal training and lots of practice in my studio. I especially enjoy experimenting with the advanced technologies, machines, and other interesting tools for working with fabric in all its forms.
In college, I majored in vocal music at the University of Iowa, and then International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington DC. I traveled extensively, and obtained my four-year certificate in Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) while in Japan, from the Sogetsu School.
I compete nationally and internationally with my quilted wall art, and I have received a number of awards in this arena. I've also written two books on Bernina design V7 and V8 software (available on Amazon) and I'm working on some more, on various fabric art topics.
My Medium
My medium is quilted fabric art using multiple types of fabrics, threads, fibers, paints, printed fabrics I designed, and beads. I usually, though not always, work out my designs digitally in drawing software. I use many different techniques to achieve the look I want and do a lot of testing of the products and methods during the making of my art. I share a lot of the results of these tests on my blog.
My Inspiration
I like to think of myself as a fabric adventurer and expert sewing artist and quilter. Currently, I'm focusing on pictorial quilts. There are a lot of things I love that have a "visual" theme to them that inspire my work. Some of these are books, history, ancient illuminated manuscripts, deep space photographs, landscapes, flowers, interesting textiles, and architecture.