At Quilty Pleasures we know that with any creative endeavour a little knowledge borrowed from the experiences of others can be extremely helpful. Book reviews are a regular feature of our newsletter. We are often asked about books mentioned in previous issues, and so we decided to provide an archive of reviews here on the Quilty Pleasures website. Of course, none of us need to feel obligated to read these great publications for any reason other than pure fun!

Simply scroll down to find the reviews arranged according to the season they appeared in the QP newsletter or Click on any of the titles in the index to go directly to a particular review. Then you can return to the index any time by using your browser's "Back" button.

Fall 2008
Adventures in Circles: Quilt Designs from Start to Finish. Nothing adds as much movement to a quilt as circles do. And with Leigh McDonald's techniques for cutting, appliquéing, embellishing, and quilting them, you'll find ways to add circles to all kinds of quilts, from traditional to ultra-contemporary. Take a look at the gallery pages - it's enough to make your head spin. With ideas! Altered Photo Artistry: Turn Everyday Images into Works of Art on Fabric. Many quilters are becoming comfortable with basic photo transfer, but that's just the beginning! Beth Wheeler and Lori Marquette provide a step-by-step guide through photo-altering software to produce truly creative effects. Comes with a trial CD of Photoshop Elements to get you started (but we know you won't want to stop!).
Comfort Quilts from the Heart: 12 Quick Projects to Take Care of Others. Quilters are always making quilts for those in need. Jake Finch has personal experience with these projects, and generously shares her patterns for special-needs quilts (including a wheelchair quilt with built-in foot warmer, game board quilts, and fidget quilts), walker bags, and bed shawls. Also included are ideas for organizing group efforts, and suggestions for choosing potential recipients. A very worthy effort, indeed. Gathered from the Garden: Quilts with Floral Charm. Who doesn't love a garden in full bloom? Cindy Lammon has designed a wide variety of fresh new floral patterns with a traditional feel. She also includes thorough start-to-finish instructions for machine piecing and hand appliqué so that you can have the prettiest garden in town. Even if you have a brown thumb!
Holiday Wrappings: Quilts to Welcome the Season. These quilts, by sisters Loraine Manwaring and Susan Nelsen, are bright, fresh, and chock-full of holiday cheer. Innovative designs like "Merry Mail", a 3D envelope quilt to hold and display Christmas cards, and crystal-clear instructions will help you wrap your holidays (even the non-Yule ones) in joy. More Fabulous Flowers: Mini-Quilts in Dimensional Appliqué. Little tiny projects are a great way to practice dimensional appliqué without being overwhelmed. With Sharon K. Baker's guidance, you can learn a variety of techniques to make realistic flowers and leaves, then plant them on mini-quilts. Guaranteed to bloom, even in winter!
On-Point Quilts: Designs on the Diagonal. It's amazing how different a block looks when it's set on-point - even relatively plain blocks become more exciting. Rhetta Warehime explains all the details of making the transition (including dealing with setting triangles and corners) and gives plenty of tips for giving your quilts a new angle. A Patrick Lose Christmas: Whimsical Projects to Deck the Halls. When you want to capture the holly-jolly aspect of Christmas, look no further than this book. Full of fun, and funny, designs made with easy piecing and fusible appliqué, this collection will put some giggles into your Christmas decorating. Also includes a bonus recipe for Caramel Christmas Mix - after all, you need to keep your strength up!
Perfect amd Painless Half-Square Triangle Units. Another in Debbie Caffrey's Becoming a Confident Quilter series, this book offers an extremely accurate method of strip-piecing half-square triangles with no marking or trimming. The secret? Bias strips, which sounds like a tricky proposition but which gives fantastic results, especially when you need lots of same-combo units. Who knew? Sawtooth: New Quilts from an Old Favorite. You know what sawtooth looks like, right? Well, you won't recognize it in this collection of innovative designs, all entered in the Museum of the American Quilter's Society annual contest dedicated to the reinterpretation of traditional quilt blocks. Twenty quilts will excite and inspire you, proving that sawtooth is a pattern you can really sink your teeth into.
Scallops Sew Easy. Scallops add personality and panache to quilts, but they can be a little intimidating. Let Marie Seroskie guide you through the process, from drafting to binding, on all kinds of projects - quilts, table runners, window valences, bed linens, and more. No math required. Tot Stuff. Not your traditional baby gear! Linda Lum de Bono banishes boring pastels and brings a modern urban appeal to a variety of accessories, including bibs, organizers, totes, and pillows. Today's baby is ready to make a statement!
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Summer 2008
Beautiful Blooms: Quilts and Cushions to Appliqué. This book came out during the dark days of winter, so it was a real treat to see. Susan Taylor Propst, an American living in England, is extremely accomplished in the art of appliqué and draws great inspiration from the English countryside. Her realistic floral designs and traditional hand appliqué techniques will transport you to a British garden – definitely not a bad place to be, especially in the dark days of winter! Feathers & Urns: Rhapsody Quilts. This is the much-anticipated design companion to Ricky Tims' Rhapsody Quilts (2007), which shows you how to duplicate Ricky's signature quilts, famous for being rich, complex and lush. Not only does this new book give you full-size freezer paper patterns for Ricky's appliqué shapes, it also gives you great ideas for designing your own fabulous appliqués.
Log Cabin ABCs. Trust Marti Michell to come up with a foolproof method of making perfect log cabin blocks, with no distortion. You can use her techniques with a regular ruler, but it's even easier with her special Log Cabin Ruler (it takes away most of the thinking!) and you end up with absolutely square blocks. The book includes a wide variety of setting and border ideas, and it even has great instructions for sewing your binding with fusible thread. Machine Appliqué for the Terrified Quilter. Sharon Pederson (she's Canadian!) believes that if you can sew it by hand, you can sew it by machine, and you should have fun doing it. This book will let you have a great deal of fun with machine appliqué. Sharon uses a freezer paper method, along with a variety of stitch techniques, for both regular and reverse appliqué, and her friendly, encouraging style will overcome any fears you may have had. She also provides nine projects that allow you to practice your new skills. Fight your own war on terror!
Machine Quilting: The Basics & Beyond. Lynn Witzenburg understands that quilters are visual learners, so she gives us lots of close up pictures to follow and a spiral binding so we can keep them right next to our machines. Full of basic information, surefire techniques and troubleshooting tips to ensure success, this book will relieve any anxiety you may have about machine quilting. It also includes a fun variety of projects so you can practice what she preaches. Maple Leaf Quilts: 12 Projects, 9 Triangle Techniques. If you're Canadian, or if you make triangles, you need this book! Ilene Bartos shows you nine different techniques for making perfect half-square triangles, then uses them to give a fresh new spin to the familiar maple leaf pattern. Try each method to see which suits you best, then use the finished triangles to make your own maple grove. Very patriotic.
One-Block Wonders encore! . In their first book, One Block Wonders, Maxine Rosenthal and Joy Pelzmann explored the wonderful wonderful world of hexagons. In this follow-up, they delve even further into the possible optical illusions: basic cubes, hollow cubes, hollow cubes sliced open. Your fabric choices are key to making the magic; the piecing is simple, but your friends will be amazed! Quiltastic Curves. Few words strike fear into a quilter's heart like "curved piecing". Even very experienced quilters quake when confronted with a Drunkard's Path block. Tammy Kelly's aim is to conquer the fear through education: she clearly explains the basic quiltmaking skills that we all need to master, then she focuses on the special challenges of piecing curves. After that, you're ready to successfully tackle the twelve curvaceous projects that are included. After all, curves are sexy!
A Quilter's Diary: Written in Stitches. Sampler quilts are always fun because you can include a variety of blocks using different patterns and techniques. Imaging choosing blocks that have some significance for the maker or receiver – your quilt becomes a sampler symbolizing someone's life. Mimi Dietrich guides you through this process, giving advice on discovering themes and inspiration, right through to the selection of fabrics and appropriate quilt blocks. If you want to make a special quilt for someone special, make it truly personal! Rolling Along: Easy Quilts from 2-1/2” Strips. Another jelly roll friendly collection, this time from Nancy J Martin. Nancy is the President of Martingale (That Patchwork Place), so you know her patterns and advice are top-notch. The book includes patterns for 10 traditional quilts, plus three smaller projects, with some appliqué thrown in for fun. Use a prepared jelly roll collection for a coordinated look, or make your own strips for a scrappy look. You can even use strips left over from other projects to satisfy your urge for frugality. Any way you do it, you'll love the results.
Scrappy Quilts: Let the Fabric Tell Your Story. M'Liss Rae Hawley is passionate about quilting, and her enthusiasm shines through in all her books. This time she focuses on scrap quilts and the special challenges of blending a wide variety of fabrics in a single project. This is a great book, with lots of projects, lots of gallery pictures, and lots of embellishment ideas – and lots of fun. Sewflakes: Papercut-Appliqué Quilts. Remember making paper snowflakes? Ever tried it with fabric? Kathy K Wylie has written the definitive guide to creating one-of-a-kind appliqués, starting with the same method you used as a kid, but enhanced with more quilterly techniques. Each "snowflake" is unique, just like the real thing!
StrataVarious Quilts: 9 Fabulous Strip Quilts from Fat Quarters. Thanks to sisters Barbara Persing and Mary Hoover, we get a great new approach to strip piecing. Group you fabrics, regardless of style, into colour families, cut random-width strips, sew them together, then cut the resulting "new" fabric into a variety of shapes for assembly into spectacular quilts. Gussy them up with embroidery, appliqué, thread painting, and quilting, and you'll be overwhelmed by the fabulous results. table toppers: Celebrating the Great Outdoors. Pick a season, any season, and make a table topper (or two!) to commemorate it. Debbie Field (the Granola Girl, not the cookie lady) has created 18 inspired-by-nature projects to take your table through the entire year. Fun designs, easy fusible techniques, and an appreciation of the great outdoors make this collection especially appealing.
take-along totes: Mix & Match Your Way to Creative Organization. It doesn't matter which craft we pursue – quilting, knitting, drawing, scrapbooking, whatever – we need something to hold our stuff and cart it around. Marilynn Bilyeu's clever yet easy tote, with its six variations, can be customized to suit every hobby or activity and your fabric choices can customize it to suit every enthusiast. Who says artists have to live in creative chaos?
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Spring 2008
a modern mix: machine & hand quilting. Anita Shackelford answers the question we get all the time: Is it OK to mix machine and hand quilting in the same quilt? The short answer is "yes", but her book goes into a lot more detail, with great ideas and examples of how to successfully combine the two techniques. It's the best of both worlds. Delectably Simple Mountains. The first of a series, Becoming a Confident Quilter: Taking the mystery out of great quilts!, this book is based on Debbie Caffrey's years of teaching and writing experience. By focusing on a single block (Delectable Mountains), giving you all the techniques necessary to tackle that block, and providing great ideas for settings and variations, Debbie's approach gives you the confidence and enthusiasm to tackle your own quilts – with great success.
Folded Fabric Elegance. We love fabric because of its tactile qualities; add extra texture with modern versions of folding, smocking, tucking, and other specialty techniques, and watch a casual affair become a grand passion! Rami Kim gives extensive, detailed instructions (with lots of close-up photos and illustrations) for all of the techniques, and her sophisticated projects will send you into a frenzy – elegantly, of course. Follow-the-Line Quilting Designs, Volume Three. Twenty new pattern groups from Mary Covey take all the guesswork out of planning your quilting designs. Each group has full-size patterns for blocks, borders and setting triangles, and they're all continuous-line, suitable for either machine or hand quilting. All you have to do is trace the designs, transfer them to your quilt, and stitch. In a continuous line.
Love Is. Nancy Halvorsen is back with a new collection in the Art to Heart series, bringing her signature charm to each project. Easy projects, heartwarming sentiments, universal appeal. Love is ... a Nancy Halvorsen quilt! Mindful Meandering: 132 Original Continuous-Line Quilting Designs. Machine quilters are always looking for two things: a) designs with minimal stops & starts and b) inspiration. Laura Lee Fritz's collection gives you plenty of both. Use her designs singly or in combination (all are easily enlarged or reduced to suit any purpose) and add some fun and funk to your contemporary quilts.
Oh Sew Easy life style: 20 Projects to Make Your Home Your Own. Valori Wells and Carolyn Spencer have teamed up to help beginners personalize their living spaces while learning basic sewing skills. Using Valori's spectacular designer fabrics, they give you lots of ideas for organizers, totes, kids' accessories, and home dec items. You'll learn how to sew, you'll create attractive and useful items for your family, and you'll have a ball doing it. It's Oh Sew Easy! skinny quilts & table runners from today's top designers. Here's a great opportunity, courtesy of editor Eleanor Levie, to sample patterns and techniques from big-name designers (Kaffe Fassett, Jane Sassaman, Marti Michell, among other notables) without a big investment of time or effort. "Skinny" quilts are perfect to play with, and the finished products can be used as wall hangings, table runners, toppers, or whatever. There's a style for everyone in this book, from traditional to ultra-modern – the common denominator is fun.
Take the Fear Out of Color: Learn how to identify your color style & use color – with success! Quite the title, but it says it all. Pat Sloan has been designing popular quilt patterns for years, and in this book she tackles color in a very effective way. By making each of seven quilts in three different colourways, she graphically shows you the different effects to be achieved through fabric and colour choices. And she takes you through the process of making those choices, so you can continue fearlessly on your own. Stitched Collage: Creative Effects on Paper and Fabric. This is a great idea book, designed to get you thinking along unconventional lines. By introducing a variety of diverse materials and wedding them with glue, thread, paints, even staples, Sherrill Kahn encourages you to create collages that are truly unique to your artistic vision. Once you see how easy the techniques are, and how limitless your materials can be, you'll be off on a new wave of creativity.
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Winter 2008
Bits and Pieces: 18 Small Quilts from Fat Quarters and Scraps. Making little quilts is a very appealing process: they let you try out new patterns and techniques without a huge outlay of fabric or time, they easily fit into almost any decorating scheme, and they make much-appreciated gifts. Karen Costello Soltys well understands this. Her projects are grouped by shape and difficulty -- squares, triangles, and diamonds -- with some easy paper-piecing, curves, circles and appliqué thrown in for interest. Each little quilt is so charming, you'll want to make them all. And, since they're just little, you can! Blendable Curves: Stack, Slice & Sew Unique Quilts in a Weekend. Peggy Barkle takes a low stress, high success approach to quilting, all the while encouraging outside-the-lines thinking. By introducing easy curves into simple traditional blocks, she adds excitement and originality to tried-and-true favourites. Try this technique on your next quilt or wall hanging, and see what happens when tradition meets originality.
Color-Splashed Quilts: Fuse Fun Appliqué to your Piecing. Fusible bonding products make it easy to have fun with appliqué, and Carol Burniston has fully embraced the concept. In this book, she combines lively, playful shapes with pieced backgrounds for a collection of quilts guaranteed to make you smile. Cool Girls Quilt: More than 15 Fresh, Fun and Funky Projects. Aimed squarely at hip teens and tweens creative cravings, Linda Lum Bono's collection of projects really delivers the goods. With quilts and wallhangings, notebook covers, room accessories and a tote bag, she gives them lots of opportunities to express themselves while learning valuable life skills. Sewing is cool!
Cutting Garden Quilts: Fast, Fusible Flowers. Melinda Bula has written a fun book, partly about fusible appliqué used to create realistic florals, and partly about renegade thread painting (her term, which gives you an idea of her style ... ) Using a paint-by-numbers approach, complete with detailed colour charts, she leads us through the entire process, then turns us loose to create our own garden -- and have a ball doing it! Hand & Machine Quilting Tips & Tricks Tool. Alex Anderson and Harriet Hargrave, two of America's best-known quilting experts, have teamed up to produce this indispensable reference guide to help you quilt like a pro! Offering technical and artistic guidance for both hand and machine quilting, with lots of charts and pictures for us visual learners, this little book is a must-have for all quilters.
Make Your First Quilt with M'Liss Rae Hawley. Learning to quilt has never been easier! This handy purse-sized book takes you through the entire quilt-making process, starting with a discussion of the anatomy of a quilt and basic colour theory. Then, with detailed photos and diagrams, M'Liss gives step-by-step instructions and time-saving tips to help you make a nine-block sampler quilt -- your first of many! Mimi Dietrich's Favorite Appliqué Quilts. Think of this book as a Mimi Dietrich retrospective, featuring favorite projects from her previous 13 books. Her philosophy is simple: develop easy techniques that virtually guarantee success, then apply them to projects that inspire you to do your best work. Mimi's success as a teacher and author prove the validity of her approach, and this varied collection will appeal to everyone, beginners and experienced quilters alike. Learn from the best!
Neutral Essentials. The latest from Alex Anderson presents a persuasive argument for the power of neutrals. Often dismissed as "boring" or worthy only of background status, neutrals are subtle, elegant and calming, stunning in any setting. The seven projects included here illustrate this point perfectly, in understated perfection. Nine by Nine: 9-Patch Quilts, 9 Ways. The lowly 9-patch is often dismissed as being "too simple", but it's one of the most versatile blocks around. Cyndi Hershey shows the possibilities in a collection of refreshingly different 9-patch quilts that will inspire you to look at this old standby in a whole new light.
Paper-Pieced Mini Quilts. Miniature quilts are seductive in their littleness, but are fussy to construct; the paper piecing technique allows for extremely accurate sewing. Like pairing peanut butter and chocolate, the two together make a perfect team. Wendy Vosters, from the Netherlands, has designed 17 little projects that will satisfy your urge for going small, while still maintaining perfect accuracy. Reward yourself with some Reese's Pieces when you've finished. Piecing the Piece O' Cake Way. Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins, the Piece O'Cake girls, have been spreading joy for many years, especially with their appliqué projects and books. Now they've turned their attention to piecing, providing good basic information that every quilter should know. Their instructions are flawless, with lots of clear, up-close pictures to illustrate every step of the way.
Quiltmaker's Fancy: 16 Traditional Quilts for All Skill Levels. A "best of" collection from the editors and contributors of Quiltmaker Magazine, this book offers a treasure trove of traditional quilts. With complete directions for piecing, appliqué, and quilting, these projects recall an earlier, more "authentic" style of quiltmaking. These quilts are sure to become heirlooms. Ruth B. McDowell's Design Workshop. Perhaps you remember Ruth McDowell's Piecing Workshop, where she shares all of her techniques for the incredible piecing in her distinctive quilts. Well, with this essential companion book, now you can design your own distinctive quilts upon which to use your new-found skills. Turn photographs, or your own imaginings, into glorious works of art as you follow Ruth's step-by-step processes. Beautifully illustrated, this book is equal parts information and inspiration.
Sew Fun, So Colorful Quilts from Me and My Sister Designs. Real-life sisters Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson specialize in designing lively, bright, colourful quilt patterns that sit right at the top of the cheerful scale. In this, their first book, they continue to explore their "fast, fun, and easy" philosophy with nine new projects, each cuter than the last. These are quilts that are meant to be used and loved -- now, that's easy! Show me how to Plan My Quilting. Kathy Sandbach, author of the popular Show me how to Machine Quilt and Show me how to Create Quilting Designs, is back to show us more. This time, she illustrates how you can plan your final quilting design at the same time as you plan your entire quilt. Rather than leaving this important design consideration until the very end of the quiltmaking process, planning the quilting in advance affects your fabric choices as well as your pattern choices, allowing for a more harmonious and showstopping quilt. Kathy's approach will radically change the way you think about your quilting, and she gives you some great quilting designs to let you get started.
Simple Seasons. Kim Diehl has brought us Simple Blessings and Simple Traditions, and now brings us another collection of traditional country quilts to celebrate the seasons, and her favourite recipes to enjoy with them. Hmm, sewing and eating -- the perfect way to spend a year! simple start Stunning Finish. Valori Wells has great appeal for younger quilters, and it's no wonder Ð her designs are bright, dramatic and easy, creating lots of visual impact. Her latest book taps into this modern approach to quilting, offering great ideas for fabric selection, sewing techniques and quilting options. Very hip, very now, which shows you how old we are!
Strip Clubbing: Fast and Easy Quilts with 2½" Strips. Spread your jelly rolls around! This collection of quick quilts uses 2½" strips (and sometimes another fabric) in a variety of very attractive ways, thus answering the often-asked question: "What, exactly, is a jelly roll for?".
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Fall 2007
$100,000 Quilting Challenge Best Quilts 2006: Commemorative Collection of the 40 Prizewinning Quilts. Have you heard of the $100,000 quilting challenge? It's incredible, attracting the best of the best to submit their work and showcase their technical and artistic skills for the rest of us. This book features the 40 quarterly finalists from the 10 prize categories, along with related articles, and gives us something to aspire to. Dazzling Designs. Pull out your wildest fabrics for these projects! Heidi Pridemore, from The Whimsical Workshop, offers six uninhibited quilts using a variety of techniques – even fabric weaving. Not for the timid!
Fabric Locker Hooking. Locker hooking is the new craze, helping us use up all of our "what was I thinking?" fabric so that it can be given new life in rugs, mats, trivets, etc. Kathleen Carpenter gives you complete instructions for the general technique, and, as a serendipitous bonus, most of her patterns are based on traditional quilt blocks. So your stash fabric will be used for quilting after all! Happy Hour: Relax and Enjoy. Not that happy hour, but the one where you can squeeze in some sewing (much better than a martini, with no glass to wash!). Terry Atkinson's patterns are, as always, easy but effective, designed to let you enjoy your time both while you sew and as you live with your new quilts.
new Noel: 22 fun designs to deck the halls. Linda Lum DeBono gives a new look to Christmas decorating, with fresh, unexpected colours and funky designs. These simple projects, ranging from stockings to ornaments, kitchen accessories to bed linens, will bring the "ho ho ho" back into your holidays. Patchwork with Pizzazz: Over 60 quirky quilts and beautiful bags. If you're looking for more bang for your buck, take a look at this. Lise Bergene has put together an extensive collection of projects, with some really original details, that will keep you going for quite some time. Originally published in Norway, this book has a refreshingly different feel, although the instructions are not quite as complete as we are used to. Lots of inspiration, lots of ideas, lots of fun.
Piping Hot Curves. Piping packs a lot of punch on a quilt, and Susan Cleveland is an expert at both making it and using it – in fact, she invented the Piping Hot Binding tool which makes the job incredibly easy. Her book gives complete instructions and features five funky projects that use piping to accent curved piecing. Warning: Prepare to be pumped for piping! Quilt as Desired: Your Guide to Straight-Line and Free-Motion Quilting. You've seen the patterns – complete, detailed instructions every step of the way until the very end, when you're told to "quilt as desired" and then left hanging. Charlene Frable understands the frustration, and has come to the rescue with a complete, extremely thorough, guide to machine quilting. Novices will appreciate the "pros and cons", the artistic and technical considerations, and the hints given for each type of quilting design, while everyone will like the Quilt Work Sheet. Who knew that three little words could result in a whole book?
Quilt National 2007: The Best of Contemporary Quilts. Quilt National, also known as the famous Dairy Barn show, is a biennial exhibit of the most innovative contemporary quilts from all around the world. Think of this book as the show catalogue: no how-to's, but great photographs, artists' comments, and 105 pages of inspiration. Quilted Bags and Totes. Denise Clason has an innate understanding of the special relationship between women and their purses – we want them to be functional, attractive, and, most of all, plentiful! This book covers all the basics of construction, along with 15 projects. With this selection of bags in your arsenal, you'll be ready for any occasion.
Simple Contemporary Quilts: Bold New Designs for the First-Time Quilter. This is not your traditional learn-to-quilt book! Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader has assembled a team of talented designers and let them loose to create big, bold and brash quilt projects for those with a modern sensibility. A non-conventional introduction to the world of quilting, this book takes a glorious leap into the fun of fibre art. Young at Heart Quilts: 15 Designs with Color and Style. Julie Popa has four young children and several teenaged nieces, so she had a built-in test team for her patterns designed for young quilters. The designs range from bold and masculine, to sweetly girly, but all have a contemporary style and simplicity of construction that will be appreciated by confident beginners. With a nice mixture of piecing and appliqué, these projects will enchant a whole new generation of quilters.
your turn to churn: a new twist on an old favorite. Everybody loves the Churn Dash pattern – especially since the days of actually using one are long gone! Patti Eaton pays homage with four patterns, including one made of 36 churn dashes contained in one giant one. You'll be churning out quilts in record time!
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Summer 2007
Art Quilt Workbook: Exercises & Techniques to Ignite Your Creativity. Afraid to take the art quilt plunge? Let Jane Davila and Elin Waterston ease you into the creative waters with this inspirational workbook. By focusing on the creative process, elements of design, sewing techniques and a myriad of fabric enhancements, they provide all the basic how-to information. Then they suggest books, web sites, and artists to study and then they assign homework exercises to get you going. Great fun. Borders, Bindings & Edges: the Art of Finishing Your Quilt. A border doesn't have to be a boring afterthought whose only purpose is to make a quilt bigger. It can, and should, be a design element that frames, supports and complements the entire quilt, making a visually cohesive arrangement. Sally Collins guides you through the whole process, with great design ideas and outstanding technical advice. The result? Quilts bordering on genius.
Certifiably Crazy, from the nice girls at The Buggy Barn. Along with Crazy Dog Days and That Crazy Thing We Do, these patterns are too, too cute and loads of fun to make. If you're a fan of dogs, cats, chickens, flowers or flying geese (among other things) and you like a free-wheeling approach to your quilting, be sure to have a look at their designs. You'd be crazy not to! Colorful Quilts: A Journey Through Fabric. Cynthia LeBlanc Regone loves to travel, and she loves to quilt. Imagine her delight when she discovered that the travelling metaphor works very well in her quilt creation process – every quilt becomes a destination, decisions must be made about which route to follow, and the entire process is a journey to be enjoyed. Let your next quilt be an adventure in fabric selection and piecing techniques (both of which are a major focus here) and take a vacation from the ordinary!
A Cozy Quilted Christmas. Put some country in your Christmas with Kim Schaefer's fusible appliqué designs. Some of the seventeen projects are cute and quick, perfect for gift giving, while others will become part of your family's yearly decorating tradition. All will fill you with Christmas cheer. Laurel Burch Legends. Whenever Laurel Burch fabric comes into the store, it creates major excitement. Then, in the blink of an eye, it's gone! But those who miss out needn't despair. Using a variety of "ordinary" fabrics, Laurel herself shows us how to interpret her artwork in nine exciting quilt projects. Worried about not getting that distinctive Laurel Burch look? Don't be – she generously shares all kinds of embellishment tricks to give your projects her signature stamp.
M'Liss Rae Hawley's fat quarter quilts: fabric choices, easy piecing and quilting ideas. We buy them like candy (after all, no calories!), but then we don't always know what to do with them. Here are lots of ideas for using fat quarters in interesting quilts. With a good, solid discussion of colour and fabric choices, supplies, and basic techniques, the way is paved for having fun – with fat quarters, great patterns, and a little embroidery and photo transfer thrown in for good measure. Machine Quilting Solutions: Techniques for Fast & Simple to Award-Winning Designs. Maybe Christine Maraccini should be called the "Quilt Whisperer". She believes (and rightly so) that your quilt should guide you in your choice of quilting designs, based on its intended use (drag-around quilt for a toddler, show-stopping quilt for a major competition) and the patterns created by its piecing and/or appliqué. To illustrate, she shows six quilts, each quilted in three different styles (and you thought quilting it just once was challenging enough!) and provides 49 free-motion, no-mark designs. Start a dialogue with your quilts, let them speak to you, and discover the quilting designs that they're meant to have.
Modern Primitive Quilts: Redefining Country Style. Indisputably, quilting provides an emotional connection to the past, and, with the wealth of historical research devoted to quilts and the ready availability of reproduction fabrics, many quilters are wanting to make that connection as authentic as possible. This collection of folk-art quilts fills the bill, giving an old-timey look with modern-day methods. A New Twist on Strips 'n Curves. You may remember Louisa Smith's Strips 'n Curves, which was a bestseller in 2001 – it provided the inspiration for many, many spectacular quilts at countless quilt shows. In this follow-up, the combination of strip piecing and curves is taken even further, with four new techniques, and the results are even more spectacular. Future quilt shows are sure to be great!
Positively Postcards: Quilted Keepsakes to Save or Send. Overwhelmed when you think of tackling an art quilt? Think small! Let Bonnie Sobel and Louis-Philippe O'Donnell lead you through these 4" x 6" postcard projects which belie their small size – they give you plenty of room to explore all kinds of themes and techniques. Believe us, Positively Postcards will lead to positively productive behaviour! Sculpted Threads: Artful Brooches, Earrings, and More. Put more fibre in your (quilting) diet! Follow Janet Shipley Hawks' lead and choose the yummiest threads you can find, stitch them onto water soluble stabilizer, then immerse in water. Only the threads will remain and, depending on the stitching and shaping techniques used, they will be transformed into artsy jewelry, bowls or evening bags. Add some beads, fringes, or other embellishments, and you'll have one-of-a-kind accessories that will tie your outfits together.
Showstopping Quilts to Foundation Piece. It's great fun to slap together a "quick & mindless" quilt for almost-instant gratification, but it's intensely satisfying to produce a truly spectacular quilt that requires skill and careful crafting to create. Tricia Lund and Judy Pollard have addressed this need with their collection of 13 traditional quilts, each of which is foundation pieced and many of which also require template piecing. But don't be intimidated – printed foundations and step-by-step instructions virtually guarantee perfect accuracy and heirloom-status quilts. Twice Quilted: Continuous-Line Quilting Designs. Continuous-line quilting designs are great, making it really easy to travel around a quilt without the inconvenience of stitchus interruptus. Gloria Cubbage knows a good thing when she sees it, and she's also figured out that combining two interlaced designs (in different colours, even!) can provide twice the punch. With forty designs to choose from, and complete instructions on the whole machine-quilting process, you'll want to quilt everything twice!
Visual Coloring: A Foolproof Approach to Color-Rich Quilts. As determined by our very informal survey, the one aspect of quiltmaking that seems to terrify everyone is colour selection. Joen Wolfrom's visual coloring approach is a simple, yet very effective, remedy: in essence, she advises that we take all of our colour-combo cues from nature. And this book proves that it works. Stunning nature photography, gorgeous quilts, reassuring advice – you'll be finding new colour schemes everywhere you look!
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Spring 2007
Artful Appliqué the Easy Way. Sometimes we get so caught up in the "fast & fun" of fusible appliqué that we forget about the "slow & satisfying" version. Jane Townswick is a master (mistress?) of the art, and in this book she generously shares her expertise so that we mere mortals can achieve the same flawless, and thoroughly spectacular, results. Beautiful Big Dogs. Cat lovers seem to have lots of choice in the quilting world Ñ a myriad of patterns, books, and fabrics are dedicated to their feline friends. But dog lovers have had more limited options, at least until now. Darcy Ashton has taken on the canine cause and prepared appliqué patterns for 35 breeds of large dogs, along with embellishment and setting ideas. Finish with a label shaped as a bone, dog house or dog tag, and your dog quilt will be the best in show!
Beautifully Embellished Landscapes: 125 Tips & Techniques to Create Stunning Quilts. Details make all the difference, and Joyce R. Becker uses them to excellent effect. In this superb book (which follows Luscious Landscapes, her "basic" how-to-landscape book), she shows us how to add special effects for enhanced realism and extra oomph. Terrific value, and lots of fun. Color for the Terrified Quilter: Plain Talk, Simple Lessons, 11 Projects. Ionne McCauley and Sharon Pederson have hit the nail on the head. Far too many quilters are terrified of choosing colours and fabrics for their projects, so this book sets out to remedy the situation. And just as the title says, it's done in a calm, straightforward manner guaranteed to ease your fears, lesson your terror, and improve your quilts. It's also fun.
Creative Fabric Weaving. Remember the woven construction paper technique from elementary school? Well, you can do the same thing with fabric and it looks fantastic! Free-cut strips from two or more fabrics, weave them together, and secure with stitching. The resulting "new" fabric provides the jumping-off point for quilts, wearables, home dec, you name it. Add some interesting embellishments and/or thread painting, and you'll have produced a truly unique creation. 'Way better than construction paper! Creative Quilt Collection Volume Two, from That Patchwork Place. Another "Greatest Hits" collection from previous TPP publications, this volume highlights projects from 18 of their most popular authors. It's just like dipping into a box of assorted chocolates, each more yummy than the last.
A Dozen Roses: Beautiful Quilts and Pillows. Stop and smell the roses in this gorgeous collection. La vie en rose is lovingly celebrated with pieced and appliquéd quilts, lovely decorator pillows (including a lush full- blown rose in velveteen), and fanciful embellishments that capture the essence of nature's showiest bloom. Life can be a bed of roses! Encyclopedia of Classic Quilt Patterns. Classics are classics for a reason, and one look at this book will show you: all of the 101 quilts are timeless, just as fresh and appealing today as they were for our forebears. Each quilt is beautifully photographed, instructions have been modernized to take advantage of simplified techniques, and a comprehensive quiltmaker's workshop has been included. You'll be inspired to produce an heirloom quilt, guaranteed.
Encyclopedia of Quilting. This could be the desert island book that you'd want to have with you after a shipwreck. Part history book, part glossary of quilting terms, part instruction manual (detailed, too, on all kinds of techniques), with projects and a photo gallery to keep you inspired, it would keep you happily occupied until you were rescued. Providing, of course, that your sewing machine survived, too. English Cottage Quilts: 10 Charming Projects. Pamela Mostek visited the English village of Nayland and was so captivated by the gardens, the architecture, and the quaint way of life that she was inspired to design a collection of quilts worthy of the setting. As the photographs prove, she accomplished her goal admirably. Part travelogue, part pattern book (and part cookbook – there's a recipe for lavender tea cake that looks fantastic), English Cottage Quilts will transport you to the English countryside, so pour a cup of tea and prepare for a delightful visit.
Fast, fun & easy Book Cover Art. The fast, fun & easy books have encouraged countless thousands of fabric junkies to release their inner artists, and this latest title covers them all (literally). With a little fabric, Fast-2- Fuse, threads and embellishments, you'll be covering binders, photo albums, chequebooks, sketchbooks, CD cases, journals, whatever, in fun & funky artwork that reflects your personality. Fat Quarter Friendly. This is a not-so-new book from Fons & Porter, but it's in its 6th printing, so it's still going strong! Only some of the 30 traditional, country style quilt patterns specifically call for fat quarters, but they each have that scrappy look that benefits from a large stash applied liberally. A nice mix of quick piecing, traditional template methods, and appliqué offers something for everyone, and everyone will love these quilts.
The Little Box of Baby Quilts. These are too, too cute! The little box contains 20 project cards, each with a full- colour photograph and complete instructions. Featuring bright colours, interesting textures, and delightful designs, these little quilts are easy to make and fun to give. Luminous Landscapes: Quilted Visions in Paint & Thread. Gloria Loughman is an Australian textile artist who uses her native landscape as glorious inspiration (there's something about the light in Australia ... ). This, her first book after years of teaching, is a collection of techniques – colour selection, construction, thread work, painting – and loads of ideas for achieving special effects. Truly inspirational.
Machine Embroidery on Paper. Let Annette Gentry Bailey introduce you to a new medium for your machine embroidery – art papers and card stock. With decorative threads and embellishments, you'll find hundreds of new ways to use your machine for creative expression. While most of the focus is placed on computerized embroidery machines and their capabilities, the bonus multi-format CD that accompanies the book contains artwork that can be reproduced on a regular machine or – gasp! – even by hand. Merry Christmas Quilting. We know, we know, Christmas is over, but the next one is coming up. Get a head start with the projects in this cheerful little booklet and "yule" be ready in plenty of time!
Paper Piece the Quick-Strip Way. One of the most often-heard complaints about paper piecing is that it's hard to judge the correct amount of fabric needed to cover a pattern section and still leave enough for the next seam allowance. With Peggy Martin's technique, the fabrics are first cut into strips wide enough to guarantee adequate coverage, and then the pieces are sewn in assembly-line fashion to speed up the process. She also gives very detailed, clear instructions on how to draft your own paper-pieced patterns and sew them to perfection. For anyone who has had trouble with the upside-down-and-backward aspects of paper piecing, this book is a must. Ruth B. McDowell's Piecing Workshop. Quilters are usually visual learners, so this book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn Ruth's incredible piecing techniques. Lots of up-close, detailed photographs, accompanied by clearly written instructions, make it possible to follow the sequence of events and reproduce the techniques for yourself – just like having Ruth herself in your sewing room.
Seasons by Debbie Mumm. Bring Debbie's distinctive country style to your home year-round with this collection of quilts and crafts inspired by nature's cycles. Fresh designs and easy-to-follow instructions make it a pleasure to decorate seasonally and celebrate the changes outside the window. Square Deal: Easy Quilts from Squares and Rectangles. Don't let the title fool you: Nancy Mahoney has not excluded triangles and parallelograms from the beautiful quilts in this book, but she has made constructing them incredibly easy – squares and rectangles provide the starting point, eliminating temperamental bias edges. Full of time-saving construction tips and interesting setting ideas, Square Deal is just that.
Sudoku Quilts. It was only a matter of time, but someone finally did it. Cyndi Hershey has replicated the addictive Sudoku number puzzles and developed quilt patterns by substituting fabric for numbers. If you're hooked on Sudoku, you'll be having an "aha" moment about now; if you're unfamiliar with the concept, just pick up this book and join in the fun! Table Graces: A Collection of 12 "Time-less" Quilts and Runners. Heather Mulder Peterson says it best: "This book is all about instant gratification. Small and simple, these projects can be pieced in two hours or less! So, when you need your quilting fix and don't have much time, this book is full of projects for you." Amen, sister!
Tea Time. Everybody's drinking tea these days (it's full of anti-oxidants, you know, to keep us from rusting), so it's no wonder we want to capture the experience in our quilts. Billie Lauder has designed some really cute cups, saucers, plates, and other necessi-teas that can be paper pieced in any china pattern (ie fabric) you choose. And, since the patterns are modular, you can have fun mixing and matching them in all kinds of projects. Weekend Scrap Quilting. Here are 35 quilts designed to clear out your stash (so you can buy more?) in 20 hours or less. Since it's been scientifically proved that scrap quilts are warmer than others, now's your chance to put it to the test!
A Year of Flower Blocks For those who like to decorate seasonally, this book lets you change the decor monthly – all you need is a small area of wall space to display these charming little wall hangings. Various flowers and botanicals take turns representing the months of the year, and various techniques (traditional & quick piecing, appliqué, paper piecing) show off your quilting skills. As a bonus, the book includes instructions for making a wooden display board that allows for easy switching.
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Winter 2006-2007
Big Book of Building Block Quilts. This is not a new book, as it was published in 2001, but we're very happy that one of our customers drew it to our attention (thanks, Edna!). Sara Nephew demystifies the 60° triangle and explains how to use it to achieve 3D effects. The quilts look complex, but all are rotary cut and machine pieced (some of them are even strip-pieced). Very, very cool. The Border Workbook: Easy Speed-Pieced and Foundation-Pieced Borders. The 10th anniversary edition of Janet Kime's classic is a must-have for any quilter who's ready to move into the realm of pieced borders. First of all, it's full of helpful advice regarding border design and fabric choices that will transform the look of your finished quilt. Second, it includes instructions for speed-piecing 27 different border designs (with variations) and third, it gives help with all the math to make them fit (and there really isn't that much math, so don't let it scare you). No more boring borders!
Covered with Love: Kids' Quilts & More. Another winner from Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins at Piece O' Cake Designs. Piece O' Cake specializes in good cheer, and this collection of quilts and home dec for the younger set offers an abundance of fun. Be sure to check out the table tent, floor cloth, and board book— just a few of the great ideas for making the children in your life very, very happy. Dazzling Quilts: Easy Glitz and Instant Glamour. We can never have too much glitz and glamour in our lives (right?), and this book shows us how to include our quilts in the mix. Starting with pieced backgrounds, then adding raw-edge broderie perse appliqué (often cut from fabulous large-scale prints), and topping it all with great threads, beads and crystals, Pamela Mostek provides dazzling inspiration.
Easy Bias-Covered Curves: Create Quilts with WOW Appeal. Covering curved raw edges with bias binding takes care of several things: first, piecing curves is no longer necessary; second, it makes a beautifully finished edge; and third, it adds a whole new design element to your quilts. Let Wendy Hill lead you down an artsy path to creating fabulous quilts with bias-covered curves - you'll love the journey! Egg Money Quilts: 1930's Vintage Samplers. Eleanor Burns has revived thirteen traditional quilt patterns that were popular during the Depression years and presents them in a fresh-from-the-farm format. Along with her trademark crystal-clear instructions (and punch-out cardboard templates), Eleanor includes lots of vintage photographs, antique quilts, and historical information of a time when money was scarce, but quilts were plentiful.
The Experts' Guide to Foundation Piecing: 15 Techniques & Projects. Foundation piecing has been around for a long time (think of Victorian crazy quilting), but in recent years some truly innovative techniques have emerged. Jane Hall has picked the brains of 13 masters of the art and compiled lessons and exercises illustrating the myriad of methods available to today's quilters, giving us the opportunity to pick and choose the ways that work for us. Whether traditional, contemporary, basic or complex, there are projects and techniques here to appeal to everyone. Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts & Slavery. There is a lot of controversy, and romanticism, about the role quilts and quilt patterns played in the Underground Railroad. Respected quilt historian Barbara Brackman weighs in with this fascinating look at the historical evidence regarding quilts and slavery, using first-person accounts by slaves and citing other primary sources to examine the role of quilts in the quest for freedom. A must-read for anyone interested in quilt history.
Fast Quilts from Fat Quarters. Barbara Chainey has done a great service to fat quarter hoarders everywhere! By following her master cutting plan, we can transform our stashes into real quilts in record time — just cut the fat quarters into useable pieces with minimal waste, then decide how to use them. With 15 quilt patterns using these pieces, this cut-first-decide-later approach will tame your stash and let you enjoy it at the same time — in quilts. Featherweight 221: The Perfect Portable and Its Stitches Across History. The Singer Featherweight is the darling of sewers everywhere. Cute, lightweight, and absolutely reliable, it has attained enviable status as a highly collectible treasure. In this Third Edition of Nancy Johnson-Srebo's loving tribute, you'll learn everything there is to know about the Featherweight (including its history, model variations, accessories, and maintenance) and find out why it's a heavyweight in sewing circles.
Free & Eazy Circles: Magic Ballz and Other Foundation Follies. Lucky for us that Jan Mullen designs and quilts better than she spells. In her latest book, she's taken the traditional Dresden Plate pattern and worked her Aussie magic on it to create whimsical, free-form circles that more resemble beach balls than your grandma's china. A Fresh Look at Seasonal Quilts. It's fun to make quilts to decorate your home throughout the year, and Julie Popa has come up with a great new collection of projects to keep your decor current and fresh. With a folk-art inspired mix of piecing and appliqué, these lap quilts, table toppers and wall hangings will appeal no matter what the season.
Help! I Married a Quilter. We've often said that quilters' husbands should form a support group, and now Mark Hyland has written their handbook. Although "not a self-help book ... [because] anyone who has married a quilter can't really be helped", this series of humourous essays will show your beleaguered spouse that he is not alone. The It's OK If You Sit On My Quilt Book. Mary Ellen Hopkins wrote this classic back in 1989, and while it isn't very sophisticated by today's standards, it's packed full of solid technical information, design guidance, down-home advice and almost 400 traditional quilt blocks. Friendly and encouraging, it's just like having an experienced quilter living next door.
Machine Embroidery Room by Room. If you've been looking for ways to use your embroidery machine in home dec projects, look no further. Carol Zentgraf, an interior designer and commercial artist, has dozens of ideas for using machine embroidery in every room of your house (including the patio). Whether you choose to embroider on purchased home dec items or make them from scratch, you'll be able to achieve co-ordinated, upscale looks in your own personal style. Extra: the book includes a bonus CD with a set of monograms and 50 embroidery designs, so you can get straight to work. Mastering Precision Piecing: 7 Spectacular Quilts with Techniques for Success. Sally Collins aims for precision in her quiltmaking - as she points out, why insist on the best machine, tools, fabrics, if you don't insist on your best work? Improve your workmanship immeasurably by tackling Sally's techniques and projects aimed at developing intermediate to advanced skills. After all, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well.
Pieced Vegetables. We seem to be on a foundation-piecing kick these days, so it's more than appropriate to highlight this 2002 work by Ruth B. McDowell. She's a brilliant quilt artist well known for her intricately pieced landscapes and botanicals, and these vegetables have her stamp all over them. Learn how to piece using Ruth's signature techniques, and pay close attention to her fabric choices and quilting lines-- you'll produce veggies that look good enough to eat! Piecing Tips & Tricks Tool. Piece like a pro with this useful little reference guide from five well-respected quilting experts: Alex Anderson, Sharyn Craig, Carol Doak, Nancy Johnson-Srebo, and Ruth McDowell. Full of, well, tips & tricks, it's the kind of book you can open at random and find great advice on every page. Keep it by your sewing machine.
Prairie Children and Their Quilts: 14 Little Projects That Honor the Pioneer Spirit. Kathleen Tracy provides a fascinating look at the role quilting played in the lives of children who grew up as pioneers on the American frontier. Using historical diary entries and vintage photographs as a backdrop, Tracy explores the day-to-day lives of pioneer children, and shares little quilt patterns and doll accessories that would have been part of the experience. PS I Love You Four: Welcome Baby. Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith know how to welcome babies — this is their fourth book of quilts for the junior set. With patterns for 13 quilts and 21 gift items (all very cute and very easy to make), this book will be a welcome addition to your library.
The Quilter's Directory of Embellishments. It's all here in one handy reference — more than 30 decorative techniques that can take your quilt from ordinary to spectacular. Sally Holman offers clear step-by-step instructions for embroidery, thread painting, beading, painting, computer imaging, ..... Quilting Possibilities ... Freehand Filler Patterns. If the words "Quilt as desired" strike fear in your heart, Sue Patten offers good medicine. She's taken 36 quilt blocks and applied a variety of free-motion quilting designs to each, so you can see the different approaches and possibilities. With all this visual guidance, you'll soon be quilting to your heart's content.
Quilts Through the Seasons. The latest from Eleanor Burns offers 12 patterns to take you through the whole year, with seasonal themes and fabrics. Using Eleanor's quick-piecing techniques and crystal-clear instructions, you'll have quilts inside your house that reflect the natural surroundings outside your house, all year long. Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts. This is a perfect book for beginners who are new to the world of scrap quilts. All of Lynn Roddy Brown's designs start with 5½" strips of fabric (generally cut from fat quarters), and the piecing is very easy, but the bonus is the attention paid to fabric and colour selection. An excellent basic book that will appeal to novices, but also to groups looking for ideas in using their scrap swaps.
Twosey-Foursey Quilts: Great Designs from 2-Inch and 4-Inch Units. Cathy Wierzbicki shows you how to use That Patchwork Place's remarkable All-in-One Ruler to simplify your cutting, greatly reducing the possibility of mistakes. All of the pieces required for these quilts are cut from 2-1/2" and 4-1/2" strips - even half- and quarter-square triangles which traditionally require 1/4" and (gasp!) 7/8" inch measurements. And the built-in point trimmer ensures perfect matching every time. If you own the All-in-One Ruler, you need this book. If you don't, once you see this book, you'll want the ruler. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
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Fall 2006
Adoration Quilts: Appliquè Nativity Projects. Stitch a detailed nativity scene — with the complete cast of people, angels and animals — as an entire wall quilt, or choose isolated elements to use in a tree skirt, mantle quilt, or table runner. But this book is much more than just a pattern: with background information about the Nativity, Biblical quotes corresponding to the designs, and Christmas traditions and legends, it will become an inspirational part of your Christmas celebrations. Scraps of Time: Quilting with Treasured Fabrics. Along with their grandmother's housedresses, twins Ann Frischkorn and Amy Sandrin inherited all of the problems associated with sewing with vintage fabrics. They eagerly took up the challenge, though, and continued to explore the world of recycled fabrics, including men's ties and bridesmaid dresses. Learn from their experience as you make these projects with your own reclaimed fibres (or use new fabric — the quilts will still be beautiful!).
Simple Traditions: 14 Quilts to Warm Your Home. Kim Diehl's sequel to Simple Blessings offers a whole new collection of her charming quilts and wall hangings. Inspired by traditional quilts, and combining patchwork with precise machine appliquè, these projects will take you back to a gentler era.
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Summer 2006
9-Patch Pizzazz: Fast, Fun & Finished in a Day. You know how we buy those large focus prints because they're so gorgeous, then we don't use them because they're so gorgeous? Judy Sisneros has the solution: combine that special fabric with coordinating nine-patch blocks to create spectacularly eye-catching quilt tops that can be completed in just one day. Great for beginners and experienced quilters alike. A Fresh Twist on Fabric Folding. Folding fabric into leaves, petals, or other shapes is a great way to add texture and dimension to an otherwise flat quilt. In this sequel to Fantastic Fabric Folding, Rebecca Wat offers 6 new techniques and 20 projects for you to try – your fingers will be kept in excellent shape with all the exercise they'll get. Welcome to the fold!
Alex Anderson's Baby Quilts with Love: 12 Timeless Projects for Today's Nursery. Do we really need to review this book? It's Alex Anderson, after all, and her legion of fans knows what to expect: traditional designs with a fresh, fun appeal; ease of construction; and impeccable, crystal-clear instructions. Well, OK, for the three of you who don't know Alex Anderson, here's the review: this book contains 12 traditional designs with a fresh, fun appeal, ease of construction, and impeccable, crystal-clear instructions (each pattern is given a difficulty rating of either one, two, or three pacifiers, too, so you know where you stand). It also has a number of pictures from Alex's baby album – she was cute then, too. Amish-Inspired Quilts: Tradition with a Piece O' Cake Twist. Becky Goldsmith and Linda Jenkins have turned their attention to rich colours and bold, graphic designs in these Amish-influenced projects. Many of them are just "quilt fragments", so you can play with colour and design in small, manageable pieces – a feast for the eye, without the calories.
At Play with Appliqué. Dilys A. Fronks has devised a series of template-free appliqué methods to use in any project. Whether you prefer hand or machine, freezer paper or fusible web, regular or reverse, you can use her techniques to give you incredible accuracy with minimal preparation. Designed as a series of workshops (with really attractive practice projects), this book will arm you with some new ways to play. Better by the Dozen: 12 Blocks, 12 Quilts, Endless Possibilities. For all time-strapped quilters, Susan Teegarden Dissmore has the answer: use a block-of-the month approach with interesting, mix-and-match blocks and block frames. The possibilities are endless, even if your time is limited.


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Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter: Improve Any Quilt with Easy-to-Follow Lessons. Art quilter Katie Pasquini Masopust and artist Brett Barker have teamed up to produce this "Art School in a Book", sure to be appreciated by all aspiring artists. Using humour, a practical approach, and a series of hands-on exercises, Brett and Katie guide you through the elements of composition and colour and lead you into a new comfort zone of creativity. Your quilts (and other artistic endeavours) will shine, and so will your confidence. Creative Beginnings in Machine Embroidery: Innovative Ideas for Expert Results. For all owners of embroidery machines, this is an excellent companion book to your instruction manual. It explains the why's and wherefore's of embroidery machines so that you can understand how they work; it also examines tools and products that will guarantee success. And fun!
Fast, fun & easy Fabric Flowers: Beautiful Blooms in an Afternoon. Missing a green thumb? Want lots of showy blossoms anyway? Karen Flamme shows us how to "grow" funky flowers without all that messy fertilizer and weeding. Turn fabric, stabilizers, threads and embellishments into fabulous floral creations, often without even sewing. Use your creations in home dec projects, on fashion accessories, even on quilts. Bloomin' fun! Flowering Quilts: 16 Charming Folk Art Projects to Decorate your Home. Fabric designer Kim Schaefer has turned her hand to designing quilts, and we're glad she did. These cheerful, cozy table runners, wallhangings, throws and quilts feature easy piecing and fusible machine appliqué, making it easy to add country charm to any room in your home.
French Braid Quilts: 14 Quick Quilts with Dramatic Results. Give your quilts a new 'do! A variation on Log Cabin construction, the "braids" make fabulous strippy quilts. Have fun choosing lots of fabrics (here's a chance to bust the stash!), then go to town – assembly is super-easy, and the suggested variations will give you endless possibilities. Let's Quilt! Easy Projects for First-Time Quilters. Ann Kisro's parents own a quilt shop, so it's not a big surprise that she started quilting at a young age. More surprising is the fact that she tackled her own designs and now has produced a full-fledged book at the tender age of 21. Her aim is to encourage other young quilters to join the ranks, so her approach is friendly and encouraging and her patterns are easy and fun. The perfect book for teenagers or any other young-at-heart beginner. Let's lower the average age of quilters! (did you know that it's currently 58? Yikes!).
One-Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts. Think of this as a simplified kaleidoscope technique. Instead of strict fussy-cutting, strips of a spectacular fabric are subcut and rearranged into hexagons or octagons. The results are stunningly complex quilts with no tricky Y-seams, no elaborate planning, and essentially no waste. Wonderful! Peppermint & Holly Berries. This is another book of Christmas projects from Nancy Halvorsen at Art to Heart. And very cute projects they are – tea towels, mantle runners, canisters, totes, ornaments, table accessories, and an adorable reindeer quilt (guess which reindeer has the red button nose?). Great little Christmas gifts, sewing in the summer – the best of both seasons.


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Puzzle Quilts: Simple Blocks, Complex Fabrics. Paula Nadelstern is well known for her beautiful kaleidoscope quilts, but most people don't know how she does it. In Puzzle Quilts, she pares down her design process and makes it manageable for the rest of us. By following the Puzzle Block Workbook and focusing on colour and design, fabric selection, pattern drafting, and, yes, strategic fussy-cutting, you, too, can achieve spectacular results. This book is loaded with information and laced with humour – a treasure trove of inspiration. Quiltmaking by Hand. Jinny Beyer is an extraordinary needlewoman. In this beautifully produced book, she shares a wealth of information on choosing tools, drafting patterns, piecing blocks and, of course, quilting – all entirely by hand. Even for dedicated machine quilters, this is an essential book: it provides an excellent examination of the traditional quiltmaking process (upon which all the new-fangled methods are based) and it's a terrific read.
Round Robin Renaissance. Ever participated in a Round Robin experience that went bad? M'Liss Rae Hawley offers some new approaches to the process, along with invaluable tips and suggestions for ensuring successful results. So tell all your friends and get organized – with just a little bit of forethought, your next Round Robin will work! Surprisingly Simple Quilts from Australian Patchwork & Quilting Magazine. The Australians have a different way of looking at colour (must be because of the sun being in the southern hemisphere or something), which results in refreshingly different quilts. This collection of simple, traditional patterns, enlivened with the Aussie palette, will give you lots of great ideas; the streamlined construction techniques will guarantee great results. No worries, mate!
The Blessed Home Quilt. It's Canadian! Designing specifically for newbie quilters (or those who just want a great quilt), Cory Derksen and Myra Harder have developed a learn-as-you-sew program that teaches a whole range of essential quilting techniques. Work through the lessons and put them together: you'll end up with a charming sampler quilt that you'll be proud to display in your own home. The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide: From A-Z – Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking. The reason people re-read War and Peace is simple: it's a classic, and with each re-reading it delivers something new. The Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide from Rodale is another classic, and while it may not be as hefty as Tolstoy's masterpiece, it has more pictures. For all your quilting questions, and some you hadn't thought of yet, this is the ultimate resource.
Two-Block Theme Quilts. We know what happens when two blocks are placed alternately in a quilt: interesting secondary designs. When one of those blocks incorporates a theme fabric or pieced character, the designs become even more interesting. Claudia Olson's patterns were originally intended for quilts for older children, but they've found an appreciative audience with adults, too, proving that a lot of us are still kids at heart.
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Spring 2006
Beading Basics: 30 Embellishing Techniques for Quilters. As we've discovered with our beading classes, beading has struck a resonant chord with quilters. Mary Stori has prepared an indispensible guide to working with beads on quilts, and will give you loads of information and encouragement to fall back on when class is over. With lots of full-colour, up-close pictures, this little gem is a treasure-trove of ideas and inspiration for us visual learners. Bella Bella Quilts: Stunning Designs from Italian Mosaics. Bring the romance of Renaissance Italy home with these eight incredible paper-pieced designs. Norah McMeeking has translated Italian floor mosaics, all comprised of familiar quilt designs, into their fabric counterparts using paper-piecing and appliqué to achieve beautifully complex patterns. To ease the process, she also offers full-sized, pre-printed foundation papers (sold separately). Bellisima!
Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget. Setting up a studio that works is an on-going challenge for many quilters. Lois Hallock is a quilter and professional engineer/organizer who has tackled the problems we all face and come up with some remarkable solutions. Her insights and creativity, applied to real-life spaces, will give you loads of ideas to improve your own studio situation. Creative Quilt Collection, Volume I. This should have been called "That Patchwork Place's Greatest Hits", because that's exactly what it is - the best projects from TPP's most recent publications. If you could take only one book to your desert island (you know, the one equipped with electricity and a fully-stocked studio), this would be an excellent choice.
Kaffe Fassett's quilt road. As we've come to expect from Kaffe Fassett, this book is a visual feast. His patterns are generally traditional and straightforward, but oh, the fabrics and the colours and the photography! Curl up with this book and a plate of goodies - a treat this rich must pack some calories! Kitty Capers: 15 Quilt Projects with Purrsonality. Quilters seem to have a very strong affinity for cats (and cats love quilts!), so this book is a purrfect fit. Carol Armstrong has combined realistic appliqué designs, depicting cats and kittens in typically mischievous situations, with her easy hand appliqué techniques. Full-sized patterns make it simple, the designs make it fun.
Quilt Toppings. Think of your quilt as a plain cheese pizza - wouldn't it be better with toppings? This book will give you oodles of ideas for embellishments, along with the technical information you need to make it happen. Move beyond basic to gourmet, and experience the wow-factor of a fully-loaded quilt! Quilts from the Heart: Quick Projects for Generous Giving. Quilters are notoriously generous, so they're always looking for quick patterns and effective organization strategies for group quilting efforts. Karin Renaud has been making quilts for Project Linus for many years, and here she very generously shares 20 patterns that work particularly well for charitable projects All are scrappy and cheerful, rewarding to make and heartwarming to receive.
Scrap Assassin Saves the Day! Haven't we all dreamed of a super-hero(ine) who would swoop in and help us use our stashes for good instead of evil? Vicky Lawrence called on the Scrap Assassin to help her deal with her out-of-control fabric "collection", and SA did indeed save the day! View the results in this helpful and humorous booklet, then release your own inner Scrap Assassin.
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Winter 2005-2006
A Treasury of Scrap Quilts. Nancy J. Martin has been quilting for 30 years, so she has a lot of scraps! She also knows what to do with them. In her new book, Nancy generously shares her strategies for collecting, sorting and cutting scraps and, ultimately, making them into rich, visually interesting quilts. As she says, "Why use two fabrics when you can use twenty?". AnglePlay Blocks: Simple Half-Rectangle Triangles, 84 No-Math Quilt Blocks, Easy-to-Follow Charts. The Strips That Sizzle lady, Margaret J. Miller, is back with a new book of sensational quilts. This time she focuses on the half-rectangle triangle, a traditional piecing problem found in many traditional blocks. Margaret's templates eliminate the frustration of dealing with these shapes (corner angles are trimmed for perfect placement), then she offers an incredible selection of brand-new blocks to use them. PS All of these blocks were designed with EQ5 - a great endorsement!
Bag Boutique: Making Fabulous Purses and Totes. With Amy Barickman's 15 basic designs, you'll find lots of ways to add your personal stamp with fabrics, hardware and embellishments. From everyday tote bags to special-occasion purses, you'll "carry your creativity with style!". Casting Shadows: Creating Visual Dimension in Your Quilts. Add some depth to your quilt tops - with shadows. Using an arsenal of tools including fabric, paint, yarns and bleach, Colleen Wise creates visual effects that make her designs float and bring her quilts into another dimension. Very seductive.
Coffee-Time Quilts: Super Projects, Sweet Recipes. We know, from first-hand experience, that quilters love to eat as much as they love to sew - we have to keep our energy up, right? And we need our coffee breaks, or else how will we be able to stay up all night at our machines? Cathy Wierzbicki understands, and has thoughtfully provided the perfect book to support both of our addictions. The "Super Projects" part is divided into three sections: Robust Roasts, Java Jolts and Decaffeinated Delights (but they're not all brown); the "Sweet Recipes" part includes five delicious baked treats (and they are brown, especially the chocolate ones!). Coloring with Thread. Some of us are addicted to fabric; Ann Fahl is addicted to thread and the beautiful effects it can add to fabric. In this very appealing book, she shares her techniques and advice for free-motion embroidery as an enhancement for fusible appliqué. Everything you need to know about threads, needles, stabilizers, fusibles, even your machine - it's all here, along with practice projects to get you going.


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Crooked Cabin Quilts. Real architects may need to pay attention to straight lines when they build a log cabin, but we don't! Pat Sloan has a "leaning" towards off-beat, crooked designs, and her tilted log cabin technique allows you to play with fabrics and settings in a truly liberating way. Lots of fun, and you don't have to worry about leaking roofs and draughty walls! Delightful Diva Designs: Wonderful Whimsical Wearables. Karen D. Boutté, professional Quilt Diva, gleefully shares her wit and wisdom with all Divas-in-Training as she shows us how to make fabulous sweatshirt-based jackets. While full of inspirational ideas regarding fabric and embellishment, it is even more inspirational regarding diva-like attitude: "Keep your tiara on straight and your wand held high!". Dahling!
Elegant Machine Quilting: Innovative heirloom quilting using any sewing machine. As the quilt tops accumulate, many of us wish we had the skills to transform them into beautifully finished quilts without spending years (or big bucks) to do so. Joanie Zeier Poole offers solid technical information on heirloom machine quilting, then gives a nice variety of small, manageable (but elegant) home dec projects for practice. This is a beautiful book, written in a friendly, encouraging style, and you'll love how easy it is to develop your quilting proficiency. Under Joanie's guidance, those quilt tops will be finished in no time! Nine-Patch Pictures. Perfect for kids' quilts, these nine-patch blocks cleverly depict all kinds of objects, animals, and plant life - even Goldilocks and her bowls of porridge make an appearance. This book is just right!
Perfecting the Quilting Stitch: The Ins & Outs. This is not a new book. However, it's definitely worth revisiting, simply for its wealth of technical information on hand quilting. Not sexy, but a invaluable resource for all hand quilting enthusiasts. Polka-Dot Kids' Quilts. This is actually a collection of quilts made from polka-dot fabrics, not a collection of quilts for polka-dot kids, but, either way, the patterns are lots of fun. Featuring bright and cheerful designs with crystal-clear instructions, this book will inspire you to make quilts for all the kids you love, whether they're polka-dotted or not!
Quilt Block Bonanza: 50 Paper-Pieced Designs. Nancy Mahoney offers 50 - count 'em, 50 - 5" paper-pieced patterns, then she shows you each pattern set in a 4-block setting, and finally she shows you a full-sized quilt layout. Each pattern is full-sized, ready for photocopying, and the accuracy is incredible. With Nancy's patterns and instructions, you'll be tackling intricate paper-piecing designs with complete confidence. QuiltArt: Colour Your Quilts with Trish Stuart. For anyone who feels ready to get a little "artsy-er" in their quiltmaking, here is a great book on using crayons and Tsukineko inks to obtain marvellous effects on fabric. With lots of how-to advice and design ideas to get you started, you'll be stepping "out of the block" and making your mark as an artiste in no time.
Save the Scraps: Great Quilts from Small Bits. Gayle Bong understands the timeless appeal of making scrap quilts - they fit into any decorating scheme, colour matching becomes irrelevant, the sheer variety of fabric eliminates any possible boredom, and, well, they use up scraps. All very compelling reasons, and this book provides 15 template-free patterns to put them to the test. You and your stash will love it. Sensational Sashiko: Japanese Appliqué and Quilting by Machine. This is a beautiful book. Sharon Pederson, of Reversible Quilts fame, puts the focus on combining Sashiko with appliquéd traditional Japanese family crests to create gorgeous designs. And guess what? They're made in reversible quilt style! Full of technical information and resource support, this book will give you and your machine a virtual trip to Japan.
Tea in the Garden: Quilts for a Summer Afternoon. Cynthia Tomaszewski is a true romantic, and she lets us know it in this delightful book. All of her quilts are fresh and summery, featuring cheerful arrangements of piecing and floral appliqué. Then, to complete her chosen theme, she includes 13 delicious muffin recipes. The New Appliqué Sampler: Learn to Appliqué the Piece O' Cake Way. This is a beautiful book. Sharon Pederson, of Reversible Quilts fame, puts the focus on combining Sashiko with appliquéd traditional Japanese family crests to create gorgeous designs. And guess what? They're made in reversible quilt style! Full of technical information and resource support, this book will give you and your machine a virtual trip to Japan.
Top It With a Runner. Table runners are always in demand because of their ability to perk up a room's decor. Here are seven new designs to try, all different styles and techniques, all gorgeous. If you have horizontal surfaces that need a lift, you can't top this book for ideas! Vines and Verses. Janet Selck has chosen selections of her favourite verses and interpreted them with a distinctly folk-art feel. With a nice variety of appliqué and piecework, these little quilts will warm your heart, and the poetry will feed your soul.
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Fall 2005
40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts. Don't let Evelyn Sloppy's name fool you - her book is very well organized and her quilts are meticulous. While traditional in appearance, their construction is right up to date, with great rotary cutting techniques, assembly-line piecing and Òpress for successÓ tips. Each quilt is quick and easy to make, but this book will keep you busy for a long, long time! 8 Hour Art Deco Vases. Art Deco is a style not often explored in today's quilts, and that's a shame. These 5 fabric vases perfectly capture the elegance and glamour of the period (in fact, each is named after a classic Hollywood movie star), yet would look right at home in today's décor. And, yes, the vases are functional - use them for dried arrangements, or place a smaller vase inside for cut flowers.
A Shortcut to Drunkard's Path: Easy Appliqué Curves Drunkard's Path is an old, old favourite that can be put together into a squillion great designs, but all those tight curves can be intimidating. Ann Frischkorn and Amy Sandrin have devised an easy method to avoid the dreaded curved seam by appliquéing a circle to a square, then splitting it into four pieces. Couldn't be easier, but be warned - it's a highly addictive technique. Appliqué Takes Wing: Exquisite Designs for Birds, Butterflies, and More "Exquisite" is the key word here. To begin with, the designs are gorgeous. When executed in Jane Townswick's colour-blending technique, they come to life. When a touch of Jane's transparent Appliqué is added, they really take flight. Detailed instructions virtually guarantee flawless results every time.
Diamond Quilts & Beyond: From the Basics to Dazzling Designs. Here are some real gems for your next colourwash projects. Not only does Jan Krentz take the mystery out of working with 45 diamond shapes, she uses them as the starting point for making exciting, dynamic quilt projects. You'll be dazzled with inspiration! Fast, Fun & Easy Irrresist-A-Bowls. The latest from Linda Johansen offers up a new collection of fabric bowls in five fabulous new shapes. Not enough for you? Change the size, or try any of the umpteen variations. Go wild with free-motion quilting and threadplay. Embellish to your heart's content. And, remember, each bowl is reversible. You'll be bowled over by the possibilities!


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Follow the Dots to Dazzling Quilts We know you're out there, all you devotées of polka dots, and now there's a book that caters to your dottiness. With patterns for all kinds of dots - and there are many, many kinds! - this book will have you seeing spots in all your quilts. Get Creative! with M'Liss Rae Hawley. A Beginner's Guide to Color & Design for Quilters This is a fun book. Primarily, it's a very practical and encouraging discussion of colour theory, with lots of illustrations. Designed as a series of lessons, it gives you plenty of opportunity to experiment and play with colour in small exercises. Additionally, it offers lots of ideas for incorporating your own creative touches through fabric choices, design elements and embellishment. With this book in your library, you'll find it impossible to not get creative!
Japanese Inspirations We love Oriental fabrics and collect them with a passion, but we don't always know what to do with them. Janet Haigh provides inspiration with traditional Japanese patterns and piecing techniques, then offers instructions for 18 quilted home-dec projects. So bring those fabrics out of your stash and bring a touch of Eastern elegance to your décor. Joined at the Heart: Quilting for Family and Friends There are some really great projects in this book - check out "Be Brave" and "Down by the Bay", our personal favourites - and your family and friends will want you to make them all. Loaded with special tips and techniques, this is one book you'll use again and again.
Log Cabin Quilts: A Brand New Story Part novel, part pattern book, completely absorbing. Read about the fictional Abby, a pioneer quilter, and immerse yourself in her story as you make these fresh new versions of old classics. Then thank your lucky stars that we have rotary cutters! More Photo Fun: Exciting New Ideas for Printing on Fabric for Quilts & Crafts Photographic technology, like quilters, never stands still, so the Hewlett-Packard Company has produced this book to bring both together with photo transfer. It not only introduces the basic equipment required, it explains how to use that equipment to achieve truly amazing effects. Once you see what you can do, you'll look at photography in a whole new way.
Nature's Studio: A Quilter's Guide to Playing with Fabric & Techniques Joan Colvin's is a book of inspiration and encouragement for those of us who are trying to find an artistic voice. She invites us into her creative world and shows us how she translates her ideas into quilted art, as the title suggests, by playing with fabric and technique. Beautifully written and presented, this is a must-have for anyone who feels in need of a little creative boost. Sweet and Simple Baby Quilts People are always having babies and other people are always making baby quilts for them, so a new collection of pattern ideas is always welcome. Mary Hickey has produced a lovely book of quick baby quilts in fresh colours and charming designs, perfect for beginners or those who have to finish the quilt before the shower.
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Summer 2005
A Fabric Journey Ruth B. McDowell is celebrated for her awe-inspiring pictorial quilts. While she has written several previous books about her pattern design and piecing techniques, this book delves into the creative artistry behind her quilts. Ruth discusses the thought processes and design decisions she followed in the making of 18 quilts, from initial inspiration through to the last stitch. It's a fascinating journey, and we're very fortunate that we've been invited along for the ride. Benni Harper's Quilt Album: A Scrapbook of Quilt Projects, Photos & Never-Before-Told Stories For all you fans of Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper mystery series (you know her books; they all have quilt names for titles), this is a must-have companion book. Earlene offers up a collection of new background stories featuring Benni and her family, and these stories provide the inspiration for Margrit Hall's 12 quilt designs. With the inclusion of photographs of Benni's home turf in California, you'll feel like you've known Benni forever.


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Easy Appliqué Samplers: 20 Designs to Mix and Match Samplers are meant to give the stitcher a chance to sample different stitches, patterns, and techniques. Here, Mimi Dietrich presents lessons in four different appliqué techniques (needle-turn, freezer paper, fusible, and machine appliqué), then offers patterns for 20 little wallhangings - lots of opportunity to practice and build your confidence, especially when you consider all the mix & match possibilities. Fat Quarter Frenzy. We love our fat quarters, and collect them with great enthusiasm, but then what? This is where Susan Purney-Mark and Daphne Greig come in. They understand our obsession and prepared 17 projects that are perfectly fat-quarter-friendly. With clear instructions augmented by cutting and construction diagrams every step of the way, this book will help you put your collection to good use!
Fusing Fun! Laura Wasilowski is a fun person - she sings Broadway show tune parodies during her teaching presentations. As the founder of the Chicago School of Fusing, she has perfected the use of fusible web in creating little art quilts that are Òtotally uselessÓ, except that they are really fun to look at. In this, her first book, she shares her fusing techniques and seven of her designs, but this is just the starting point. You'll come away with loads of inspiration for projects of your own, and you'll have lots of fun making them. Machine Appliqué Made Easy: A Beginner's Guide to Techniques, Stitches & Decorative Projects. Jean Wells is a widely-admired teacher and author of 24 quilting books (and owner of the famous Stitchin' Post quilt shop in Sisters, Oregon). She can be trusted to deliver the goods, and she does so again in this back-to-basics guide to machine appliqué. With loads of information on necessary tools & supplies, appliqué preparation, stitching techniques, and beautiful nature-inspired projects, this book will give you the confidence to finally try machine appliqué and see how easy it is!
Seasons of Love. We had Suzanne Gauthier's mother's Winter Berries quilt hanging in the classroom for a few months, and everyone wanted the pattern. Here it is: from Brandywine Design, Seasons of Love takes its inspiration from the changing seasons and presents a collection of quilts that reflect those changes in both piecing and appliqué. The fresh approach of these designs will appeal no matter what the season. Small Quilts with Vintage Charm. Small quilts have a special place in our hearts and Jo Morton shows how they can also have a special place in our homes. Along with her eight traditionally-inspired patterns, Jo offers lots of suggestions for displaying, storing, and caring for these little treasures, along with ideas for fabric and colour choices to reinforce the vintage feel. Prepare to be charmed!
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Spring 2005
Blended Quilts II This, the third in the Blended Quilts trilogy, comes from Marsha McCloskey, who takes us back to the 1800's for inspiration. There is a lot of information here, on fabrics, design, and quilt styles, plus a good overview of basic quiltmaking techniques. The emphasis is on lush fabrics, with easy piecing. The final result is a collection of gorgeous, romantic quilts reminiscent of an earlier time. Contemporary Machine Embroidered Quilts. More inspiration for the machine embroidery enthusiast who wants to use embroidery as the focus of a quilt, not just as an embellishment. Eileen Roche provides plenty of detailed guidance and ideas, and the accompanying CD provides lots of ready-to-use designs to get you started.
Easy Chenille Appliqué. Forget the old bedspreads and bathrobes! These easy-to-make chenille strips add just a touch of texture to your quilts & clothing, and this book will get you thinking of lots of ways to incorporate them into your projects. The perfect way to get your warm fuzzies! Follow-the-Line Quilting Designs: Full-Size Patterns for Blocks and Borders. Continuous-line quilting, by machine or hand, has never been easier to plan. Full-size designs, in 20 coordinating sets, let you choose the quilting that will best enhance your quilt. Just trace the pattern and transfer it to your quilt top. Couldn't be easier! Well, actually, if you use it with the Inspira Quilting Frame, it can be easier!


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Machine Embroidery Makes the Quilt. If you own an embroidery machine, or are thinking of getting one, you need this book. Along with loads of ideas on how to incorporate embroidery into your quilts, it also gives excellent advice on threads, tools & equipment, software, and techniques. The bonus CD includes 26 embroidery designs for you to use in the book's various projects, so you'll be able to get started on adding a whole new element to your quilts. Pillow Party.. Pillows are a great way to freshen up your decor. They're also a great way to try out a new block pattern or appliqué design without a huge commitment. This book covers all the basics of pillow and bolster construction, then incorporates a variety of quilting patterns and techniques for a huge array of pillow possibilities. Pretty cushy!
Quilting with My Sister: 15 Projects to Celebrate Women's Lives. Written by sisters Barbara Brandenburg and Teri Christopherson, here is a collection of fresh, folksy projects that are guaranteed to make you feel good. Quick piecing and fusible appliqué ensure perfect results, and the nostalgic photographs and stories will make you feel like one of the family. The Quilter's Quick Reference Guide. Candace Eisner Strick's goal was clear but lofty: "I wanted to have a quick-reference manual at my fingertips to look up anything that I encountered while making a quilt". Looks like she's done it with this small-but-packed collection of terms, tips, and techniques. From choosing colours and fabrics, right on through to applying the binding - if you need to know it, it's here.
Two-Block Appliqué Quilts. Yes, you can please everyone! Claudia Olson combines pairs of complimentary pieced blocks, then adds appliqué to create her visually stunning quilts. The appliqué enhances the patchwork, and the piecing provides unusual and interesting spaces for the appliqué - truly the best of both worlds. Wonderfully Whimsical Quilts. Here's a coincidence - another sister of the above-mentioned sisters has written her own book. Subtitled "10 Playful Projects to Make You Smile", this book delivers the goods. Lots and lots of fun.
WOW! Wool-on-Wool Folk Art Quilts With the current revival of interest in penny rug quilts, this book is of timely interest. First published in 1994, it has been revised and expanded and includes detailed information on preparing, dying, and using wool in both traditional appliqué projects and hooked rugs. Even if you're not yet "hooked" on working with wool, the charming appliqué patterns are perfectly suited for use with cotton. WOW!
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Index
Adoration Quilts: Appliquè Nativity Projects
Adventures in Circles: Quilt Designs from Start to Finish
Alex Anderson's Baby Quilts with Love: 12 Timeless Projects for Today's Nursery
a modern mix: machine & hand quilting
Altered Photo Artistry: Turn Everyday Images into Works of Art on Fabric
Amish-Inspired Quilts: Tradition with a Piece O'Cake Twist
AnglePlay Blocks: Simple Half-Rectangle Triangles, 84 No-Math Quilt Blocks, Easy-to-Follow Charts
Artful Appliqué the Easy Way
Art Quilt Workbook: Exercises & Techniques to Ignite Your Creativity
At Play with Appliqué
Appliqué Takes Wing: Exquisite Designs for Birds, Butterflies, and More
Bag Boutique: Making Fabulous Purses and Totes
Beading Basics: 30 Embellishing Techniques for Quilters
Beautiful Big Dogs
Beautiful Blooms: Quilts and Cushions to Appliqué
Beautifully Embellished Landscapes: 125 Tips & Techniques to Create Stunning Quilts
Bella Bella Quilts: Stunning Designs from Italian Mosaics
Benni Harper's Quilt Album: A Scrapbook of Quilt Projects, Photos & Never-Before-Told Stories
Better by the Dozen: 12 Blocks, 12 Quilts, Endless Possibilities
Big Book of Building Block Quilts
Bits and Pieces: 18 Small Quilts from Fat Quarters and Scraps
Blendable Curves: Stack, Slice & Sew Unique Quilts in a Weekend
Blended Quilts II
Blessed Home Quilt
Borders, Bindings and Edges: the Art of Finishing Your Quilt
Border Workbook: Easy Speed-Pieced and Foundation-Pieced Borders
Casting Shadows: Creating Visual Dimension in Your Quilts
Coffee-Time Quilts: Super Projects, Sweet Recipes
Certifiably Crazy, from the nice girls at The Buggy Barn
Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter: Improve Any Quilt with Easy-to-Follow Lessons
Color for the Terrified Quilter: Plain Talk, Simple Lessons, 11 Projects
Color-Splashed Quilts: Fuse Fun Appliqué to your Piecing
Colorful Quilts: A Journey Through Fabric
Coloring with Thread
Comfort Quilts from the Heart: 12 Quick Projects to Take Care of Others
Contemporary Machine Embroidered Quilts
Cool Girls Quilt: More than 15 Fresh, Fun and Funky Projects
Covered with Love: Kids' Quilts & More
A Cozy Quilted Christmas
Crooked Cabin Quilts
Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space and Any Budget
Creative Beginnings in Machine Embroidery: Innovative Ideas for Expert Results
Creative Fabric Weaving
Creative Quilt Collection, Volume I
Creative Quilt Collection Volume Two, from That Patchwork Place
Cutting Garden Quilts: Fast, Fusible Flowers
Dazzling Designs
Dazzling Quilts: Easy Glitz and Instant Glamour
Delectably Simple Mountains
Delightful Diva Designs: Wonderful Whimsical Wearables
Diamond Quilts & Beyond: From the Basics to Dazzling Designs
A Dozen Roses: Beautiful Quilts and Pillows
Easy Appliqué Samplers: 20 Designs to Mix and Match
Easy Bias-Covered Curves: Create Quilts with WOW Appeal
Easy Chenille Appliqué
Egg Money Quilts: 1930's Vintage Samplers
8 Hour Art Deco Vases
Elegant Machine Quilting: Innovative heirloom quilting using any sewing machine
Encyclopedia of Classic Quilt Patterns
Encyclopedia of Quilting
English Cottage Quilts: 10 Charming Projects
Experts' Guide to Foundation Piecing: 15 Techniques & Projects
Fabric Journey
Fabric Locker Hooking
Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the History of Quilts & Slavery
Fast, fun & easy Book Cover Art
Fast, fun & easy Fabric Flowers: Beautiful Blooms in an Afternoon
Fast, Fun & Easy Irrresist-A-Bowls
Fast Quilts from Fat Quarters
Fat Quarter Frenzy
Fat Quarter Friendly
Feathers & Urns: Rhapsody Quilts
Featherweight 221: The Perfect Portable and Its Stitches Across History
Folded Fabric Elegance
Follow the Dots to Dazzling Quilts
Follow-the-Line Quilting Designs: Full-Size Patterns for Blocks and Borders
Follow-the-Line Quilting Designs, Volume Three
40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts
Flowering Quilts: 16 Charming Folk Art Projects to Decorate your Home
Free & Eazy Circles: Magic Ballz and Other Foundation Follies
French Braid Quilts: 14 Quick Quilts with Dramatic Results
Fresh Look at Seasonal Quilts
Fresh Twist on Fabric Folding
Fusing Fun!
Gathered from the Garden: Quilts with Floral Charm
Get Creative! with M'Liss Rae Hawley. A Beginner's Guide to Color & Design for Quilters
Hand & Machine Quilting Tips & Tricks Tool
Happy Hour: Relax and Enjoy
Help! I Married a Quilter
Holiday Wrappings: Quilts to Welcome the Season
$100,000 Quilting Challenge Best Quilts 2006: Commemorative Collection of the 40 Prizewinning Quilts
It's OK If You Sit On My Quilt Book
Japanese Inspirations
Joined at the Heart: Quilting for Family and Friends
Kaffe Fassett's quilt road.
Kitty Capers: 15 Quilt Projects with Purrsonality.
Laurel Burch Legends
Let's Quilt! Easy Projects for First-Time Quilters
The Little Box of Baby Quilts
Log Cabin ABCs
Log Cabin Quilts: A Brand New Story
Love Is
Luminous Landscapes: Quilted Visions in Paint & Thread
Machine Appliqué for the Terrified Quilter
Machine Appliqué Made Easy: A Beginner's Guide to Techniques, Stitches & Decorative Projects
Machine Embroidery Makes the Quilt
Machine Embroidery on Paper
Machine Embroidery Room by Room
Machine Quilting Solutions: Techniques for Fast and Simple to Award-Winning Designs
Machine Quilting: The Basics & Beyond
Make Your First Quilt with M'Liss Rae Hawley
Maple Leaf Quilts: 12 Projects, 9 Triangle Techniques
Mastering Precision Piecing: 7 Spectacular Quilts with Techniques for Success
Merry Christmas Quilting
M'Liss Rae Hawley's fat quarter quilts: fabric choices, easy piecing and quilting ideas
Mimi Dietrich's Favorite Appliqué Quilts
Mindful Meandering: 132 Original Continuous-Line Quilting Designs
Modern Primitive Quilts: Redefining Country Style
More Fabulous Flowers: Mini-Quilts in Dimensional Appliqué
More Photo Fun: Exciting New Ideas for Printing on Fabric for Quilts & Crafts
Nature's Studio: A Quilter's Guide to Playing with Fabric & Techniques
Neutral Essentials
New Appliqué Sampler: Learn to Appliqué the Piece O' Cake Way.
New Noel: 22 fun designs to deck the halls
A New Twist on Strips 'n Curves
Nine by Nine: 9-Patch Quilts, 9 Ways
Nine-Patch Pictures
9-Patch Pizzazz: Fast, Fun & Finished in a Day.
Oh Sew Easy life style: 20 Projects to Make Your Home Your Own
On-Point Quilts: Designs on the Diagonal.
One-Block Wonders encore!
One-Block Wonders: One Fabric, One Shape, One-of-a-Kind Quilts
Paper Piece the Quick-Strip Way
Paper-Pieced Mini Quilts
Patchwork with Pizzazz: Over 60 quirky quilts and beautiful bags
A Patrick Lose Christmas: Whimsical Projects to Deck the Halls
Peppermint & Holly Berries
Perfect amd Painless Half-Square Triangle Units
Perfecting the Quilting Stitch: The Ins & Outs
Pieced Vegetables
Piecing the Piece O' Cake Way
Piecing Tips & Tricks Tool
Piecing Workshop
Pillow Party
Piping Hot Curves
Polka-Dot Kids' Quilts
Positively Postcards: Quilted Keepsakes to Save or Send
Prairie Children and Their Quilts: 14 Little Projects That Honor the Pioneer Spirit
PS I Love You Four: Welcome Baby
Puzzle Quilts: Simple Blocks, Complex Fabrics
QuiltArt: Colour Your Quilts with Trish Stuart
Quilt as Desired: Your Guide to Straight-Line and Free-Motion Quilting
Quilt Block Bonanza: 50 Paper-Pieced Designs
Quiltastic Curves
Quilted Bags and Totes
A Quilter's Diary: Written in Stitches
Quilter's Directory of Embellishments
Quilter's Quick Reference Guide
Quilters Ultimate Visual Guide: From A-Z – Hundreds of Tips and Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking
Quilting Possibilities ... Freehand Filler Patterns
Quilting with My Sister: 15 Projects to Celebrate Women's Lives
Quiltmaker's Fancy: 16 Traditional Quilts for All Skill Levels
Quiltmaking by Hand
Quilt National 2007: The Best of Contemporary Quilts
Quilts Through the Seasons
Quilt Toppings
Quilts from the Heart: Quick Projects for Generous Giving
Rolling Along: Easy Quilts from 2-1/2” Strips
Round Robin Renaissance
Ruth B. McDowell's Design Workshop
Save the Scraps: Great Quilts from Small Bits
Sawtooth: New Quilts from an Old Favorite
Scallops Sew Easy
Scrap Assassin Saves the Day!
Scrappy Quilts: Let the Fabric Tell Your Story
Scraps of Time: Quilting with Treasured Fabrics
Sculpted Threads: Artful Brooches, Earrings, and More
Seasons by Debbie Mumm
Seasons of Love
Sensational Sashiko: Japanese Appliqué and Quilting by Machine.
Sew Fun, So Colorful Quilts from Me and My Sister Designs
Sewflakes: Papercut-Appliqué Quilts
Shortcut to Drunkard's Path: Easy Appliqué Curves
Show me how to Plan My Quilting
Showstopping Quilts to Foundation Piece
Simple Contemporary Quilts: Bold New Designs for the First-Time Quilter
Simple Seasons
simple start Stunning Finish
Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts
Simple Traditions: 14 Quilts to Warm Your Home
skinny quilts & table runners from today's top designers
Small Quilts with Vintage Charm
Strip Clubbing: Fast and Easy Quilts with 2½" Strips
Square Deal: Easy Quilts from Squares and Rectangles
Stitched Collage: Creative Effects on Paper and Fabric
StrataVarious Quilts: 9 Fabulous Strip Quilts from Fat Quarters
Sudoku Quilts
Surprisingly Simple Quilts from Australian Patchwork & Quilting Magazine
Sweet and Simple Baby Quilts
Table Graces: A Collection of 12 "Time-less" Quilts and Runners
table toppers: Celebrating the Great Outdoors
Take the Fear Out of Color: Learn how to identify your color style & use color – with success!
take-along totes: Mix & Match Your Way to Creative Organization
Tea in the Garden: Quilts for a Summer Afternoon.
Tea Time
Treasury of Scrap Quilts
Top It With a Runner
Tot Stuff
Twice Quilted: Continuous-Line Quilting Designs
Two-Block Appliqué Quilts
Two-Block Theme Quilts
Twosey-Foursey Quilts: Great Designs from 2-Inch and 4-Inch Units
Vines and Verses
Visual Coloring: A Foolproof Approach to Color-Rich Quilts
Weekend Scrap Quilting
Wonderfully Whimsical Quilts
WOW! Wool-on-Wool Folk Art Quilts
A Year of Flower Blocks
Young at Heart Quilts: 15 Designs with Color and Style
your turn to churn: a new twist on an old favorite
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