The Icarus Deception
Seth Godin
Portfolio Hardcover; $24.95

I recently listened to this book and found it full of some good reminders. You may remember the story of Icarus. Icarus and his father Daedalus, who made wings from feathers and wax, attempted to escape from Crete. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too high where the sun’s heat would melt the wings or too low where the sea’s dampness would clog them. Ignoring the warning, Icarus flew too close to the sun, and the melting wax caused him to fall into the sea where he drowned. Godin takes the story and asks us to move out of our safety zone, he asks us to fly closer to the sun. He talks about the fact we are living in the connection age, rather than the industrial age. Creating connections is what creating art is about. And art is not just the traditional definition we might have. Art is what we do with passion, what anyone does with passion. A corporate business person who has passion in what he creates is an artist. A bus driver who connects with his passengers is an artist.  Godin encourages you to take a risk, to share your art, to connect. While parts of the book seemed repetitive and preachy to me and it did not always seem always seem cohesive, I thought it had some valuable nuggets.

What is your passion? I would love to hear about it below.

You can look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.<br/.>

Pictorial Art Quilt Guidebook
Leni Weiner
C&T Publishing; $29.95

I have a fondness for collage, and this highly usable, user-friendly guidebook teaches you how to take a photo and translate it into a fabric collage. Leni Weiner’s premise is that the photo frees her from figuring out the proportions, perspective, light and shadows. Using a photo, Leni creates a full-size pattern, traces sections onto freezer paper and uses the pieces to cut fabric. (One tip Leni shares is to use the free program GIMP to work with your photos.) Leni divides the book into three sections. First, you will learn about color (without needing your color wheel), value, print and scale. She has a wonderful value scale of gradations in gray, from white to black, so you can identify what value your fabric is. With the fundamentals in place, Leni takes you step-by-step through making an art quilt from a photo. When you are ready to venture on your own, you can use her practical ways to approach common elements, such as trees, rocks, and animal and people features. An additional project is also included. I cannot wait to delve more deeply into the process.

If you have tried Leni’s techniques, I would love to hear about below. If you would like to learn more, you can look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.

Contain It!
Linda Chaney and Laura Chaney Gerth
American Quilter’s Society; $24.95

When I think of English paper piecing, it is usually about hexies these days. It was a delight to see this easy adaptation of the technique to make numerous vessels and other home accessories. Once you have learned the basics of stabilizing and stitching the pieces together, the authors — a mother and daughter team — offer instructions for seven types of flat or container projects. The instructions are clear and well-illustrated, and you will find full-sized templates to use. I appreciated the “Lessons from Laura” tips to be sure your project turns out well. I found several projects that I wanted to try from a fussy cut scalloped to the star boxes. I am pretty sure once I start it will be hard to stop.

Celebrate Christmas With That Patchwork Place®
That Patchwork Place
Martingale; $26.99

It’s Christmas in July time! Lots of shops hold Christmas workshops to get everyone started making holiday gifts, and this selection of 22 designs has arrived just in time. You’ll find full-size quilts, table runners, mantel covers, stockings, an advent calendar and much more from a variety of designers. You’ll even find a Festival of Lights table runner to celebrate Hanukkah. I particularly liked the ruffled Christmas Cookie Apron by Mary Burns and Ode to the Grinch Quilt by Jenny Wilding Cardon. I’m sure you’ll be charmed by several of the designs.
 

Painted Appliqué
Linda M. Poole
AQS; $24.95

Creativity — photography, writing, painting, sewing — has been the mainstay of Linda Poole’s life, so it is no wonder that she took the opportunity to combine those loves in Painted Appliqué. Linda teaches you both her glue stick appliqué method and her painted appliqué technique using the same patterns; i.e., you see the same pattern completed in both mediums. By reproducing Linda’s patterns or creating your own, you have the option of using either or both techniques. You will learn how a variety of paints, mediums and ink pencils work on fabric. I really liked the close-up, step-by-step instructions. If you are looking to add painting to your fiber toolbox, this resource will answer many of your questions.

This book can be found on Amazon.com; leave a reply below to tell me what technique Linda taught you.

Patchwork Loves Embroidery
Gail Pan
Martingale; $24.99

I have noticed an increasing trend toward handwork, perhaps as a social activity, perhaps as a meditative exercise, perhaps just to relax. I think you will enjoy these delightful designs from Australian Gail Pan. You will find 15 patchwork and hand-embroidery projects ranging from wall hangings to table runners, from totes to several charming journal covers. You can mix and match the patterns and designs to end up with an endless collection of projects. I’m looking forward to starting one of the small pincushions.

If you are interested, you can find the book on Amazon.com; I would love to hear what project choice would be yours. Tell me below.

Eat That Frog!
Brian Tracy
Berrett-Koehler Publishers; $14.95

An oldie but goodie, Eat That Frog! uses the metaphor of tackling your hardest item on your to-do list, aka the frog, first thing in the day. Motivational speaker Brian Tracy outlines 21 suggestions to stop procrastinating and get more done. Some of the ideas include setting the table, i.e., being clear on what you want to accomplish; taking it one oil barrel at a time, i.e., one step at a time; and getting out of the technology time sinks. Each chapter concludes with action steps to Eat That Frog! While many of the ideas are not new, it is a good reminder about what we can do to be responsible for our own results.

Modern Hand Stitching
Ruth Chandler
Landauer Publishing; $24.95

I love the resurgence in hand stitching. We are definitely seeing more emphasis in what we could call “slow stitching,” enjoying the process of the stitching. Ruth Chandler’s Modern Hand Stitching is a wonderful resource in this area. Ruth teaches you nearly 40 stitches as well as challenges you with her “No Boundaries” section for each stitch to build beyond the basics. To learn the stitches, Ruth suggests creating a sampler book. Interspersed throughout the book are pieces from a designer’s gallery to provide additional inspiration. If you need a refresher on basic hand stitches or are starting from scratch, this is a good resource.

Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

The Wonderful Colorful Wonder Wheel of Color
Lynn Koolish, Kerry Graham and Mary Wruk
FunStitch Studio; $12.95

Do you want to get your kids or grandkids more involved in art and more specifically color theory? The Wonderful Colorful Wonder Wheel of Color is the answer. This fun, engaging, approachable book is filled with more than 20 activities, worksheets, stickers, quizzes and games all designed to teach color theory. Some of the projects include converting your salad spinner into a spin art machine, transferring a crayon design, and creating your own painted shoe laces. The book even includes a “Certificate of Color-ology” for those who complete the activities. A great way to introduce kids to color theory!

Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Alphabet Zoo: Lions and Tigers and Quilts for You
Vicki Hansen
Kansas City Star Quilts; $25.95

This charming collection of lower and uppercase fonts of animal shapes is perfect for lots of uses. You can make appliqué pieces, hand or machine embroider the letter on fabric, or paint the letters. Projects include quilts, a birthday banner, pillowcase and more. I know you will have lots of fun with this idea.

Here is a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.