Out of the Box

I was tired and not feeling well when I arrived home today, but there was a package for me that held Mary Lou Weidman’s book Out of the Box, so as quickly as possible, I sneaked off with my new book.  I flipped through the book to get a quick peek at everything and then sat down to read.  It was exactly what I needed to feel better!  I love her quilts!  They are a style quite different than mine, but full of color, fun and lots of energy.   Her book is chock full of helpful advice, along with lots of great information that can be applied to any style, and even many other media, not just quilts, and she urges all of us to get out there and create our own art.  Of course, she gives us all the instructions we need to get started making story quilts!

The Big Book of Patchwork

It's time for be to get back to doing book reviews, so here goes...

The Big Book of Patchwork by Judy Hopkins

So many beautiful quilts in one book!  Most, if not all can be made from your stash, because there are table runners which don’t take much fabric at all, 2-color quilts, quilts using multiple fabrics for each color, and of course, lots of scrappy quilts.  She begins with choosing your fabric and basic quilting techniques, then moves on to all the patterns – all 50 of them!!!

The samples for the projects in The Big Book of Patchwork are made of a variety of fabrics from 30’s prints to solids, batiks, plaids, and even Asian fabrics.  You could even make one design with fabrics that you see in another, and you could use this one book to make a gift for everyone you know.  

Quilter's Newsletter Reviewed my Book!!!

Quilter's Newsletter has a reviewed my book in Staff Pics in their June / July issue!  They also have a short review of my book on their blog and are giving away a copy!  Here's the link to their post:  http://www.quiltersnewsletter.com/blogs/insideqn/2011/06/06/book-giveaway/

To celebrate, I'll also give away a copy to someone who posts a comment to this post on my blog by Monday, June 13th!  So you have 2 chances to win a copy!

Book Review - Skinny Quilts & table runners

I love this book! With designs from traditional to very contemporary, there are projects for everyone. Just like her first book, Eleanor has 15 projects from a wide variety of famous quilt designers, and as I turn the page I see a quilt that would either look great in my house, or a gift for someone I know. I’ve been wanting to take a class with Sue Benner, and here I find one of her designs to make and learn from. I also love Melinda Bula’s designs, and of course, there is a beautiful wisteria design of her’s to make! Recently, I’ve been bitten by the wool bug, and lo and behold, I find a Sue Spargo design. Last year I started weaving, and yep, there’s even a woven table runner in here, designed by Eleanor! There are also many quick projects, including designs by Karla Alexander, Judy Hooworth, and Jane Davila, who’s quit also has unusual metal accents.

Leave a comment on THIS POST by Monday, September 6th, for a chance to win a copy of Skinny Quilts & table runners II.

Machine Quilting Made Easy - Review and Giveaway!

What can I say, I love this book! It’s the one I learned to machine quilt from, and one of the ones I always recommend to my students (along with quilting discs)! This book has all the information you need to start quilting your quilts, from adjusting the thread tension to step-by-step lessons. In the back of the book there are charts with detailed information on all kinds of threads you can quilt with as well as needles and threads that can be couched onto your quilt and all through the book are pictures showing the quilting on gorgeous quilts!

If you'd like to win a copy, just leave a comment on this post by August 18th for a chance to win. Good luck!

Don't forget the giveaway

Today's the last day to leave a comment on my Skinny Quilts and Table Runners review and giveaway post, as tomorrow is the day to pick a winner of the first book in the stack of books I've received to review from Martingale. All the books are new, not used and it's such a beautiful book, I'm sure the winner will love it, and if you're not a quilter, maybe you know someone who does and would love to receive it!

I've found a random number generator at RANDOM.ORG, and plan to use it for this and future giveaways, as it will make it much faster, and as fair as possible:-)

Skinny Quilts & Table Runners review and giveaway

Ok, here's the stack of books I'm starting with, and the first book I'd like to tell you about is:

Skinny Quilts and Table Runners is a wonderful book showcasing table runners designed by 15 different designers (in their own style), which I would love to have on my table. As I turn the page to each new design, I see another beautiful runner, and wish I had time to make all of them. If I didn't already own a copy, I’d be tempted to keep it for myself, or running to the store to purchase it.

Some of the runners, like the Rosy Runner and Summer Picnic are quick and easy designs that I could see making as an almost last minute gift, while others like the cover quilt, Arc-i-TEXTURE stimulate my love to try out new techniques. By the SEA wants me to make it to hang on my wall, Arnold MARATHON and TEA 4 Two say “party” to me, and A Garden of SEASONS is calling me to make it, just so I can work with wool! I’m hoping I’ll have a chance to make one of these soon, but since I love all the projects in Skinny Quilts & Table Runners, there’s no telling which one could be first!

All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post by August 1st (including some way to contact you) to be included in the drawing, and on Monday, August 2nd, one of you will win Skinny Quilts & Table Runners. Good luck!