Embroidered & Embellished
Christen Brown
C&T Publishing

Embroidered & Embellished is a wonderful visual guide to 85 stitches that use thread, floss, ribbon, beads and more. Christen Brown divides the instruction into four sections: traditional embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, raised and textured embroidery, and bead embroidery. For each, she teaches you specific stitches with detailed, up-close photos, and then she includes two different projects that utilize the stitches. If you are new to embroidery, Christen offers a good discussion on the materials to use. I thought her Embroidering With Confidence chapter offered lots of good tips for the novice as well as a refresher for those who have not picked up an embroidery needle for a while.

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

Sew Gifts
25 Handmade Gift Ideas From Top Designers
Martingale; $24.95

Holiday and gift giving season is just around the corner. If you haven’t already started, you’re sure to find some wonderful ideas in Sew Gifts. This collection features designs from 16 designers with a modern feel. The gifts are divided into four categories: bags, gifts for special interests, kitchen gifts and pillows. I found so many cute gifts I’d love to make, from the casserole carrier by Linda Turner Griepentrog to the artist’s sketchbook cover and pencil pouch by Adrienne Smitke to the quick mug rugs by Pippa Eccles Armbrester.

Imagine
Jonah Lehrer
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $26.00

I’m going to start this review with a caveat: the book has been withdrawn from publication because the author fabricated quotes included therein. I was reluctant to include this review because of that, though once I finished the book, which had been recommended by a friend, I could see that it had something to offer this audience. The author, a neuroscientist, takes a look at how creativity works in a variety of situations. He looks at the science and explains it through anecdotes, making it accessible to many who would get bogged down otherwise. Some of what I got from the book: how we solve problems through insight vs analytically; why a relaxed mind is important for creativity; why the morning is better for solving problems when insight is involved; and how the unconcealing process works in creativity. The book has a lot to recommend it, so if you can find it at your local library, it would be worth reading. Just don’t rely on the quotes.

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

Becoming a Confident Quilter
Elizabeth Dackson
Martingale; $26.99

Elizabeth Dackson didn’t own a sewing machine until 2010 when she was looking for a hobby as a new mom and picked one up at JoAnn’s. She ended up as a self-professed fabric-a-holic and admitted fabric geek. Her first book is designed to help beginners gain confidence so they find the same joy that she has. Written in her easy-going style that is familiar to followers of her blog, Elizabeth includes the essentials – fabric, tools, rotary cutting, piecing basics and pressing – before getting you started with any of her 14 projects that build your skills. I found lots of quilts to like, particularly the improvisational Wonky Fences. She also covers all the finishing techniques you need from adding a backing through adding a label. I appreciated the section on reading quilt patterns and the resources for modern quilters.

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

Quilters, Their Quilts, Their Studios, Their Stories
Jo Packham
Quarry Books; $26.99

Aren’t there some days you just want to be inspired and dream? If that’s today, pick up Quilters, Their Quilts, Their Studios, Their Stories from Jo Packham and Where Women Create. Jo introduces you to more than 20 artisans who share their love of textile art and their distinctive talents and techniques. I loved the tour of the studio spaces and learning how the artists worked. I loved reading the favorite quotes of the artists. I loved the color and inspiration that popped out from each page. Most of the quilters also provided a block with instructions as an online extra. I can see picking this up from time to time to get a jolt of inspiration.

Creating Celebration Quilts
Cyndi Souder
Schiffer Publishing; $19.99

I think we’ve all made celebration quilts, whether that’s to celebrate a new baby or to celebrate someone’s life after it ends. Cyndi Souder has taken the concept of a celebration quilt and provided you with a blueprint to create your own individual quilt. I love the idea of the worksheet she starts with. So often we know we are making a quilt to celebrate something, only we don’t spend the time to really evaluate its purpose, the mechanics and the design. She gives you 10 broad questions plus other questions based on the answer you choose. By writing them down on the worksheet, you are getting clear on your project and setting yourself up for success. To get started, she walks you through the process of making five of her celebration quilts. Reading how she made her decisions was fascinating and will be valuable as you approach your celebration quilt. Actually, it is valuable for any quilts that you make. All quilters need knowledge and techniques in their toolbox as they work. Cyndi devotes one section of the book to this, including topics such as taming difficult fabrics and using photographs. I particularly liked her discussion on what she terms QuiltWriting, a technique of stitching words on the quilt with free-form machine quilting. The book also includes a gallery of 34 quilts.

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

Impressionist Appliqué
Grace Errea and Meridith Osterfeld
C&T Publishing; $29.95

Grace Errea is known for her “value-based” realistic appliqué work. In this book she, with the help of Meridith Osterfeld, shares her technique for creating her quilts. Her technique is systematized and features lots of color values to get the desired effect. For those unfamiliar with working with color, she offers a primer on its components: hue, saturation and value. She also discusses the basics of line, shape, form and texture in your work. Before working on any of the five projects in the book, Grace has you do exercises to understand the value of your fabrics, including making both a Periodic Table of Value in Color and a Color/Value Fan.

Regardless of the appliqué technique you choose, the exercises in value will enhance your work.

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

Away From Home
Nancy and Oliver Rink
Kansas City Star Books; $25.95

Subtitled Quilts Inspired by the Lowell Factory Girls, this book features a sampler quilt with an appliqued center along with nine pieced and applique blocks. An additional eight projects are included. The basis for the book is the The Mills Girls 1830-1850 fabric collection from Marcus Brothers and Judie Rothermel in conjunction with Lowell’s American Textile Museum. What I found most interesting was the story of the New England textile mills and the women, or “mill girls” who worked there.

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

‘Tis The Autumn Season
Jeanne Large and Shelley Wicks
Martingale; $24.99

In this follow-up to their top-selling ‘Tis the Season, Jeanne Large and Shelley Wicks head into autumn with a collection of 12 projects. The owners of The Quilt Patch in Saskatchewan, Canada, are know for their “urban country” look that features chunky appliqué, easy piecing and earth tones. Instructions are included for a variety of appliqué techniques, including fusible-web and fusible-interfacing appliqué. Since the designers love to use hand-dyed felted wools in their work, they offer tips for working with wools. The book also includes a bonus online pattern. I was taken by the large thistle flowers in their “Reunion” quilt and loved the use of rick-rack in several of the quilts. And, since most quilters I know also enjoy a culinary treat or two, Jeanne and Shelley have included a few recipes to enjoy.

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