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General Quilt Making
The Quilter's Catalog, a Comprehensive Resource Guide
Meg Cox is a quilter and former Wall Street Journal reporter with over 17 years of experience. Her journalism expertise is evident in the vast tome of information crammed into this almost 600 page book. She covers such a mind-boggling range of information, leaving no quilting subject untouched. She cover all the tools, including lots of helpful instruction and advice, the shows, the guilds, the art and quilt museums; she profiles 20 top teachers; including 12 projects; and the list goes on and on. The main sections include: Who Quilts and Why; Sewing Now: Tools, Technology, Techniques; More Revolutionary Tools; Fabulous Fabric and Where to Find it; Great Teachers: So Many Ways to Learn; for the Beginner; Putting it Together; Shoot It, Show It, Ship It, and More. I am very extremely flattered to be included among so many talented individuals, each who have contributed to the growth and popularity of quiltmaking. The artists included in the book cover both the traditional quilt for the bed and the art quilt made specifically for display on a wall. I am honored to have two of my quilts included in the book, featured in a section called “Early Days: Internet Quilting Pioneers,” and mentioned on other pages. Amazingly, this one encyclopedia of quilt information sells for only $18.95, less on Amazon. It is an amazing bargain and a book that should be in every quiltmaker’s collection.
Thinking Outside the Block: Step by Step to Dynamic Quilts
Allow Sandi and Karen to help you stretch the ordinary quilt design into the extraordinary. By using a series of concepts, each building upon the next, you can transform traditional blocks into dynamic and artistic quilts. While the gallery of quilts offer plenty of inspiration, it's the clear explanations and illustrations, the no-rules approach, and continual "just try it" attitude that makes this book a winner.
Ricky Tims' Convergence Quilts: Mysterious, Magical, Easy, and Fun
His concept is simple: take at least two feature fabrics, cut them into strips of specified widths, sew them together, cut them apart again and sew them into a quilt top. Yet the results are stunning. Beginners wanting to try something a bit more artistic will enjoy this book and more advanced quiltmakers will enjoy incorporating some of his concepts into their work.
250 Continuous Line Quilting Designs for Hand, Machine & Long-Arm Quilters
After some ideas on what you can do with the designs—such as sizing, transferring, and hints for repeating images—this book is loaded with inspiring line drawings that can easily enhance any quilt top. Designs include home and garden, sewing notions, nature, sports themese, birds, animals, and fish motifs along with a selection of various textures. This book is destined to be a timeless treasure that quilters will refer to over and over for quilting ideas. Laura Lee is onto something very good with this book, and I suspect we’ll see more of her designs in the future.
Show Me How to Machine Quilt, a Fun, No-Mark Approach
Kathy’s friendly guide to no-mark machine quilting is perfect for beginners. She provides the basics on the quiltmaking process, offers trouble-shooting tips, a handful of projects, and 14 pages of “no-mark” quilting designs. Kathy encourages you to add spontaneity and fun to your machine quilting.
Laurel Burch Quilts Kindred Creatures, 12 Projects for Applique and maindbment
This colorful book immediately draws you into Laurel Burch’s whimsical world of kindred creatures. There are patterns for folkloric flutter-byes, hearts filled with love rainbow friends, mythical dogs, feline fairies, and other fanciful creatures. Laurel walks you through a selection of techniques where she explains her appliqué process, painting and drawing tips, and stitching ideas. Full size pattern sheets are included. This book will help you to create your own festive Laurel-like quilts.
Strips 'n Curves, A New Spin on Strip Piecing
The book is filled with sophisticated and stunning examples of quilts using Louisa’s technique of combining basic strip piecing with gentle curved shapes. At first glance, the quilts seem beyond the scope of a beginner. But, not so. While looking complicated, the quilts are actually straight-forward to construct. Louisa includes complete instructions, three projects, and addition design ideas. If you’re goal is to make some breathtaking quilts, take a look at this book.
Quilting Curves, An Innovative Technique for Machine-Piecing Curves with Incredible Ease
Vikki shares an innovative way to construct curves perfect for machine quilters. Using her technique, which she calls “topstitch piecing,” you can create twisting curves and sharp points without the normal headaches associated with this type of work. She includes several complete patterns, information on three-dimensional effects, borders and bindings, free-motion stitching, and a detailed chapter on designing your own quilt top. This though-provoking, invigorating book is the next best thing to having a private workshop with Vikki.
Free-Style Quilts: A "No Rules" Approach
Using Susan's easy-to-understand "no-rules approach," the premise for creating a fabric collage is simple: Cut fabric the size and shape you want, tack it in place with glue, keep adding fabrics until you have the desired image, and machine quilt. The results are spectacular. Susan shares a gallery of her underwater landscapes, fish, and portraits, an inspiring student gallery, three different patterns for you to try, and a chapter detailing how Susan went from an idea to a finished quilt. If you're yearning to break free and create collaged quilts, this book will show you the way.
The Quilted Garden, Design & Make Nature-Inspired Quilts
This captivating book is a delightful experience into the artistic world of Jane Sassaman who writes, "In working with colorful fabrics cut into dramatic shapes, I attempt to express the energy and mystery of our amazing universe . . . I want to dazzle the viewer, to snap them out of a mundane routine, and remind them that they are a part of a bigger comic picture." Dazzle the viewer she does with a gallery of over 60 striking quilts that boldly celebrate garden flowers and plants and with descriptions of what inspires her and how she claims and nutures her creativity. But this book does more than dazzle; it instructs. Jane not only discusses design, but she offers exercises in simplifying what you see, conscious arrangements, stylizing, and adding depth and interest to your design; she includes two projects that detail raw-edge or turned-edge applique and surface embroidery by machine; and Jane walks you through the steps of a formal quilt project. This impressive book is a grand addition to your quilting library.
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