This is a really short review that I may beef up later. Pat Sloan’s book on color is easy to read, though it will take more time if you go through the exercises.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this book, because:
1. she had the same quilt pattern made in different fabrics. This is a great technique, because it is easy to dismiss a pattern when a quiltmaker doesn’t like the fabrics. By showing different fabrics, the reader can overlook one of the colorways that may not appeal.
2. she didn’t talk much about value. It isn’t that I don’t think value is important, but I think that people can get bogged down by value if they are just starting out with color. Pat really gives the reader confidence to make color choices.
3. she didn’t bad mouth other ways of choosing color. All ways are valid and Pat shows her way and doesn’t bill it as anything different.
4. she encouraged the reader to start with colors that s/he likes
5. she uses an inspiration notebook to start.
It is bright and cheerful book as well.
There are projects included which I just used to expand my view of what the author was saying.
Lydia Hirt, of Penguin Group, asked me to read this book and write about it on my blog. I was really flattered even if I am one of the legions offering free labor to write about this book, released today.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars Lydia Hirt, of Penguin Group, asked me to read this book and write about it on my blog, Artquiltmaker.com. I was really flattered even if I am one of the legions offering free labor to write about this book, released today.
Kate Jacobs picks up the story of the Friday Night Knitting Club after James and Dakota have worked out some of their messy family issues, such as Dakota switching colleges. Dakota is older and more adult and that makes for a more interesting story line. One line in the book conveys one of the underlying themes of the book quite well, “Convincing everyone she was all grown up led to a hard-won realization: She had to act like an adult. She had to handle new responsibilities.”
The author focuses on Dakota and does a good job showing her trying to juggle school, her business, her dreams for changing and expanding her business, her family and all the things that adults have to do.
I think Jacobs has found her stride with this book. I found Knit Two hard to read, because so much was going on. I think Ms. Jacobs was trying to do get through too much of the story in that book. In Knit the Season, she has relaxed. I also have to thank her for not rehashing the entire previous two books in this book. This book stands on its own and Jacobs had the confidence to write it as such.
I also thought this book didn’t try to give all the characters equal time. Again, Jacobs shows confidence in her writing of this book. She doesn’t exclude Darwin and Lucy, but they receded into the background a bit to give space for Dakota, Gran, Bess and others. I think this was a good choice. Too many storylines can be confusing.
The backstory is also being developed. Jacobs employs a flashback technique to provide context and give Georgia a voice. Flashback writing can be dangerous in the wrong hands, but Kate Jacobs does a GREAT job. She uses restraint and the flashbacks she offers provide insight into the club, into Dakota and the other characters. Learning about the characters’ pasts as well as interactions between the different characters gave added dimension to the book. I also liked the flashbacks, because they gave voice to Georgia again. Georgia was a strong and important character in the Friday Night Knitting Club and she now has a new opportunity to say more.
Jacobs does use sentence fragments in some cases, which I really don’t think worked well. While they got the message across, I would have liked to have seen them punctuated differently. That being said, I was reading an uncorrected proof and those tidbits may have been changed in the version you have in your hands now.
This book has a lot of dialog. I think that it could have used a bit more description. One of the sections I thought needed some extra description was the part where Dakota brought groceries over to Peri’s apartment so she could cook Thanksgiving dinner for Peri. Peri has nothing, NOTHING, in her cupboards, and only root beer and nail polish in her fridge. I would have liked to know more about this phenomenon. Don’t New Yorkers want coffee or tea when they get up in the morning? It didn’t impact the story and I learned to love descriptions reading Rosamunde Pilcher‘s novels, so I may have a skewed view of the writing world in terms of descriptions.
I like books with take-aways. Take-aways are often quotes I can write in my quote book and read later. In one of the flashbacks, Georgia is giving advice to a much younger Dakota, “Don’t give up something you love jut because there’s an obstacle. Find a way to work around it. Be open to something unexpected. Make changes.” This is a great line and I hope it made it into the final version. I think it is one of those quotes that I could put on my wall and be inspired by forever.
Ms. Jacobs tidied up the ends of the story in such a way that if she decides to write another installment, there are enough interesting storylines for her to pick up and weave them in. If she moves on to something else, this book ends in a satisfying manner so the reader, at least this reader, doesn’t feel cheated.
Yesterday was a travel day for me as I jetted off to the Pacific Northwest for a week of sewing, writing, relaxation, and, yes, some work as well. I arrived in Seattle under clear blue skies and crisp fall temperatures. The pilot announced the temperature and I immediately thought of my cozy Polartec scarf languishing in the scarf/hat/gloves basket at home.
After a minor car confusion, we headed off to begin my vacation. When we arrived at TFQ’s house, I was confronted with a lovely pile of books in which she had gathered together for me to review, peruse, read and flick through.
Seattle Books
I have seen a number of these books here and there, but some were new to me, such as A Year of Mornings by Maria Alexandra Vettese. She and her co-author, Stephanie Congdon Barnes have also written A Year of Evenings.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
My good friend is a great source of new books.
This book is the culmination of a year long joint blog project in which the authors posted a morning picture each day. I liked the idea of this book. It was mostly pictures and could be a source of inspiration. I can imagine putting a piece of tracing paper over one of the photos and tracing an outline of the shapes to get me started on a quilt.
The photos have a certain color and ‘Shabby Chic’ aesthetic, which I think demonstrates the authors’ style as well as their surroundings.
One thing about this book is that it is a celebration of the every day. There are rumpled beds, half eaten bowls of oatmeal, braids and small children reading Calvin and Hobbes at the breakfast table. I like that about this book, because I, sometimes, think that we look for the special and extraordinary outside of our lives and try to draw it in without looking at the specialness of the every day IN our lives.
TFQ pointed out, in the Gwen Marston book, Abstract Quilts in Solids, that the first line is something like “This is a quilt book for grownups.” I love that line, because she goes on to explain that the book does not have patterns, that it is for inspiration and that most people have simple quilt directions in a myriad of other books. Thank you, Gwen Marston!
I don’t want to give anyone the impression that there is something wrong with patterns, because there isn’t. I don’t, however, want to make a quilt just like someone else’s. Also, I am not capable of it. Did you read the wine bag post? Typical of me to change the pattern out of the gate! I know this is an issue that I go on about often. I am still trying to find the right words to express my feelings about patterns, which seem to be complicated!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
To say that I read this book would be just a bit of stretching the truth. I read parts of this book and scanned others.
Letter to the publisher and author: To Whom it May Concern: please write and publish other books like this. I love the lush colors and descriptions of the processes that the artists go through to produce their quilts. Thank you for not including patterns by each of the artists as I do not want to reproduce to their work. You have provided spectacular inspiration for me and I greatly appreciate it. I look forward to perusing this book further and frequently. Sincerely, JL.
Each artist is pictured, along with her quilts and, in some cases, her studio, her sketchbook or her surroundings. Details of the pieces are in abundance. The processes of the artists are described as well. The artists talk about how they get their ideas, how they got to where they are and, additionally, where they are going.The reader gleans some hints about the personal lives of the artists as manifested in the work. One of Lisa Call’s pieces, Structures #10 is colloquially referred to as her divorce quilt. There is a definitely a story there.
The detail shots are great. In some cases you can see the stitching up close and personal, which I love.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While this book does have projects, the focus seems to be on looking at artists’ process and inspiration. In this case antique quilts were selected by various British artists from the collection of the Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles. Each artist selected elements from the quilts and went through the process of making a new piece inspired by the old quilt. One point I picked up is that the author, in conjunction with the selected artists, was trying to encourage people to look at quilts and elements in quilts in order to give confidence to people in designing their own pieces (rather than using a pattern).
There are different techniques discussed. One quilt, Up the Stairs (pg.5) is covered with trees. The branches of the trees are highlighted with white circles in the background. The half circles in the background really make the branches stand out, without the white screaming for attention. There are a number of fabulous examples of quilting. The quilting in the Triple X Quilt (pg.21) has the most wonderful feathers, and a great stylized egg shaped pattern in the inner border.
Within the first two pages, the author talks about keeping a sketchbook/journal with things that inspire in it. As the book progressed, there was a lot of information about process. I liked reading about different artists and the process they went through to create their new piece. The book talks about being inspired by old quilts rather than dismissing them out of hand as too old.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of the process some of the designers went through. Dinah Travis’s sketchbook is laid out and included, page by page, which really gives insight into her design and quiltmaking process. Hilary Richardson does something in her process that I would like to try. “When Hilary begins a quilt on a specific theme, she seeks clues in the dictionary definitions of words connected to the theme. She will often make a list words and topics that relate to the theme. She then collects photographs, cuttings and printed material…” (pg.57-58).
One of my favorite artists, Laura Kemshall is also included in this book.
There are sidebars that discuss various topics related to the quilt in the chapter. Many of these sidebars discuss historical aspects of British history.
I would love to see the Electric Quilt Company look at historic quilts, like the 1718 Silk Patchwork Coverlet (pg.7), and create patterns in their software for these pieces.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was sitting at a cafe’ when I started looking at this book. I glanced through it first and decided that I liked the format and the layout, but wasn’t enamored of the projects. I didn’t see any of the bags that I thought were useful looking.
“Listen to the Mustn’ts child, listen to the Don’ts.
Listen to the Shouldn’ts, the Impossibles, the Won’ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, anything can be.”
-Shel Silverstein
That poem is how the text of the book started. It grabbed my attention and changed my idea about the book. I didn’t see it at first, because the color of the text was invisible in the glare of the cafe’ light. I looked through it a little more slowly and found that it is a book with really good bones. There are projects at the end that look useful and I would make, including a messenger bag and a wall organizer with pockets. I think the best part is that the author shows the reader how to think about bag making. The idea is not all about making her bags.
I, first, heard about this book on the Quilted Cupcake podcast. I wrote about in one of my summer catch up posts. I finally got it from the Library using Link+, a better, faster and more convenient way of getting interlibrary loans. It actually works for real people! Thank you, SFPL!!!
“A note on fear: It’s okay to be afraid to start a project. It’s okay to read the book for a while or just look at the pictures until you feel ready to jump in. The trick is that you have to jump in at some point. Like swimming or sky diving or picking up a pencil for the first time – like anything worth doing – you have to start somewhere. Start today. Start now. Don’t worry about getting it right or making the perfect bag. It’s likely that the first thing you make may not be perfect….but you will still treasure it. … the safety net will appear just when you need it. So jump.”
This note cemented my initial idea about the book. I thinkt he safety net comment is a good one to keep in mind. The tone of the book is really friendly and accessible and she has some great overarching ideas about making bags, such as “Build a bag from the inside out.” Another thing Lexie Barnes discusses is the length of the straps. I have been making the Eco Market tote with 54″ straps. 54″ fits me and works with the pattern. They go almost all the way around the bag and are sewn into the bottom of the bag seam. This reminder is good because I may want to make a bag where the straps do not go all the way around the bag. I also like the paragraph on designing pockets (pg.15), because it gives the maker practical ideas about making useful pockets. The section called “Graph, Paper, Scissors” discusses using graph paper (pg.14) to design a completely new bag to scale. I immediately drew a preliminary drawing (not to scale!) a for a saddle type bag.
I am going to spend some more time with this book.
After listening to the tote bag episode of the Quilted Cupcake podcast, I went to the Library and checked out a couple of books on tote bags. They didn’t have the Lexie Barnes books, but they had the title below and another, called Bag Bazaar. Simply Sublime Bags: 30 No-Sew, Low-Sew Projects by Jodi Kahn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really only glanced through this book as it is due at the library, but it was a thorough glance! Sadly, I am not going to have much time to get to know it intimately before I have to bring it back. One of the things I like about it is the tone in which the author writes. Her introduction is really nice in that she tells the story of her sewing life.
As with many project books, there are a few projects that I really like and others that I would never make. Still, Jodi Kahn talks about the project in a conversational way. She tells the reader why he is having them do things and gives tips about the materials. There is an undertone of encouragement in the writing, which I like.
I also like the novel materials that she uses. One thing that I thought was a great idea was the t-shirt bag. She uses Duct tape a interfacing, which I think is ingenious.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I mentioned the introduction in my review of Simply Sublime Bags 30 No Sew Low Sew Projects as being one of the highlights of that book. In this book, the introduction is perfunctory and fairly generic. However there is a section on basic bag making techniques, which I think I really stellar. I especially like the part on creating zippered pockets and making gussets. These hints are very useful!
My favorite project is the Bailey Baby Tote. I don’t have a baby, but it could be modified very slightly to make the pattern into a nice messenger type bag. I saw a similar bag in Amy Butler‘s Little Stitches, but didn’t want to buy that book for one project. This is a suitable substitute.
I also like the Mooney wine tote. It would be wonderful for gifts of wine. I’ll see about making one of those a well.
There are lovely drawings in this book, but no photographs. One shortcoming, which is common in bag books, is that there are not enough detail shots. I want to see what the inside looks like, what the outside pockets look like, what the back looks like, etc.
Megan Avery has really thought through her projects and I found there to be a lot of useful bag types in this book.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book and thought it was well written. One thing that jumped out at me was that the pacing was different from many of the novels, and especially mysteries, I have read recently. Initially, I thought the book was moving too slowly. Then I realized that the pacing was just different, told myself to slow down and enjoyed the book immensely.
Marie Bostwick is a good writer. I liked the integration of quiltmaking into the story without having it take over the story as it does in other novels. There is some religion, but not so much that it is irritating.
I was pleased to meet up with the characters from A Single Thread again and find out where they were. Their characters have developed and, while there was nothing wrong with them in A Single Thread, I enjoyed the character development. It was particularly noticeable in the character of Abigail Wynne. She has softened around the edges and the friendships from A Single Thread have had a noticeable effect. I also noticed significant character developments in Ivy, a new character.
As I said, the story gave the reader some news about the lives of Liza, Evelyn, Abigail and Margot, but the basic premise of the story, around which the subplots revolved, had to do with domestic violence. One of the characters in the story is involved with that situation. I thought some of the information Marie Bostwick gave about the fear, uncertainty and mistrust was very well written. I do think that it is impossible to convey some of the feelings without having experienced it.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Evelyn is having a rough year and this book doesn’t sugar coat her problems. The book is about how Evelyn gets help getting over that rough year, which includes opening her quilt shop. The difficulties she encounters seem like real difficulties that any normal person could encounter. The way she resolves the issues seem like real resolutions as well.
I really enjoyed this book and I think it may be a book that I would want to read again. I enjoyed the sections about the Quilt Pink project, because I think it gets a great project out to people who may not know much about the quilt world. I also thought the book incorporated the quilt aspect very well without shoving it down the readers’ throat. I think this tactic wold make this book appeal to people who are not quiltmakers.
It is a typical feel good chick-lit book, but is written with depth and doesn’t seem to include any affectations. I like books about real people where the things that happen to them seem like they could have really happened. There is a scene or two which made me raise my eyebrow, but this is still a great page turner and doesn’t dwell too much on the medical aspects. I enjoyed the way the characters learned from and helped each other. I want to read about these characters again. I hope Marie Bostwick doesn’t make the mistake that Jennifer Chiaverinni makes when she recounts the previous 3,4 or 5 books to catch readers up with the story. That tactic makes the books seem repetitive.
This isn’t the kind of book that I would normally be drawn to purchase. I am pleased that I got a little exposure to it. It reminded me that it might be time to share some of my good fortune. Also, it occured to me that my Grama may appreciate some patterns since, at 87, many of her friends might be able to use a walker bag or a lap quilt. Her birthday is coming and I might buy it for her as a gift.
One of my first quiltmaking books was The Quilter’s Album of Blocks and Borders by Jinny Beyer. It is also one of my favorites because it is just a dictionary of block designs. It is NOT a pattern book. When I first started listening to podcasts two or three years ago I heard Jinny Beyer interviewed and she talked about her new and updated version, which I saw today on Amazon. It isn’t coming out until August. I can’t wait to see it and look forward to hearing Ms. Beyer interviewed about it again at that time.
Providing quilters, researchers, and design enthusiasts with a comprehensive tool for finding, identifying, and drafting more than 4,000 unique patterns, this encyclopedia of quilt block designs presents a method of categorizing designs that eliminates duplication and allows quilters to understand exactly how each one is constructed. Each design is analyzed in terms of the grid on which it is drawn, making it easy recreate the pattern in any size or color scheme desired. Each block is thoroughly researched and listed according the original name and date of publication. Double names and duplicates are cross-referenced for easy use. Packed with information and inspiration, this also contains photographs of full quilts, as well as a detailed bibliography and indexes.
rating: 2 of 5 stars
I have to admit that I have a love-hate relationship with Quilt National. I love the idea. I often intensely dislike the quilts the jurors choose.
In this year’s work, I love the photos, but, in general, my initial reaction was that the quilts look the same: lots of squares intersected with a square or another piece of fabric. I felt like I was judging the book too harshly, so to be fair, I went back and read the entire book and scrutinized each quilt and thought about them.
The jurors, Tim Harding, Robin Treen and Paul Nadelstern (whose work I greatly admire), seemed not to be as motivated by notions of beauty or status as they were intrigued by the possibilities of transformation.
Nelda Warkentin’s quilt, Harmony, has a calming ocean-like feel to it. Part of her description/artist’s statement includes the words “quiet, flowing movements,” which I think describes the quilt very well.
Spring Cascade by Virginia Abrams reminds me of calming fences and certain motifs in my my quilt The Tarts Come to Tea. Next to Abrams’ quilt is Dress Circle by Thelma McGough, a black and white piece with umbrella reminiscent motifs. Although it is made up of photos, it retains its quilt-like quality.
Weeks Ringle also has a piece, Tankini, in this book. Hearing the name and looking at the piece don’t mesh instantly, but the concept comes together after a bit of gazing. I love his piece because of the simple lines and the fact that she uses commercial cottons in an innovative technique. It isn’t just the type of fabric she uses, though. The simplicity does not mean simplistic. I think that there is a lot to look at in this quilt.
I am not a fan of realistic faces made into quilts. They freak me out for some reason, but Kristin Tweed has created a successful quilt in #42 Big Head Series: The Gladiator. One successful part of the success of this quilt is the lack of quilting on the face.
There are some good designs in this book. Mostly they are simple, linear designs. There is more digital photography manipulated into blocks and quilts than I remember from the past.
Violette Clark, a Canadian artist I wrote about on the Creative Prompt page, has a new book out. I first heard about Violette on the CraftSanity podcast with Violette Clark during a recent road trip. The podcast is one of the earlier ones and it didn’t mention Violette’s new book I haven’t seen the book.
Violette has a great style. If you take a look at her website, you will find it full of creativity, cheerfulness (my favorite) and joy. She has a blog and message forums for her fans to discuss everything from her blog posts to how they are inspired by her work.
rating: 4 of 5 stars
You cannot blast through this book. I did and I didn’t understand it at all, which meant that I turned back to page one and started over as soon as I finished it. Terri once told me that every word has to count so writers these days prune, prune, prune. I may have realized that with her other two books, Old Maid’s Puzzle and Wild Goose Chase, but it came home to me with this book when I knew the killers and didn’t understand the ending.
Dewey’s character is developing and I like to be able to see that in the book. I also enjoyed seeing her develop as a quiltmaker and am glad she didn’t bail on her class.
Terri has a knack for characters I love to intensely dislike and this book was no exception. One was a control freak and the other had a huge chip on his/her shoulder. I am glad I won’t be seeing THEM again.
This was a pretty exciting book. The ending was fabulous. Terri did not fulfill my fantasy of killing off Kym, but I liked what Terri did with Kym in terms of moving her along with her life. I would have liked a little more background on what has gone in Kym’s life since she was fired from QP, especially since, despite Dewey’s heroics, Kym doesn’t move beyond her self centeredness.
The sad part about books, though, is that we only get a few days of Dewey’s life and I could really use more. Perhaps Terri should write a blog by Dewey…in her copious amounts of spare time!
Vicki is one of my blog readers and a wonderful colorist. If you are familar with the Quiltmaker’s Color Workshop by Kerr and Ringle (review), then you would enjoy Vicki’s blog, Field Trips in Fiber, and especially her work on color theory.
Her color theory work was done a couple of years ago, but she has some very astute comments about the different color theory systems and color wheels. Lately she has been dyeing groups of related colors. I think that this current work must come out of her color theory studies. She posts the groups of colors next to each other (as Kerr and Ringle do in their book, above) as she dyes them, including, occasionally, the inspirational picture. Her postings illustrates perfectly the Kerr/Ringle “Big Idea.”
I heard about this on the CraftSanity podcast and it sounded really interesting, so I borrowed it from the library. The author said that she gave an inroduction to a variety of religions in the course of the book and crafting sounds like a great way to learn about religions of the world!
Danny Gregory has been recommended to me many times, especially by Amy of the Creative Mom podcast, a very creative and high quality podcast. I bought the book she uses as her bible (it sounds like), The Creative License after I had reserved An Illustrated Life at the library. Of course I received them all the same week. I think that this book will be by the Jennifer New book, Drawing From Life: The Journal as Art, but I will let you know after I have given it a thorough going over!
Pat Sloan’s Take the Fear Out of Color by Pat Sloan
