Review   Bethel's Place - June 14, 2008
“I got this great DVD yesterday from a series called 'At Home with the Experts', Laura Wasilowski Teaches You to Create Fused Art Quilts. Man I think I might be getting a few more of these they are sooo much fun-they also seem to go with the books that these different teachers have put out.”

Review By: Julie Stiller,   High Fiber Content - August 16, 2008
"I just took a class from Laura last summer which I thoroughly enjoyed...She's just as funny and personable on the dvd as she was live in class. It was fun to see all the great ideas for a sewing studio in the video, she did a big remodel just in time to make this video and you can see how well thought out the workspace is...I'd recommend either the dvd or the book to learn all the tricks and techniques. I've been using fusible a lot more since taking the class last year, and I feel like it is actually a real tool in my tool kit now, instead of just something to use that might save time."

Review By: Kimberly Wulfert,   antiquequiltdating.com - September 19, 2008
"Have you noticed over the past year or so that more and more teaching DVDs are coming on the quilt market? Most, if not all, are a take-off of the teacher’s book. C&T Publishing offers a teaching series of different, “At home with the experts” DVDs. I purposely asked for the DVD without the book, in order to take an objective point of view as possible about the value and lessons learned in the DVD, which is only a portion of the book. You know how it is comparing books and movies -- movies seldom win.
The title of this DVD is perfect for what you get! We are at home with expert teachers in their studio, and they teach the basics from an artist’s point of view and vocabulary, rather than a traditional quilter’s point of view or vocabulary. It is exactly what I needed but didn’t realize until I watched it.
...I love the fabrics they use, including the hand-dyed and stamped fabrics. Beads, yarns, laces, photos and other embellishments are fun to use, but in this DVD, they discuss even more kinds of embellishments and how to make them fabric friendly when they come from nature.
Before I get too far away, let me return to what I meant when I said the teachers take an artist's point of view and vocabulary. For example, they seldom referred to the piece they were working on as a quilt; instead, it was a composition -- ART! I liked watching while hearing about how they used the artist's decision-making process in terms of the layout or composition. They were using design principles an artist uses to make choices and changes, so that their piece had the final look they were aiming for. The compositions are multi-faceted, and there are many choices to make. Nothing is right or wrong, but your vision is the goal. There are many design principles to consider ... they show examples of each, and then they show finished compositions of combinations.
As a traditional quilter, you might be saying that you already use those principles...If you are a pattern person, the DVD will not fill that need. They talk about making your own designs and offer suggestions for where to get inspiration and keep it coming. They appliqué by fusing and quilt by machine, demonstrating free motion quilting. And there is a long and informative section on drawing a still life with shadows and highlights that make your finished fabric composition look realistic, because you make the pattern from the drawing. No EQuilter here! This section couldn’t be as helpful and illustrative in a book. The DVD is the best medium for teaching someone how to draw still life.
I recommend this DVD for people who are beginners to art quilt making, since it covers the basics of design principles needed in designing and making an artistic composition from fabric. If you are looking for different surface treatments, this DVD won’t address that. It addresses just 3-D embellishments and fabric choices. And, it will be a review if you took art classes in college, or maybe high school. Although, fabric may be a different medium than what you learned about.
I also recommend you watch this DVD in sections. The menu presents chapters and subchapters, which makes it easy to know when to switch off and easy to find where you left off. I have watched it twice; some parts three times. Would I have read the book twice? Some parts three times, probably more. With new material and ideas presented, the book may not have been as clear as the DVD.
Overall, I really enjoyed it, including the teachers' personalities. It was just like being in a girlfriend’s studio; words were made-up words, the ‘girls” were funny and upbeat, errors were made and corrected, and everyone was happy to spend the day together. This is a very nice pick for design basics in art quilt design and making."


Review By: Violette Severin,   Hand Quilting - February 13, 2009
"...The content is exactly what you would see if you had taken one of her fusing classes. In the DVD, Laura takes you through the process of creating a fused wall quilt called River West. Having had a class with her, I can tell you that all the tips and tricks she discusses in her classes is discussed in the DVD. Nothing is left out. While making the quilt, Laura shows her layering technique whereby she starts with a background fabric and stacks fabrics up from the back layer to the top layer. She demonstrates free cutting, applying the quilt top to the batting, shape shifting, and release paper uses. My favorite demonstration is the wrapped binding. You will also hear the Chicago School of Fusing's Pledge and Fight Song. In addition, there is a tour of her home studio and a gallery of her quilts...If you want to learn fusing, this DVD is a great tool for you to use."

Review By: Lisa Mencke,    - March 3, 2010
"I must compliment the sender. The DVD arrived within 3 days, packed neatly and securely. I watch the DVD over and over and always manage to learn something new. Laura Wasilowski is creative and funny. It’s a very easy DVD to watch. I am hooked on fused art. But. . . make no mistake, Laura makes it look easy. Like all art mediums. . . practice. For those artists with allot of dyed fabric, fusing is for you!"

Review By: Catherine Lavoie,    - March 4, 2010
"Laura is good at teaching and she clearly enjoys what she is doing. This DVD was worth the price – it is like being in class with her except that I can rewind and look at it again and again. I am not as whimsical as she but I have taken her technique and applied it to my own style. If you have any sense of adventure in you, you will probably enjoy this DVD."