Tag: Book Review

Scraps, Inc.: 15 Modern Quilts Made to Keep by Editors at Lucky Spool

The best thing about this book is the photos. The colors are great; the photography is great. Other than that this is a project book with projects you have seen before done by ‘names’ in updated colors and fabrics.

First, I am going to talk about the projects and then will talk about the introductory pages at the end of the review.

The book has 15 projects by some of the most well known modern designers, including Camille Roskelley, April Rosenthal and Amy Smart. The artists begin each of the projects with a description. I liked it that some of them suggested alternate color options, though I didn’t see alternate color options shown in the book. There might be some examples on the individual quiltmakers’ websites. Each of the designers has a “Scrap Stash Tip” at the end of their chapter/project.

I thought the font was really good. Bold headlines are bold. The illustrations in the directions are also excellent. I haven’t made any of the projects, so I cannot comment on the technical quality of the project directions.

Many of the projects are based on traditional patterns: Bangles, Courthouse Steps, Favorite Things and Richmond, even if the names are different. I realize that everyone has different scraps, but a lot of these projects would not work for my scrap bins, because of the sizes required. Some of the projects require 4.5″ squares and I have very few scraps that size, so I would have to cut from yardage.

Amy Ellis’ My Favorite Things quilt project (pg. 24-35) is made up of all classic blocks. Her fabric usage would be considered modern, appearing to use a variety of background fabrics rather than just one. The setting is a rectangular medallion style, which is a little different than other classic settings. The complexity of this project is really nice.

Allison Harris’ Bangles quilt (pg.19-23) is made differently, but is the same pattern as the Jewel Box quilt pattern that was so popular several years ago. I guess everything old is new again? This quilt has a more stereotypical modern feel with its bright white background and no border.

The usage of many traditional block patterns and settings is a good way to draw in quiltmakers who don’t think the modern movement is for them.

My favorite quilt in this book, hands down, is Overcast by April Rosenthal (pg.5-58). I love this quilt and want to make it. I think it is reasonable use of scraps. In the introduction to the project, Ms. Rosenthal has some good advice. “Be sure to choose a grounding ‘background’ for your quilt. A strong solid here will help the rest your piecing stand out, and provide much-needed contrast to the fabrics with a white background and to the scrappy colored strips.” This pattern requires that colors don’t bleed into one another and the fact that the whites stand out give it a bright appearance that is also complex and interesting. I would have liked a couple of line drawn blocks with the lettered designations she uses for the piecing. The designer uses a glue basting method for piecing the curves, which she describes as being helpful for beginners, but may not be necessary as the maker progresses through the quilt. I thought this was a helpful tip and also acknowledges that sewists get better at skills as they progress through a project. I also like the way she assembles the curved units. She has the maker add on a strip made up of three squares rather than piecing a tighter curve. This allows for greater use of scraps and more success at small curves.

Unraveled (pg. 77-81) is an interesting pattern and it has that lozenge shape I have not yet explored. The blocks are rather big and I think I would like it better in a smaller size. It uses the flippy corners method to make the lozenges, thus I think could be resized relatively easily.

Kati Spencer’s quilt, Woven, (pg.89-83) intrigues me. It reminds me of a Jelly Roll Race quilt, but more planned. I like the different arrangement of strips and the coordinating of colors.

Most of the designers’ Scrap Stash Tips revolve around getting scraps organized immediately after finishing a project. Some cut into certain sizes a la Bonnie Hunter and others.

Templates at the back must be photocopied. I do not see a link to a downloadable version in the book.

Finally, we are back to the beginning where there are three pages of text, a welcome and some basic instructions on making HSTs and strip sets. There are templates at the end of the book. I was put off this book immediately in the first paragraph of the introduction, because the language used is deprecating to makers. “…with a love for every inch of the leftover fabrics…” implies a problem with obsessiveness. Later, the author writes “This has likely turned you into a scrap junkie.” While I understand that this was probably used in a tongue in cheek manner and that my own may have affected my understanding of the implications, ‘junkie’ is someone who has a drug problem. I really don’t think that loving fabric and making quilts should be equated with substance abuse. I also think we, as quiltmakers, should be supportive rather than judgmental about fabric purchasing or amounts of fabric each of us own.

Also in the welcome the author says “….colors we are loving right now, combined with innovative, on-trend designs…”. This begs the question of whether the project designs will be out of style when these on-trend scraps are out of fashion? What if you have scraps from 20 years ago? Are the designs not suitable for someone with a broadly reaching scrap bin?

I would, as usual, have liked to see more about the inspiration for each quilt. I think it gives readers ideas about where to get inspired on their own. As I have said, I think some of the projects are interesting. This book is definitely worth a look.

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Adding Layers Color, Design & Imagination: 15 Original Quilt Projects from Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty

I sought out this book after I saw a quilt, which referenced the book at the Tuleberg Quilt Show and after I saw Gerre bring her fantastic quilt to show and tell at a recent BAMQG meeting. I have Material Obsession in my library, but it hasn’t filtered to the top of the stack for a review yet.

As I was preparing to write this review I was thinking about what attracted me to Doughty’s style. I am really interested in the layering of color, design motifs, e.g. quilting, embroidery, embellishment, and the juxtaposition (almost clashing) of fabric/color motifs in quilts. You know how Kaffe Fassett has a riot of fabric prints in his quilts that somehow seem to work? That is what I mean.

You can see some of my experiments in this area in the Red and Black Improv quilt, but looking at Scrapitude Carnivale is what really made me think more about the successful combinations of different fabrics.

While this type of combination of fabrics and colors seems common today, Doughty curates her fabrics more carefully. She does not seem to be of the mind that more is better and the more you have the more will go together, unlike some other quilt teachers.

The book starts with an introduction, which says “The lives and voices of the makers are sewn into a composite piece of visual delight that evocatively joins color, technique, and style into a long lasting memory.”

This is only part of an introduction that is a delightful essay about making and some of the thoughts quilts evoke in people. It sets the tone for the book. After reading this, I had a dark thought that went back to my post on quilt labels, which was that unsigned/unattributed quilts break the connection of the maker to their quilt.

The intro is followed by a section on Kathy Doughty‘s quilt journey (pg.6). After giving a brief description of how she came to write the book, own a shop, etc, she reminds us that “just as important as the how of making the quilt is the why.” I think about the ‘why’ a lot and find that most quilt authors don’t discuss it very much, if at all.

The author brings the reader into the circle with the next section, “You and the Book” (pg.7). She says “simple fabric selections, basic patterns, and obvious designs gave way to more mature, thoughtful designs.” You have to walk before you can run. This section outlines how the author intended the book to be used. She encourages readers to use their stash.

Kathy Doughty suggests asking yourself “what do I want to say?” at the beginning of each quilt. This question stopped me. I almost never ask myself this I often start a project because I want to try a technique or teach myself a skill. I never think of infusing my quilts with a message or starting at a point with a message in mind. As I scroll through the quilts I have made in my mind, I know why I made most of them and only a couple of them have messages, or started with messages.

As with most quilt books, the intro sections cover the basics. A message about creativity (pg.8) is one that I would like to copy and put up on my inspiration board.

Doughty encourages readers to use our stash fabrics and gives some ways to think about your beloved fabrics.

All of the sections in the Tools of the Trade chapter are infused with Doughty’s creative and positive style. La de dah creativity is great, but good technique is important as well. Thus, I was pleased that she said “however, it is also important that the quilt lies flat, that the seams join, that lines of the design are distinguished, and that in the end the quilt is square – not to mention sewn together in a manner that will stand the test of time and wear.” (pg.11). I think that good technique gets short shrift a lot of the time, but I believe that it is amazingly important and am glad a well respected shop owner, author and designer like Doughty agrees.

I have never seen a section on Rulers and Templates (pg.12-13), but the author has one in this book. She is also the first person I have seen who recommends Creative Grids half and quarter square triangle rulers. In the photograph (pg.13), I see a few rulers that I have, but a number that I do not. In this section, Doughty’s reasoning and comments are included with the picture. The picture is followed with a Tips section, which describes techniques such as cutting strips (pg.14), cutting wedges from strips as well as from a wedge ruler (pg.15), and using the specialty rulers (pg.16-17). There are also a few pages on other tools (pg.18-19).

Finally, we get to Chapter 1! It is called “Working the Stash”. Doughty writes “The simple act of collecting is a favorite pastime for many of us. As a shop owner I have heard many stories about stashes. I am often left with a curious feeling: Why collect if it is never to be used?” I have no interest, cause or reason to judge why people buy fabric and whether they use it or not. If a quiltmaker collects fabric for the joy of collecting more power to her (or him!). Yards of fabric are no different than salt & pepper shakers or 50s style Pyrex baking dishes. We all collect something. Still, I am glad Ms. Doughty brought this up. When I buy fabric it is with the intention of using it. Whether I do or not is a different story, but my intent is to cut it up and put it in a quilt or bag. I have found that when I put ‘special’ fabrics into my quilt I enjoy them even more.

The author acknowledges that selecting fabrics for a quilt can be a challenge, but that it should be a fun process. Her tip is to find a link, an idea with which I agree. She points out that a stash that is not used starts to look dated. I have found this to be true as well. I have found that my tastes change if a fabric languishes or I am not interested in the project for which I bought the fabric after awhile.

She talks, in general, about scrap organization in this section as well.

Right after that one page chapter 😉 come a few projects related to the text of the chapter: stashes and scraps. Of these projects, I am quite fond of Vintage Spin (pg.22-27) . As I said, my friend Gerre made a version of this quilt and I loved her piece.

Each project has a short section oh how the author started, construction, assembly and how she finished. The directions are adequate, but only a few pages. I think a maker would do well to have a few quilts under his/her belt to make these quilts. Even a confident beginner could make some of the projects.

Chapter 2 is called “Working with Templates (pg.59). Kathy says that she loves to cut all kinds of shapes with templates, because they are efficient. Material Obsession has a line of templates for many of the projects in this book. These rotary cutting templates are featured throughout the book in the various photos. They are listed as optional in the book’s supply lists.

Big Wedding (pg.86-91) is my favorite pattern in this section, though I would use a different color palette.

“Working with Scale” is the title of Chapter 3 (pg.93). Modern quiltmakers love to blow up one block design to cover a whole quilt top. Doughty has done this, but in a fresh way.

She points out that making blocks really big means that you can use large print fabrics (like my man, Phil’s 😉 fabric lines!!!) to great effect. Why didn’t I think of this?? This is an excellent point, which goes beyond ‘making it modern’. My mind is zinging!

Kathy Doughty mentions “The puzzle in this process was how to maintain the feeling of tradition while exploring the blown-out size structure.” I think that is an important question, because no matter how hard we try 9 patches and Churn Dash blocks have been around for awhile and are considered classic blocks. The joy of quiltmaking, for me, is taking something and making it new and my own,which includes classic blocks.

I like most of the quilts in this section or had some feeling about each one. I really like Basket Case (pg.94-101). The name alone is worth the price of admission! The finished version of Lily Field (pg.102-109) was very appealing. The infinity look of the Mega Churn Dash (pg.110-115) was fun, but the fabrics were dull and uninspiring. I would have added something to the quilt as it looks like something is missing. Perhaps it would have been more appealing to me if the background had been mosaic pieced? The good thing about this quilt is that it would be a fast gift.

Super Nova (pg.116-121) may be my favorite quilt in this section. I am yearning to try it with some of my Philip Jacob prints!. I love Sawtooth Stars and the off center design offers a lot of movement. The different sizes of blocks also adds to the movement. The opportunity to use large scale prints might be too good to pass up. I bought a charcoal dot print recently that would be an excellent background for this quilt, so I am on my way! 😉

Star Man (pg.122-126) may be a good design for one of my nephews while not being boring to sew.

The last piece of the book is a relatively detailed bio of Kathy Doughty. This is followed by a packet of template pages in the back of the book.

I plan to buy this book and hope you will as well.

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Make It, Take It: 16 Cute and Clever Projects to Sew with Friends by Krista Hennebury
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Julie and I were together at the Granary when we saw this book. It has appealing projects on the cover and I looked through it. It is a project book with no how-to directions and no index, but with a long introduction.

I was confused as I started to read the introduction (pg.7-10) because the author talks about quilting/sewing retreats and her retreat business. She eventually gets past the bliss of retreats and sewing in those settings and begins describing the projects.

The project are organized into “Getting Equipment There Safely” and “Sew When You Get There.” This is an interesting way of organizing the book, but it feels like something is missing. I always have plenty of projects on which to work on retreat, but I guess it is good to inspire people.

There are some interesting projects in this book, which all seem to be designed by different people. My favorites are: Ultimate Equipment Tote (pg.12-20), the Big Mouth Thread Catcher (pg.21-25) for gifts and the Big and Little Patchwork Totes (pg.32-39). The fabric really makes those interesting, as you can see on the cover.

The Half Moon Needlecase (pg.48-54) appeals to me. It might make my needles more accessible than my current needlecase, however, it wouldn’t in my handwork kit. I also think the fabrics used make the project appealing.

I probably wouldn’t use the Selvage Cutting Mat (pg.60-65) myself, but it would be a good gift.

I like the idea of the woven placemats (pg. 80-85), however I would probably sew squares together and avoid the top stitching. If I had a round table. If I used placemats. They are cheerful and I like the look.

The pattern directions seem to be pretty extensive for a book, judging from the number of pages devoted to each pattern. I haven’t made any of the projects, so I can’t comment on the clarity or accuracy of the patterns.

The quilting on the quilts towards the back of the book is pretty amazing. I like the distinct motifs on the Orange Grove Quilt (pg.92-97), which you can see well on pg. 97. The quilting is thoughtful and not just an all over pattern to get the quilt done.

Throughout the book are tips and tricks. There is much about inspiration for the projects.

One of the appealing aspects of this book is the color and fabric use. There are good projects, as mentioned, but few of them are super unique. The book ends with some resources, short bios of the contributors and a page called About the Author.

I like this book. The pictures are appealing and there are enough interesting projects to make this worth the purchase.

Corrections are available at the Martingale site.

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Double Wedding Ring Quilts Traditions Made Modern: Full-Circle Sketches from Life by Victoria Findlay Wolfe

The photos are gorgeous. The quilts are gorgeous. The detail shots are gorgeous. The writing is ok and essentially, at its bones, this is a pattern book, but it is not your normal pattern book. What I like about the progression of patterns is that Wolfe tells you what inspired her about the pattern to encourage her to move on to the next iteration of the design. This book seems to me to detail a series of works. Since I like to see the progression of works in a series, this is a refreshing look at pattern books and works in a series within the construct of the current quiltmaking world.

I also like that Wolfe has revived a classic pattern. In the spirit of the Modern quilt movement, she seemed to exude “I am going to do this and I can do it”. Roderick Kiracofe writes about the history of the pattern in his foreword. I always appreciate the reminder that a pattern did not spring from nowhere when the oder quilt Movement appeared. He includes a little of Wolfe’s journey to this book.

The foreword is followed by an introduction, which includes a photo of Victoria Findlay Wolfe and her QuiltCon award winner, Double Edged Love. In the introduction, she talks about works in a series. She says “but what if we look at one pattern, change one thing each time we try, and see where that play will lead us next?” (pg.9) This is essence of quiltmaking for me and it made me very hopeful for this book. She delves into working in a series a little bit and implies, in this section, that we could all work with one block or one pattern forever by “chang[ing] one thing” (pg.10).

A narrative on the inspiration behind and making of Double Edged Love follow the introduction. Wolfe talks about her inspiration, talks about getting started on this quilt and how the process felt. There are feelings of YES! within a creative process and Wolfe makes that clear in this section. She is very clear that she used an AccuQuilt Go! cutter for the Double Wedding Ring pieces. I think this shows that she is not afraid to use tools and that using tools is not cheating. The creative process is the important part and Wolfe focuses on the process and discusses it in depth. The tools are just that: tools. There is no extra importance attached to them.

The section called You Are Here takes the next step out from Double Edge Love. She talks about what ideas she wants carried over (pg.20) and what the goal is. This is an interesting way to think about being inspired for quiltmaking, but it also fits well with idea of a series and moving forward in the series. Wolfe gives examples of what to do to move forward in a series AND work towards your goal. For example, she talks about about stripping the colors out of photos using Photoshop and then printing the resulting image on fabric (pg.21) to use in the quilt.

Wolfe’s mantras are:

• Think Out of Your Box
• Ideas Carried Over
• the Goal
• Add Layers
• Push It Further

Whether or not you read her book, these are principles we can all use.

Wolfe follows the above format in each section. If you make each quilt and think about your work in the way that Wolfe suggests, you will end up with a series and you will be able to see the progression. Each section has a little bit of her story as well. I found the story to be interesting, but the writing seemed to be choppy or badly edited.

The fabrics used in the book’s quilt projects are clearly scrappy. There are no lines of fabric except perhaps some solids, which means the reader is free to pick from his/her stash with wild abandon and not worry about buying the exact kit. There are also projects using all different kinds of fabrics. Quilts using flannel looking shirt prints are paired with gingham and these combinations share space on pages with brown calicos (see Farm Girl, pg.79-85). They all sit next to 1930s looking prints.

Summer’s Day has an interesting series of photos detailing the evolution of a medallion, which includes a Lone Star block (pg.62). The photo series shows what happens when you make an unexpected choice.

This is the first book I have read where polyester is considered AND used! It is also one of the few books that discusses tying quilts.

Surprisingly, Wolfe manages to add in some doilies and a Christmas pattern. I suppose those were obligatory to widen the appeal of the book. For her, the doilies were not the challenge; using so much white in the quilt was the challenge, which I find to be interesting. Her Christmas quilt is a memory quilt, pure and simple. The love of her grandparents is scattered throughout the book, but this pattern celebrates them and the memories in a concentrated way.

Yes, there are directions on making a Double Wedding Ring block. They are in the back (not the front where they will bog you down before you get excited) starting on pg. 102. The directions do not tell you how to put the entire projects together. You will need some piecing experience if you plan to make the double wedding ring quilts.

The colors are bright. There are photos of New York City, taxis, neon signs and lots of people. Wolfe points out the joy in quiltmaking. Take a look at this book and absorb the lessons about series. Your work will be better or it.

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Bojagi & Beyond by Chunghie Lee

This book was sent to me by Karen Searle at the publisher, Beyond & Above, after I offered to review it. This edition is, apparently, the revised edition of Bojagi and Beyond published in 2010 and has new material added.

Being the tactile person that I am, the first thing I noticed was the paper. The cover isn’t as thick as other paperback/trade paperback covers of books I have reviewed, but the paper used for the pages has a thick and pleasant feel.

The first pages of the book talk about BoJaGi outside of Korea as well as some inspirations. Since I didn’t know what BoJaGi was before I read this book, I wished that the first part would have included an explanation. The author got around to it after a bit, never fear!

The introduction describes classes at the Rhode Island School of Design and how those students took the art form further and made it their own. “While these classes and workshops outside Korea have produced work to convey ideas and personal expression, the same is largely true of the work made over the centuries by women in traditional Korean households. While those makers practiced the craft as a means to fill a practical need for special ceremonial textiles, they also saw it as an outlet for their artistic and spiritual expression.” (pg.iv) This reminds me of what people say about quilts. In both instances the need for something practical provided an opportunity for women to express themselves when they had few other ways to do so. This is also another example of people from different backgrounds and cultures being more alike than different.

The introduction and foreword applaud the author for her work with students and how that work influenced work in other countries and in other textile disciplines.

The true introduction (called Introduction), was written by Chunghie Lee herself, does describe what BoJaGi are and mentions that a related form called ChoGakBo which involves patchwork. Truly, however, the introduction is a mini-bio of the author’s achievements.

The table of contents comes next and tells the reader that there are many different kinds of Korean wrappings. We glean that some are especially used for events like weddings or for covering a table for a meal, but most of the table of contents leads the reader to making and designing these wraps.

The history of BoJaGi includes their usefulness, a reflection on the lives of Korean women and when and why the tradition of making and using BoJaGi was established (pg.1). The book discusses the oldest BoJaGi in Korea (pg.3) and how they were used in the royal court. In this section ChoGakBo and other varieties of BoJaGi are also described (pg.5). This section says that the wrappings “are named according to function: OpBo are large BoJaGi used to wrap large items such as bedding. SangGo are lined with oiled paper and used as food covers” (pg.5), etc. There is a long description of the usefulness of BoJaGi, which make me look at my Tupperware cabinet with a speculative eye. Colors and symbols are also covered (pg.7) in this section, which is well illustrated with examples of the cloths and symbols.

Examples are shown of the various types of wrappings in the next part. This section is illustrated with watercolor illustrations and I got an image in my mind’s eye of a pile of fabric wrapped gifts at a wedding or other major (graduation?) event (pg.14-15).

In the food covering section, different types of handles are shown, also as watercolor illustrations. These handles could be adapted and used for tote bags, I think.

A gallery of works by Chunghie Lee is included in the book. Many of the pieces are installation pieces and shown in situ (pg.24-25, etc). One outdoor installation piece reminds me of Christo and Jeanne-Claude (pg.60-61). I particularly like the journal shown on page 28. it reminds me of fabric journals I have made in the past. These works, in general, are different in influence, but do not look very different from some art quilts. A number of the works have embroidery stitches and screen printing (or similar). Chunghie Lee uses images of women’s faces on many of her pieces and this practice makes me think of honoring the anonymous women who have made other textiles such as quilts, table linens, pillowcases, etc. She also expanded into kimono shaped robes and other types of wearables, though I hesitate to call the pieces wearables. They may be normal, if large, BoJaGi draped over people (pg.44-59).

The first part of the ‘how-to’ section centers on using a BoJaGi. The illustrations are drawn and show how to wrap and object, including a decorative knot (pg.78-79). Making a basic BoJaGi is a logical next section (starting on pg.80) and includes photos of the product, drawings of the supplies and sizes in both English and metric systems. The process is simple and similar to finishing a quilt without batting in the envelope style. Directions for making the tie are also provided (pg.82), which is immediately followed by some ideas for making the tie more decorative (pg.83). Again, my mind raced to making tote bags more decorative with something like these ties. The directions for other types of specialty BoJaGi are also shown and include pictures. I can see a transformation of the display of gifts for the holidays when you use your plentiful fabric to make these BoJaGi and wrap all of your gifts in them!

A section on embellishing starts on page 105. One of the embellished Bojagi shown looks like a Cathedral Window quilt (pg.109). Another embellishment looks like prairie points (pg.111). The wedding embroidery KiLeoKi (pg.112) are very beautiful and provide a lot of inspiration.

As with many books sold today, there are projects included. The directions for the 5 projects start on page 121. The wall hangings don’t look very different from some modern or art quilts, but the other items have a distinctive Korean flair. In general, they have a different aesthetic than other projects in other books.

The final section is about designing for BoJaGi and the thing I liked about it was that the author asks you to consider your materials in a different way. One thing she says is “consider scale in the repetition of elements (pg.138)”, which makes me think of the design series.

There is a lot to look at in this book as well as a lot of inspiration to be had. I would recommend you take a look at it.

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Circle Pizzazz: 12 Vibrant Quilt Projects Easy Curves Endless Possibilities by Judy Sisneros

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I saw quilts made with this design at the San Mateo County Fair. One in particular, a black and white with turquoise beauty, grabbed my attention and inspired me to want to make one. From reading the first few pages, I thought that learning this technique might be better in a class than through a book. Towards the end, I got the idea and feel I could make some blocks using the book as a guide.

The book starts with a short introduction and some information on tools, supplies and fabric. This introduction makes it clear that quiltmakers will be sewing curved seams. Sisneros gets me on her side by admitting that the Winding Paths block is actually, historically, called The Snake Tail block and explains why she changed it for her purposes. I appreciated her honesty and her reasoning.

The project part of the book follows the introduction with making the original Winding Paths block. All the blocks in the book start with this block. Sisneros goes over trimming the block including her Secret of 4 and 6, which is actually a helpful tip that makes sense.

The project section of the book is, first, broken down into numbers of blocks- 12, 20, 36, etc for the original Winding Paths block. In this section, one thing I like is that she gives you the tools to make the quilts (teaching how to make the blocks), but then just shows what is possible when making the quilt. She doesn’t give every step for every quilt and she acknowledges that it is impossible to make an exact duplicate of her quilt. She makes the quiltmaker think a bit and I appreciate her assumption that quiltmakers have brains. Cutting directions and fabric requirements are included for the quilts in the Winding Paths block section.

The information on making the Circle Pizzazz block is a little less clear. I believe, from the images that the maker sews the D-E combination to the A block after it is made. This specific instruction seems to be left out, but makes sense from looking at the photos and the rest of the directions as well as the result.

The making of the Circle Pizzazz block section is, again, followed by a series of projects using this new block. It was a little hard for me to understand where to put fabrics I wanted to show up as a focus or featured fabric. The line drawings made this part easier. This section also has fabric requirements and cutting instructions.

I think that with all that curved piecing, I would want the piecing to stand out more and, thus, would use more contrasting fabrics. Ms. Sisneros’ quilts often have blendy fabrics that obscure the piecing. This might be a good strategy as you get better at the technique, but it is difficult to see the piecing when you are a beginner. There are a number of quilts on Google (type in snake tail quilt) so you can see the original block.

The Circle Pizzazz blocks are followed up with the Interlocking Circle Pizzazz block. This block adds a few more pieces to get a different look. The directions for the block are followed by projects. This book has plenty of illustrations and images, which makes understanding the concepts easier.

The book also includes a section on using the leftover pieces cut away when making the three other blocks. It is a nice idea as some quiltmakers might consider the cutaway pieces waste. I wasn’t particularly enamored with any of the projects shown. Of course, it all depends on the fabric, so YMMV.

I received this book as a gift in eBook form. I was excited because I didn’t have to devote my non-existent shelf space to another book. I started reading the book and also realized I couldn’t make copies of or print out the templates either. I will try a few things and see what works, but I can see this being a problem with the eBook version.

The book includes a gallery of student work. Transparency by Jeanette Pohl is one of my favorites. I like the way the background shows through some parts of the quilt.

The quilt I first saw and liked turns out to be in the gallery. It is by Rose Marie Hackett and called Black, White & Blue By You. The turquoise goes so well with the black and white and the combination really shows off the pattern.

Trails of Confusion by Teresa Williams is also very interesting, because of how the center pattern continues, partially, out into the border.

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Scrap-Basket Beauties: Quilting with Scraps, Strips, and Jelly Rolls by Kim Brackett

There are a number of things about this book that do not fit into my definition of a perfect book, but I like it anyway.

I like the colors on the cover. They are cheerful and drew me in. The colors of the projects pictured in the book are fresh and also cheerful. I also like the fact that Kim Brackett admits that “not all fabrics work well together in a scrap quilt.” Hallelujah. Some authors insist a maker can put anything into a project and end up with a beautiful quilt. I simply do not agree. I find that seeing the words in print make me feel validated.

This book talks about using 2.5″ strips and pre-cuts. I don’t, usually, buy pre-cuts, but I have a ruler and a rotary cutter and have the ability to cut as many 2.5″ strips and squares as I want to make these quilts.

After a short introduction, the author provides into a lot of information about 2.5″ strips. The bottom line is that the reader does not have to buy pre-cuts; s/he has to have fabric and scraps. From those s/he can make the quilts in this book.

The section also includes information on strip swaps and ‘strip clubs.’

Hard on the heels of the 2.5″ strip section is the ubiquitous ‘Basic Quiltmaking Instructions (pg. 11).’ The information found in this section is basic and, mostly, a review. Still, it is always useful to be reminded how to avoid cutting a V in a fabric strip. Aside from the normal “how to sew a quilt together’, this section also includes a little about chain piecing and Folded-Corner Units (like Flying Geese). There are charts to fill in on creating Side-Border Strips and Top- and Bottom-Border Strips.

Quilt patterns start on pg. 20 with a peach confection called Sanctuary. This is primarily made with four patches within four patches. The patterns could do with alternate color ways on the last page of the pattern to spread the wealth of the information. Scrap-Basket Trail is one of those quilts that would appeal to many more people if the brown and reproduction backgrounds were removed and the quilt was shown in, say, pinks.

Cross My Heart (pg.30) looks really great in various Bonnie & Camille fabrics. Hourglass (pg.36) is bright and cheerful and pretty interesting in the piecing department. Almost all of the patterns have something intriguing about them.

One of my favorite patterns is Beachside Bungalow. I love the rings and the colors. I also like the grey used in the background. My absolute favorite pattern, which I intend to make…sometime, is the Triple Star. some of its charm comes from the scrappiness, but it is also an interesting block with a lot of pieces. I also really like the blue background.

No index and a brief table of contents.

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1001 Patchwork Designs by Maggie Malone

This is a bit of a cheap date review for a couple of reasons: little text, old book, iffy quality. Since I have been talking about blocks and their structure I am going for it.

I don’t know why or when I originally bought this book, but it was awhile ago. The publication date in my copy is 1981. The age and some of what the author says makes me think it may not have the same level of scholarly research that the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilts or Jinny Beyer‘s The Quilter s Album of Patchwork Patterns. This is not a bad book, but I think, at the time, the provenance of blocks may not have been considered important AND there is nothing about where the author got her information I don’t think anybody thought it was important, but this book may have been a step in the direction that ended up as the two books mentioned above. There is a bibliography at the end, but no footnotes or reference notes.

The books starts with an introduction in which the author describes her theory of teaching as well as a bit about the book and block structure. The introduction also directs the reader to a section on drafting.

This book has one of the best lines about drafting I have ever read, “The major advantage of being able to draft a pattern is the flexibility it allows you in designing a quilt.” The section goes on to enumerate the variety of ways knowing how to draft a pattern can help you in your quiltmaking. It was awesome to read why drafting is important. While I prefer to draft blocks in EQ, knowing how to draft really helps in the process and in designing quilts in general. The thing I like about this section is the practical tips on how to use the drawings in the book to start learning about drafting. There is an example of some of the math that is useful.

After a couple of pages of introduction and the few pages on drafting, there is a very little additional text in the middle of the book. All the rest of the book is comprised of pictures of blocks until a few sections at the end of the book. I actually like this, because I have enough text in my life and sometimes I want to just look at blocks. I tend to focus on the text, and skim the photos, so little to no text is better in this kind of book. I also like it that the blocks are black and white, mostly line drawings. It keeps the distractions minimal.

Towards the end of the book, there are the ‘obligatory’ pages on Determining the Quilt Size, Fabric Requirements, Quilting and Setting the Top. The final pages of the book include a bibliography and index.

In looking through the book, I saw a lot of blocks that are now showing up in the Modern Movement, such as some of the circle blocks (pg.192-193) so popular in quilts now such as The Circle Game. The #854, the Rising Sun, looks pretty familiar as well. The Snowball Wreath, #974, is also shown, though none of these blocks have any piecing directions. This is an inspiration book only and you have to know how to draft in order to use these blocks. Of course, there are directions elsewhere on the web.

I hadn’t ‘read’ the book in a while. It called to me when I was looking for blocks to suggest to TFQ. When I pulled it off the shelf I was pleased to see that the blocks were divided into section by the structure of the blocks, as mentioned before. When I started looking through the first section, I had to wonder if all of the blocks were categorized in their proper structure? One I wonder about is #274, Golda, Gem Star. I can see where it could have a Nine Patch structure, but I still wonder. It is not listed in the index of Beyer’s book, though I see blocks that look similar in Beyer’s 5×5 Base Grid category. After doing some additional research, I found this block on Pinterest and in BlockBase under the same name with #2741 from the Brackman book. Also, there is a reference to QNM 1978. This block makes me wonder where she got her information. The blocks are great and that is just my librarian brain.

This book is really good inspiration and a great start to the drafting of blocks.

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Quilt Color Workshop by Fat Quarterly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When I started this book I loved it. The color theory section is well illustrated and explains color theory well.

When I got past the academic part of the color theory I was disappointed.

Then I looked carefully at the color sections and liked the book again.

Thus, this is a solid ‘3’ in the 1-5 scale.

There are four pages of color theory in this book, which I thought was great as I went through those pages. Then, l I realized that four pages was all there was on color theory. A cursory look told me that there was only block and quilt patterns after the 4 pages of color theory and I was disappointed. The book was basically a pattern book. Still I soldiered on and found that the authors had cleverly tied the color theory pages to the patterns and that made the entire book into more of a workbook than a 4 page color theory pamphlet with block patterns.

In the color theory sections all of the types of color combinations are explained using quilt blocks and semi-real fabric designs. This technique makes color theory more relevant for quiltmakers, because most of the use involves patterned fabric, in different scales. To that end the authors write “Value is a measure of how light or dark a colour is. Saturation is the level of black, grey or white in a color, ranging for pastel to a full-intensity colour right with pigment. With a patterned fabric you can have the same colour, but the amount of white present will affect how light or dark the fabric ‘reads.’ ” This is relevant for quiltmakers, because many, many fabrics are made up from more than one color. Often white is included in the fabric to create a design.

The authors also say “One of the problems for quilters is that colour theory is mainly used for describing the relationship of solid colours, or the mixing of them. The huge variety of patterned fabrics with multiple colours creates some interesting problems.” The Fat Quarterly and the authors have hit the nail on the head with this statement. You can see from my Fabric of the Year quilts that creating gradation is not that easy with quilt fabrics. the first problem is that   you can’t physically mix them, but secondarily, because you cannot guarantee that they will be solid. Quiltmakers, notoriously, love brightly and colored fabric.

The book explains the color relationships in multicolored fabrics and how to create a quilt using one of the color schemes described in the color theory section and the color wheel. Examples of current fabrics (pg.11) are included.

The short section on color theory is followed by a Color Wheel Quilt pattern, then by various pattern sections organized by color. Each section has a series of blocks colored in different ways and labeled with the type of color scheme it is. Larger projects and home decor projects are also included.  I like this idea for a few reasons.
1. the reader can see what blocks look like when colored in different ways.
2. the coloration of the blocks supports the section on color theory (pg.7-11) in a very graphic and overt way.
3. the made up examples of blocks using different fabrics added to the support of the color theory and difference in how the blocks look.

After the blocks in each section are a few patterns, some of quilts, some of studio and home decor patterns. The format follows for all the of the colors: blocks first, then quilts or home decor projects. The projects and blocks are based on classical patterns, but venture off in their own direction. The blocks are interesting and the quilts are a bit off the beaten path. there are a wide variety of projects that would appeal to all different kinds of people.

The last section is a few pages on techniques. One or two paragraphs describe a multitude of different techniques used to make a quilt. Photos from the various projects illustrated the section providing continuity. There is a conversion chart from English and metric systems to inches in this section. I can imagine that this would come in handy in the future.

There is a pattern section in the back with full sized patterns. You will have to put pieces together that are too large for an 8 1/2 x 11 page.

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