Showing posts with label inspiring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiring. Show all posts

2/18/2011

Applique Outside the Lines with Piece O'Cake Designs: No Rules-No Ruler (Piece O Cake Designs) [Paperback] Review

Applique Outside the Lines with Piece O'Cake Designs: No Rules-No Ruler [Paperback]An unconventional approach to quilting, "No Rules, No Ruler".Love it!There are eight different projects included and each are simply stunning.Once again Becky and Linda have assembled an eye catching array of fabrics and so perfectly arranged them into beautiful quilts, what fabulouse inspiration.I'm hooked on Piece O' Cake Designs!As with their other books, instructions are very clear and all templates are provided for the quilts included in the book. They also include discussions on fabric choices and hints along the way.Bird on a Branch is my first project from the book.I have all my fabrics and can't wait to get started!

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Product Description:
Put down your ruler and create beautiful, freeform quilts with Piece O' Cake's new improvisational applique and piecing techniques.

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2/10/2011

Passionate Patchwork: Over 20 Original Quilt Designs [Hardcover] Review

Passionate Patchwork: Over 20 Original Quilt Designs [Hardcover]If you're a color junkie, if the sight of a newly-opened six-row box of Crayolas leaves you breathless, and if you walk through fabric stores just for the color hit, then "Passionate Patchwork" is a book for you. Without a doubt, the projects in this book are made up in the most sophisticated and exciting palettes ever seen in a quilt book. And the quilts--all of which look eminently doable, even by a rank beginner--are photographed in such lush, visually sumptuous settings that you can happily spend hours simply "reading" the photos. The other thing I like about this book is that these quilts are quite possible. We are not talking about quilts with 75 differently shaped chunks of fabric that must be pieced into each block. These quilts are not exercises in perfectionistic anality, but are made of simple geometric shapes that let the fabric do the talking, and leave the quiltmaker with sanity intact. Admittedly, one of the authors does have a signature line of fabric, and many quilts photographed make extensive use of that line. But any quilter's fabric stash already contains many comparable textiles that could be put to more sophisticated use, in exciting new combinations shown in this book. Several of the quilts in this book make use of "orphan" blocks that are showcased by being re-set with imaginative new uses of color and fabric pattern. This seems a respectful use and transformation of handwork from earlier times: the newly-made quilts look fresh and exciting, even when they used segements of old cliche patterns such as wedding ring and grandmother's flower garden. But you don't have to be a quilter to love this book. Although it has simple, easy-to-follow diagrams and directions for each product, the book could just as well appeal to knitters, painters, weavers, decorators or anyone else with a love of and appetite for color used creatively. I have already picked out my next few quilting projects inspired by this book. (The "rice bowl" and "hatbox" quilts are particularly compelling). That I would use quilts in this book as a model is certainly something I could not say for nine out of every ten other quilting books published. But ``Passionate Patchwork" has sophistication and verve, appealing to both the traditional quilter and and the fans of the cutting-edge contemporary. Bottom line? I love this book.

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10/19/2010

Thoroughly Modern Dresden: Quick & Easy Construction 13 Lively Quilt Projects for All Skill Levels [Paperback] Review

Thoroughly Modern Dresden: Quick & Easy Construction 13 Lively Quilt Projects for All Skill Levels [Paperback]I have been quilting for seven years and devour as much quilt literature and periodicals as I can.I thought this was a well written, easy to understand, and enjoyable book.I recommend it for anyone who wishes to expand on the Dresden plate theme.Anelie Belden, the author, understands quiltmakers and encourages us to use her projects as a jumping off point to expand our own ideas.She does that beautifully.
Visually, the book is stunning and the fabric choices of her projects are cheerful and engaging.
**All of the projects in this book are for plates with twenty blades.**My Dresden tool is for plates with sixteen blades (I use the Marti Michelle tool, not the "Fast 2 Cut" one she recommends in the book) but I am having no problems adapting the projects accordingly.I do strongly recommend, that if you are going to make a lot of Dresden plates, you should get yourself a Dresden plate rotary cutting template.Life will be a lot easier!!

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Product Description:
Not your grandmother's Dresden Plate quilts! 13 lively quilts serve up a visual feast of up-to-the-minute colors and styles.

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7/10/2010

Kaffe Fassett's Country Garden Quilts [Paperback] Review

Kaffe Fassett's Country Garden Quilts [Paperback]Although my taste can differ wildly from his, I never tire of looking at Kaffe Fassett's designs and getting a peek at how his mind works.I have all of his books, and this latest strikes me as a return to some of his strongest ideas.His multi-layered wall-of-color quilts are amazing.You think about color differently after seeing them (even if you think about color a lot).Old familiar pieced patterns have the power to surprise, when interpreted by Fassett.

As always, Brandon Mably and Liza Prior Lucy make beautiful contributions to this collection, and there is a beautiful quilt by newcomer (to KF's books) Jane Brocket.Fassett has an excellent eye for others' work, too.

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Product Description:
Kaffe Fassett presents 20 magnificent quilts bursting with floral themes and his trademark color combinations -- all luxuriously photographed against the stunning backdrop of lush English country gardens. Based on Fassett's signature line of Rowan fabrics, the pieces have been designed by some of the world's finest quilters, including Liza Prior-Lucy, Pauline Smith, and Robert Horton. And the gorgeous photography is just the start: Complete instructions for creating each museum-quality quilt are also included. Plus, Fassett draws from his 30 years of experience to offer tips and techniques that every quilter will treasure. This new collection from a master will be eagerly embraced by his fans worldwide.

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7/09/2010

Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance: 20 Designs from Rowan for Patchwork and Quilting (Patchwork and Quilting) [Paperback] Review

Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance: 20 Designs from Rowan for Patchwork and Quilting [Paperback]I have a least 6 or 7 of the books in the Kaffe Fassett series, but this one is a notch off the better ones. The quilts are easy, and the fabrics, as always, are stunning. However, the quilt patterns are beginning to look a bit like ones in previous books. They show off the big patterns in the fabric, but they don't seem unique. If you are only going to get one or two books from this series - check out Quilt Road (my favorite) or Quilts in the Sun. You can use the patterns in those with the newer fabrics he has out now. Even if the quilt patterns are getting stale - the fabrics are as gorgeous as ever!

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Product Description:
Taking a journey back in time, Kaffe Fassett presents 20 glorious new quilts that feature all the romance of a time gone by. The eleventh in the series of bestselling quilt-pattern collections, Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance is a study in pastels and tradition set against the dramatic Italianate architecture of a tiny Welsh village. Based on Fassett's signature line of Rowan fabrics, the pieces have been designed by some of the world's finest quilters, including Liza Prior-Lucy, Pauline Smith, Robert Horton, and introducing Kim McClean, an Australian quilt designer and teacher. The stunning photos by Debbie Patterson are just the start: complete instructions for creating each museum-quality quilt are included along with tips and techniques that Fassett has gathered in his more than 30 years of experience. Every quilter will treasure this next book in the series from an international favorite.

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