Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category
Sunday, January 20th, 2013
Pieced Hexies: A New Tradition in English Paper Piecing
by Mickey Depre
Kansas City Star Quilts; $26.95
Everything old is new again, and that applies to quilting, too. For those of us who’ve been quilting for decades, we’ve seen the resurgence of a variety of techniques. And so it is with English Paper Piecing. Mickey Depre found hexies in late 2011 and something just clicked or totally grabbed her. Once she basted those first hexagons into a rosette, the design possibilities began swimming in her head and there was no looking back. In her book, she shares the “Original 7,” as she calls them, the first design variations that she drew. The seven eventually grew into the 63 designs in the book. Mickey gets you started with detailed basic basting and piecing instructions and then gets your juices going with all her samples. While I loved all the design variations, I would have liked to see a completed quilt from the hexies. This is the perfect “on the go” project; just don’t be surprised if you get hooked!
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Creativity, Projects, Quilt Pattern Publishing, Quilt Patterns | 2 Comments »
Sunday, January 13th, 2013
Cultivating Your Creative Life
Alena Hennessy
Quarry Books; $24.99
Ending one year and starting another is often a time for reflection. Here’s another book I think you’ll find valuable, particularly if you are trying to create a new direction. Designed by an artist and healing arts practitioner, the book’s focus is on self-inquiry, dreaming and creating. It includes exercises, space for writing your reflections or drawing. You can either use the book or jump over to your own journal and use that. She also incorporates yoga, breathing, nature and herbs to help you live a more balanced life as you work towards your goals.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to
Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Art, Book Reviews, Creativity, Goals, Self Care, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Sunday, December 23rd, 2012
Your Best Year Yet! by Jinny Ditzler
Grand Central Publishing; $13.95
Yes, I’ve reviewed this book in the past. It’s that good that I think it deserves another look. It’s one of my favorite planning resources. I’ve been using this little book for years and recommend it widely, and I often hear from those who end up getting it about how valuable it is. The book offers a framework to define your personal values, identify the various roles you play and create goals for those roles. Here are some of Jinny’s questions plus a couple of my own:
1. What did I accomplish?
2. What were my biggest disappointments?
3. What did I learn?
4. How do I limit myself and how can I stop?
5. What are my goals for next year?
6. Where do I need to find education or support to get there?
7. How can I make sure I achieve my top goals?
I find one of the most empowering aspects of Jinny’s system is the look at the successes of the year. It let’s you focus on your successes and not get weighed down by what didn’t work. It also lets you get off the treadmill of working on your business to see if you really are on course.Here’s a quote from the book I particularly like: “We must prepare our soil before we’re ready to plant the seeds we want to grow in the new year.”Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Goals, Planning, Productivity, Success | No Comments »
Sunday, December 16th, 2012
Barbara Brackman’s Civil War Sampler
Barbara Brackman
C&T Publishing $29.95
Noted quilt historian Barbara Brackman created a blog devoted to Civil War quilts about two years. It was to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. She began to attract a large following for the weekly block with a first-person story about the war. By this week, she has attracted more than 1,000,000 viewers to her blog. Her book is a collection of 50 8″ x 8″ or 12″ x 12″ blocks with the accompanying stories. She choose the blocks based on the symbolism of their names, as most were published in the 1930s, well past the end of the war. It is fun to read the connections she makes between the history of the war and the blocks.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Projects, Quilt History, Quilt Patterns | No Comments »
Sunday, December 9th, 2012
S is for Stitch
Kristyne Czepuryk
Stash Books; $24.95
Do you like to embroider in addition to quilt? S is for Stitch is a charming book with 52 embroidered alphabet designs perfect for the alphabet samplers for little girls and boys. As the mother of two daughters, Kristyne started designing the quilt “And Everything Nice” while on vacation and then realized she needed to create a “And Puppy Dog Tails” quilt. In addition to the two sampler quilts, this charming book includes five projects that can use any of the small block designs. She also offer tips for using the designs framed or on premade items.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Projects, Quilt Patterns | No Comments »
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
2013 Quilt Engagement Calendar
Klaudeen Hanson
American Quilter’s Society; $13.95
Last week I wrote about creating a very large marketing calendar for the year. If you’re like me, you also use other calendars. And, as quilters and fiber artists, we have a wonderful selection to choose from. My favorite each year is the AQS Quilt Engagement Calendar, though I don’t use it for engagements. You’ll find my calendar in the car come January where it serves as my mileage log. It’s the perfect size to tuck right next to the seat. Plus it offers great inspiration when I’m stuck at traffic lights. Enjoy your search for the perfect calendar.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Organization, Planning, Productivity | No Comments »
Sunday, November 18th, 2012
Surprise Yourself
Charlotte Angotti and Debbie Caffery
Debbie’s Creative Moments; $24.95
Do you like mystery quilts? Between the two of them, Charlotte Angotti and Debbie Caffery have designed close to 500 mystery quilts. They are often asked how they approach design of their quilts, all of which are colorful, capture your eye, are based in tradition, yet use contemporary techniques for today’s quilters. Like any of us, they have unique starting points, and what is most fun about the book is reading how each approached the design and made specific decisions. One, Debbie, is very linear and starts with graph paper; the other, Charlotte, starts with the fabric. You can choose to follow one or the other, or best of all, both and find your own rhythm as you complete the 12 quilts included in the book or surprise yourself by using the skills to create your own original.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Creativity, Projects, Quilt Design | No Comments »
Sunday, November 11th, 2012
No Math Quilt Charts & Formulas
Landauer Publishing; $6.95
Have you or your students ever stopped at the quilt shop and needed to know how much fabric yardage is needed to add those corner setting triangle blocks? Or maybe how many 5-inch squares you can cut from a fat quarter? Or how much fabric you need for a backing? Not everyone is so quick with the pencil figuring it out. This little book from Landauer includes 16 different charts in 36 pages in a compact 4″ by 6″ carry-along size. Perfect for including as an extra for your classes or for a holiday gift.
Look for the book at your favorite quilt or book retailer. Here’s a link to the publisher’s website if you would like to learn more about the book.
Posted in Book Reviews, Projects, Quilt Design | No Comments »
Sunday, October 21st, 2012
Best of Fons & Porter: Tips & Techniques
Marianne Fons and Liz Porter
Stash Books; $22.95
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for the next great tip that makes my quilting easier or more accurate or saves me time. That’s one of the pluses in this collection. It’s filled with favorite tips from readers and TV viewers of Love of Quilting that the authors have collected over the years. I loved the idea of using hook-and-loop tape to keep your seam ripper at the ready on your sewing machine. The book also includes 15 of Marianne’s and Liz’s trademarked Sew Easy Lessons and two additional guest pieces on machine quilting. You’ll be able to put those tips and techniques to use in any of the 13 quilts included 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.
Posted in Book Reviews | No Comments »
Sunday, October 14th, 2012
Czecherboard Quilts
Rose Ann Cook
Kansas City Star Quilts’ $16.95
I have to admit what hooked me was the play on words – checkerboard and Czecherboard. Rose Ann Cook, owner of Quilter’s Emporium in Stafford, Texas, created the quilts in the book to honor the stories she learned of her father’s family and its Czech history. The book includes 13 projects with checkerboard themes and accompanying stories and photos about Rose Ann’s father’s family. I enjoyed how she was able to weave the family history into each quilt. It’s an idea that anyone interested in genealogy and quilting can try.
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.
Posted in Book Reviews, Creativity, Family, Projects, Quilt Patterns, Uncategorized | No Comments »
