About

Bio:

Cara Gulati has spent her life around fabric. She has sold fabric and clothes, designed them both and ended up with her own company as a designer and manufacturer of children's wear.

Fiber art and quilting in particular grabbed her heart and led her to things of a flatter nature. Cara makes very large art quilts and is currently working on a series called 3-D Explosion. She has written a book and taught workshops on this design and sewing technique. One quilt in the series, "3-D Party Explosion" won Viewer's Choice at the Houston International Quilt Festival in 2003.

Her teaching career has taken her to Abu Dhabi in the UAE as well as Australia. She has exhibited her work internationally. Commissions are welcome!

Doodle Press is Cara's publishing company. She designs fun and artistic quilts that are unique. Her patterns and book can be found in quilt stores around the world and on her web site at www.doodlepress.com.

Print:

Shows and Awards:

Television:

The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Timms

I taped this internet show with Alex and Ricky in August of 2011. On August 27, 2012 the show aired for the first time. I demonstrated some of the techniques from my book Curves for Cowards. You must be a subscriber to see it. Click here to go to the website.

Simply Quilts

In January, 2005 I taped two shows in Burbank, California with Alex Anderson. My first show is Episode 1117. I show you the highlights of the 3-D Explosion technique using one of the projects from my new book. The show aired originally in July of 2005. The second show is Episode 1131. It was a landscape challenge I met with two other artists. 

Unfortunately the Simply Quilts show is no longer availble on the HGTV website. 

Kaye's Quilting Friends

In 2003 I taped my first tv show ever with Kaye Wood. I covered everything you need in order to make the Radisnt Suns quilt including choosing fabric and piecing curves without pins. You can see it here on YouTube here!

 

Artist Statement:

I call my work Art Quilts.

Color is the most important element in my work. Bright saturated colors that make the heart pound faster, the pupils dilate and the hands desire to reach out to touch. The look and feel of fabric gives a tactile sense of the familiar.

My designs are stylized but recognizable. Some are more abstract and yet familiar. Many look three dimensional as if one could reach inside the shapes. Curves create movement and excitement. Thread work adds depth and texture.

In the end my ideas are created in fabric for everyone to see and contemplate. Please let them take you down a road of curiosity, wonderment and joy as your eyes dance around!

  FAQS:

  1. How big is your studio? They are huge and simply fabulous. I have made the formal living/dining area my inside studio. It has some natural light, but not enough, so I had shop lights installed in the ceiling and it's very bright. My My second studio is in the garage and has my long arm quilting machine in it, as well as a wet studio painting area.

  2. How many sewing machines do you own?  A Mega Quilter mid-arm straight stitch machine which is used for free motion quilting my smaller quilts and all of my bindings and sleeves. I bought an A1 Long Arm quilting machine in January of 2010 and I use that for quilting most of my quilts. I have a Babylock Triumph overloock for finishing seams. For my appliqué I have a dedicated Janome Horizon mid arm machine. A Baby Lock Embellisher which is used to felt with multiple needles. My traveling machine is a Bernina. It's got all the bells and whistles, but it's smaller and easier to manage when traveling. And then I have also started a love affair with old, cool looking machines as well as antique toy sewing machines. 

  3. What kind of batting do you use?  I am usng Dream Puff polyester batt for the long arm machine. It has a softer and more 3-D look which I really like. For quilting on the Viking my very favorite is Hobbs 80/20 FUSIBLE. I love it. No pins. Ever. You can start quilting anywhere on your top because it’s all temporarily fused together. If you are worried about puckers, just look carefully. If you are going to get one, you’ll know before you begin to quilt because you will have ironed it in there already. Almost better that X-ray vision!

  4. What are your favorite threads?  I have two favorite brands. The Bottom Line by Superior Threads is a great bobbin thread. I like Rainbows (variegated) and Hightlights (solid) for the tops of my quilts because of the colors and the shine. I also favor Glide because of the nice colors but also for the pre-wound bobbins that come with a magnet inside. That seems to keep the bobbin from spinning out of control in the bobbin case, which can happen from time to time.