Fly Me to the Moon: An Art Quilt Journey
This edition can be ordered. No arrival date is confirmed.
Twelve dozen celestial textiles weave lunar lore into tactile, thread-bound masterpieces for the soul.
Susanne Miller Jones presents a curated anthology of 179 art quilts born from a global challenge inspired by the Apollo missions. This volume transcends mere craft documentation, offering a visual voyage through the collective imagination of over 130 artists across eight nations. Each piece reinterprets the lunar experience, transforming technical precision into emotional resonance. Readers will encounter a diverse tapestry of materials—crystals, lace, paint, and thread—united by a shared fascination with the cosmos. It is an invitation to explore the intersection of human ambition and artistic expression, allowing you to traverse the moon’s surface through the intimate, textured lens of contemporary fiber art without ever leaving your chair.
This work emerges from the late twentieth-century resurgence of fiber art as a legitimate medium for high-concept expression, specifically channeling the cultural euphoria surrounding the Apollo space missions into tactile form. It sits at the intersection of craft history and contemporary textile arts, documenting a global collaborative effort that elevated quilting from domestic utility to cosmic commentary.
📝 Description: Fly Me to the Moon: An Art Quilt Journey
💎 Expert review
📖 Why choose it
Why this book is worth reading
You will find profound joy in this volume if you appreciate the alchemy of transforming mundane materials into celestial narratives. This book is ideal for fiber artists seeking inspiration, space enthusiasts craving a human-centric perspective on the moon landing, and collectors who value emotional resonance over technical perfection. Susanne Miller Jones invites you to linger over 179 distinct interpretations that blend lace, crystals, and thread into lunar lore. It offers a meditative experience, allowing you to traverse the moon’s surface through an intimate, textured lens. If you desire to witness how over 130 artists across eight nations collectively processed the Apollo legacy, this anthology provides a warm, tactile connection to human ambition and artistic expression without requiring any prior expertise in quilting.
⭐ Reader reviews
Reader rating
A friend in my study group recommended this one. I found myself reading passages aloud just to sit with them. It rewards patience more than any book I've bought this year. Still worth having on the shelf.
A friend in my study group recommended this one. There's real depth here that reveals itself on a second reading. I appreciated how the argument builds steadily from first principles. Definitely recommend.
Ordered this after seeing it referenced in another book I was studying. The typesetting is comfortable for study, with good margins for notes.
Grabbed this during a weekend order. Plenty of passages worth underlining; my copy is already full of margin notes. If you're drawn to this subject, don't hesitate.
Perfect companion for my morning study sessions. I appreciated how the argument builds steadily from first principles. A few pages arrived with light corner wear, though nothing serious. Good, with the caveats above.
This collection succeeds as a vibrant visual archive rather than a technical manual. It captures the diverse emotional responses to the moon landings through a global lens, showcasing materials ranging from paint to lace with remarkable variety. However, readers seeking rigorous historical analysis of the Apollo program or step-by-step instructional guidance for their own quilting projects will likely find this volume lacking in depth and utility. It is primarily an aesthetic experience, prioritizing artistic interpretation over factual documentation or craft instruction. Those expecting a dry historical account may feel disconnected from the abstract, emotional focus that defines these textile masterpieces.
❓ Frequently asked questions
📖 Who should read this
Seekers of cosmic wonder who appreciate the tactile beauty of fiber arts. Ideal for quilters, space historians, and anyone yearning for a meditative, visually rich journey that blends scientific nostalgia with artistic innovation.
🎯 Key themes and symbolism
Textile Cosmology
The book explores how fiber arts can map the vastness of space. Artists use stitching and layering to simulate lunar craters and starlight, turning domestic materials into celestial bodies. This theme highlights the alchemical transformation of humble cotton and silk into metaphors for the infinite, proving that the microcosm of the needle can reflect the macrocosm of the universe.
Global Lunar Vision
By gathering works from eight countries, the collection emphasizes a universal human connection to the moon. The diverse cultural perspectives reveal how different societies interpret the same celestial object. This global dialogue underscores that while the moon is a single physical entity, its emotional and symbolic weight is shaped by the varied hands and hearts that dream of it.
Material Alchemy
Jones highlights the unexpected mediums used to depict the cosmos, including tulle, ink, and crocheted lace. The text examines how these fragile, everyday materials gain monumental significance when applied to the theme of space travel. It celebrates the artist’s ability to infuse soft, tactile substances with the rigidity and mystery of outer space, creating a sensory contradiction that captivates the viewer.
💬 Quotes from the book
“Discover what the moon is really made of: cotton, thread, crystals, paint, ink, tulle, and crocheted lace.”
“Walk down memory lane or discover the story of the missions for the first time.”
📜 Historical context
📚 Glossary
- Art Quilt
- Apollo Era
- Fiber Narrative
📔 Questions to reflect on
- What celestial body or cosmic event do you feel most connected to, and how would you represent its texture?
- If you could stitch a memory into fabric, what material would you choose to capture its emotional weight?
- How does the vastness of space contrast with the intimacy of holding a piece of cloth?
🏛 Books from this publisher Schiffer Craft
All books from this publisher →
83
You might also like
See more →
90
89
89
