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.

Barbara Brackman’s Civil War Sampler   
Barbara Brackman
C&T Publishing $29.95

S is for Stitch  
Kristyne Czepuryk
Stash Books; $24.95

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.

String Fling
Bonnie K. Hunter
Kansas City Star Quilts; $29.95

I remember making string quilts when I first learned to quilt in 1977, and they’ve been revived several times since. I think string quilts are the ultimate in scrap quilts. What’s fun about “strings,” is that they are versatile. They can be the basis for the block design, as in a log cabin, or they can be put together to create other elements, like squares or triangles, and then added to your block. Bonnie, who focuses mainly on scrap quilts, includes 13 varied, large quilts all using strings. It’s a fun collection, and you’ll learn a lot about color just by studying the photos.

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.

Fresh Perspectives
Carol Gilham Jones & Bobbi Finley
C&T Publishing; $29.95

We often see well-done reproductions of antique quilts and marvel at how the design was captured. What Fresh Perspectives does is take a look at those quilts with a new eye. The quilts are used as inspiration, and current fabrics are used to create dynamic, contemporary quilts. The original inspiration quilts came from the antique quilts in the collection of the International Quilts Study Center & Museum. The 18 contemporary quilts mirror the qualities of those original quilts. I was struck by so many of the pieces, from the bright “Happy Houses” to “Stars and Snipes,” the Variable Star quilt with its large whimsical bird placed in the solid blocks, to “Pot of Flowers Medallion,” which focuses the weight of the quilt on the medallion rather than the pieced border.

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.

Japanese Quilting
Yoko Saito
Interweave; $26.95

Making traditional patchwork quilts left well-known Japanese quilter Yoko Saito frustrated. Her work was filled with imprecise angles and crooked seams, something uncommon for someone known for meticulous needlework. That led to her realization that if her pieces weren’t perfectly even then she should make intentionally imperfect ones. She found the pride and joy in her work that had been missing. This collection of 29 quilts and quilted projects features her use of odd-shaped pieces and improvisation. The projects are all done in her hallmark neutral/taupe color scheme. The book includes paper patterns for the projects.

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.

Quick Weekend Quilts
Debbie Mumm
Leisure Arts; $29.95

We are officially into meteorological fall. Doesn’t that mean longer nights and lazier weekends? If so, then Quick Weekend Quilts might be for you. Debbie Mumm offers a selection of 45 projects ranging in size from kitchen accessories to full-sized quilts. She also indicates if the project is a one-day or three-and-a-half-day project. What makes the book unique is Debbie’s approaching to planning your project. She outlines what your tasks are for each morning, afternoon and evening so you can accomplish the project on the weekend. It includes a nice range of projects with both traditional and modern looks.

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.

Modern Patchwork
Elizabeth Hartman
Stash Books; $24.95

This follow-up to Elizabeth Hartman’s first book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork, is a winner. Her book features 12 original bold and modern quilt designs geared for the intermediate quilters. In addition to the initial quilt, Elizabeth offers two additional colorways for each design. She also provides instructions for a complementary pieced back for each quilt. I found so many quilts to like in the collection and was particularly taken with “Neighborhood.” Using a log cabin construction method, she fussy cuts the center panel to feature a bird then builds around it, in the end creating houses. She includes some extra tips in the general instructions, including making a design wall and organizing your project.

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.

Easy Grid Quilts
Karen G. FIsher
AQS Publishing; $24.95

Most traditional quilts are grid-based. Karen Fisher took the basic grid and began an exploration with mathematical progressions, e.g., 1″ squares surrounded by 2″ squares surrounded by 3″ squares and so on. Then she started looking at how she could change other grid-based blocks. The result is 14 different projects done in five simple grid formats. The options are really endless when you combine fabric scale, color and contrast in the quilts.

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.