Quilt Blocks Go WIld
Eleanor Levie and Celebrity Quilters
Leisure Arts; $19.95

I always enjoy books with a variety of techniques that stretch your skills and this is no exception. Eleanor along with five celebrity quilters (Karla Anderson, Pam Dinndorf, Malka Dubrawsky, Tonya Ricucci and Elizabeth Rosenberg) challenged themselves to take the classic quilt block and twist, tweak, slice and skew them. In other words start traditional and go wild. You’ll find the classic Drunkard’s Path with inset, random strips; an unorderly Rail Fence; a Log Cabin block split into a boomerang shape; and a wonky, winking traditional Star block. In all you have nine projects, and each can set you off on an adventure to try something new with a different traditional block. Elly also includes playbooks – hand-on exercises – for each block designed to jump start your creativity.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Quilt Blocks From Around the World
Debra Gabel
C&T Publishing; $21.95

Following up on the success of her first book, Quilt Blocks Across America, Debra takes you on a world tour, well, at least to 50 international cities. The finished six-inch square blocks can be used in a variety of applications, from small wall hangings to a sampler quilt of your travels. The book includes a CD so you can enlarge all the patterns, and almost all the gallery pieces are made at a large size. In fact Debra recommends enlarging 200%. You’ll also learn Debra’s Translucent Patterning technique that allows you to trace each piece and see color, positioning and overlap in one block.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.

The Pumpkin Plan
Mike Michalowicz
Penguin Books; $26.95

This week’s book isn’t directly about quilting, it is about building and sustaining your entrepreneurial business. The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field is an entertaining read that you can really learn from.

In the book, author Mike Michalowicz uses the growth of a freakishly large pumpkin – you know the kind you hear about at state fairs in the fall – as a metaphor for how an entrepreneur can successfully manage and grow a business. He addresses entrepreneurial burn-out, how to handle clients that sap your energy, how to staff your entrepreneurial business, and how to recognize when it is time to make a change in your offering. And throughout the chapters, he includes “Work the Plan” sections that will help you to create great success in your business.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to  Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Hexa-go-go
Tacha Bruecher
Stash Books; $23.95

Everything old is new again, and English paper piecing is seeing a resurgence. I love author, Tacha Bruecher’s take on it. She says, “Hexagons are so wonderfully portable – quilting’s answer to knitting! She starts you off with with detailed instructions on creating your paper templates, making the hexagons, and hand stitching them together. Once you’ve got the basics and a stack of hexagons, you’re ready to make any of the projects in the book. She offers you 18 projects ranging from a lovely rosette needle book to full-sized quilts. The projects are fun and I especially liked the “Stars and Stripes Quilt,” perfect for celebrating American holidays. If you decide to give hexagons a whirl, watch out. I hear they are addictive.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Thread Magic Garden
Ellen Anne Eddy
C&T Publishing; $28.95

Award-winning quilter Ellen Anne Eddy is well known for her free-motion thread work. In this book, she teaches you how to thread paint your own beautiful garden of flowers and some surprise creatures. At first glance, it’s clear that Ellen is a teacher. Using simple step-by-step instructions, you’ll learn basic skills that build upon each other, for example, special stitch techniques, building edge-to-edge color and progressive shading. Then she offers more than 20 floral studies to understand the shapes of the flowers. She notes that you cannot create a flower through fabric without first seeing and studying a real one, so she includes close-up photographs for this purpose. She also includes a good discussion on color theory. If you are interested in learning or expanding your skills at machine embroidery, you’ll enjoy this book and appreciate Ellen’s attention to detail.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Appliqué & Embroidery Fundamentals
Janice Vaine
Landauer Publishing; $27.95

With 45 years of sewing and needlework experience, Jan Vaine starts you in the classroom where she teaches you her Perfect Placement Appliqué method followed by lessons on the appliqué stitch, reverse appliqué and a variety of stitches. The instructions are complete and the illustrations are very large, a plus. The bulk of the book includes the letters of the alphabet each encircled by a floral wreath. Jan’s goal is for you to learn new embroidery and embellishment techniques as you work your way through the alphabet. She then offers 18 additional stitches and six additional projects for using the skills you’ve learned. I appreciated the supplies shopping list at the beginning of the book, too.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Exploring Dimensional Quilt Art
C. June Barnes
Interweave; $26.95

Since I talked about challenging your thinking, that’s what June Barnes does in this book. Most quilt art is two-dimensional. She urges you to create more dimension in your work. Some of what you’ll learn are folding techniques, stacking, curling, pleating and gathering. She includes some fascinating quilted pieces. I can’t call them quilts, because they are not flat. These include crescent-shaped pieces, prisms, cylinders and orbs. The book includes a gallery of work by fellow British quilters and textile artists. June attributes the increase in dimensional work by quilt artists to the introduction of categories such as that of Quilt Creations at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. She also includes a section on finding inspiration and a list of verb command prompts, such as squash it, make it obvious and be unrealistic. A great reference for expanding your art.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to  Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Curves to Quilt
compiled by House of White Birches
Leisure Arts; $24.95

The cover of this book caught my eye with its brightly colored “Oh Lollypop” appliquéd circles on patchwork. The book includes a mix of 14 projects in brights and not-so-brights, contemporary and traditional quilts, wall hangings and table runners. In addition to the cover quilt, I really liked the “Green Leaves Runner” with its curved edges and subtle shading.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to  Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Baskets
Linda Baxter Lasco, ed.
AQS Publishing; $26.95

One of my favorite books of the year features the winning quilts from the New Quilts from an Old Favorite contest sponsored by The National Quilt Museum. The block for 2011 was Baskets. The entries always showcase creativity and innovation by individual quilters interpreting one block. Each of the 18 winning and finalist quilts is shown in full color along with comments from the quiltmaker. I enjoy learning more about the quilter’s design process, where the inspiration came from, and new techniques. All the quilts definitely open your mind to the concept of basket and beyond. A terrific inspirational and learning resource.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

We Love Color
Susanne Woods, compiler.
Stash Books; $23.95

When was the last time you made a quilt without any prints or textured fabrics? For most of us, it could be hard to remember. We have such an outstanding selection of prints on the market. For those who are fans of solids, Kona Cotton Solids from Robert Kaufman Co. make up the mainstay in this category with more than 200 colors. This book features 16 quilts created by 16 designers known for their original style and use of color. You’ll find both traditional and contemporary quilts, and you’ll also pick up a few new techniques for your tool box. A bonus is a color index to the Kona Cotton Solids featured in the book.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.