Stacked & Stitched
Christine Morgan
AQS Publishing; $21.95

Using a layered and slashed technique similar to faux chenille, Christine Morgan creates “pelts,” five to seven layered fabrics stacked, sewn and cut on the bias in parallel rows and then slashed and washed. The pelts can now be cut into shapes using templates or rulers and reconstructed into pillows, decorative items, or art pieces. The book includes complete instructions for making the “pelts” and four projects. You really have endless possibilities to create with this technique.

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.

The Quilter’s Color Club

Christine E. Barnes
C&T Publishing; $27.95

Most quilters at some point need help with color and Christine Barnes offers the perfect way for you to gain color confidence. She found that when students took her workshops they wanted more color help, particularly in a group setting. That led to her creating a “color club,” where you can work with friends to explore color concepts and get feedback. She even offers tips if you want to work as a “color club of one.” The club works by following 12 hands-on exercises titled “Give It a Try!” In addition to the 12 exercises, Christine offers eight projects that build on what you’ve learned about color, including value, intensity, visual temperature, luminosity and more. The gallery section of the book features 35 examples of quilts and vests that demonstrate the color qualities. Christine also answers questions that she frequently gets from quilters about color. I loved Christine’s practical, easy-to-follow approach to understanding color concepts, and anyone who “joins the club” will see positive results in the color in her quilts.

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.

Give & Take Fabric Appliqué

Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark

AQS: $24.95

I love the possibilities of this simple concept – using a patchwork block, tracing the design onto fusible web, fusing on fabric, cutting the shapes apart and using them in two blocks as a negative and positive. After explaining the concept, Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark get you started with the complex New York Beauty block. The book includes 12 different projects and templates and can be adapted to other patterns of your choosing. The authors note that the concept is great for fat quarters and guild challenges. This is a fun technique to add to your toolbox.

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.

Best of Fons & Porter: Favorite Quilts
Marianne Fons and Liz Porter
Leisure Arts; $24.95

This collection of 25 quilts was chosen by Marianne Fons and Liz Porter as their favorites, and the quilts are also some of the most popular from their more than 30 years as quilting partners. They range from quick and easy to more challenging quilts. Styles include traditional and contemporary and feature a variety of fabrics from reproductions to batiks. The book also includes 15 Sew Easy™ technique lessons plus general instructions and information on quitting feathers.

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.

Beautiful Wildflower Appliqué
Zena Thorpe
AQS; $26.95

Master quilter Zena Thorpe says we are always impressed with the big, showy blooms that we neglect to see the wildflowers. With that in mind she used all wildflowers as the background in her quilt “Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness.” Beautiful Wildflower Appliqué includes appliqué directions and patterns for 32 native wildflowers in that quilt. In addition to the individual flowers, Zena offers complete instructions for a wildflower wallhanging with 10 flowers. A wonderful addition to your appliqué library.

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.

Fast, Fusible Flower Quilts
Nancy Mahoney
Martingale & Co., $24.99

Well-known author, teacher, fabric designer and award-winning quilter, Nancy Mahoney, has released her 11th book with Martingale. Inspired by memories of her own gardening and the vast selection of floral fabrics on the market, Nancy has created 11 easy-to-make, full-size block quilts, which can easily be adapted to a size of your choosing. To simplify the appliqué, all but one quilt features fused floral segments, with fusible and quiltmaking instructions. The last includes folded flowers with patchwork blocks. I liked that the samples were both in bolds and 30’s fabrics offering a wider appeal. And, I particularly liked the bolder quilts, including Orange Marmalade, which included a secondary pattern, as well as the clear-toned Precious Peonies, a favorite flower.

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.

Quilting Designs From Nature
Lone J. Minkkinen
AQS Publishing; $26.95

If you are looking for nature-inspired quilting designs that are not just florals, you will find this a terrific resource. Lone Minkkinen, a graphic designer and quiltmaker living in Michigan, drew many of the designs in this book while on holiday in her native Denmark. It includes more than 100 continuous line quilting design patterns. The designs are shown by group: the barn yard, the pond, the ocean, the forest, the dogs, the birds, the flowers, equestrian and dinosaurs, dragons and more. Some of my favorites were the frog on the lily pad, the lizard and the beetle. While Lone designed the patterns for continuous machine quilting, you can easily adapt them for hand quilting.

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.

Knowing Your Value 
Mika Brzezinski
Weinstein Books; $22.95

Subtitled Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth, Mika Brzezinski, part of the Morning Joe team at MSNBC, offers a candid look at her own challenges addressing her value – and her inability to get a raise –  in the corporate workplace. In addition to her own experiences, Mika shares the stories of other powerful women, including Tina Brown, Arianna Huffington and Sheila Barr. While most of us are not in a corporate environment, here is some of what I took from the book:

1. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.
2. Don’t worry about what others think.
3. Keep emotion out of your value discussion.
4. Don’t internalize attacks on yourself.
5. It’s not that important to be liked.

This was a quick read. It didn’t really offer anything new, rather reinforced ideas of valuing yourself and building your confidence so you can get that value across. If you are a fan of Mika, you will probably enjoy reading about her journey. If you have a daughter starting in a corporate environment, it would be a good value for her.

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

Quilt National 2011

Lark Crafts & The Dairy Barn Arts Center

Lark Crafts; $27.95

Subtitled The Best in Contemporary Quilts, this catalog from Quilt National, which is held every two years, celebrates the best in contemporary quilts from around the world. From more than 1,000 entries, the three jurors were able to winnow the submissions to 85 quilts that comprise the show running May 23-Sept. 5 at The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens, Ohio. Each quilt is shown on a full page, and some have detail shots. The photos are accompanied by an artist’s statement about the work.

I love the diversity of style and technique, from those pieces that clearly have a connection to our patchwork roots to those that don’t. I also enjoyed reading the statements of the three jurors, Nelda Warkentin, Eleanor McCain and Pauline Verbeek-Cowart, about how they approached their task.

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