We’re pleased as pumpkins to be the next stop on the blog tour for Natalia Bonner’s new book, Beginner’s Guide to Free-Motion Quilting (C&T Publishing, September 2012)!
Natalia Bonner
Natalia is a young mom of two who ditched her dental assistant job several years ago to become a machine quilter. She’s an award-winning quilter and teacher, and after being published in some magazines and collective books, got the bug to set down her own wisdom on how to learn free-motion quilting.
Her book is packed with useful info for newbie free-motion quilters who are yearning to whip out pebbles, flames, wood grain and other versatile modern quilting motifs on their home machines like a pro.(And for those who like a touch of tradition, she also includes her rendition of feathers and leaves.)
The pictures are clear and pretty and her workmanship is beautiful. What we really like is that it’s not just line drawings of different quilting patterns, but a blend of photos, illustrations and projects.
The photos and diagrams are carefully staged so you can see how each quilting design is formed and progresses across the cloth—perfect for beginners or anyone who wants to sharpen their technique.
What really sets Natalia’s maiden book effort apart from other tomes on free-motion quilting are the six fun modern quilt designs she’s included for you to make and stitch with your new-found free-motion skills. (We particularly like Amazed, which combines a pieced block and an appliquéd block to create a bold interlinked chain effect.)
Detail from Natalia's quilt, Amazed.
Now, Natalia suggested a theme for her book’s blog tour, specifically showcasing how our families help us—or inspire us—to quilt.
Megan Dougherty, GenQ’ s creative director, had this to say about how her family inspires her quilting and stitching:
“I can’t ever remember seeing my mother without a needle in her hand, whether she was doing needlepoint, cross stitch or crewel embroidery. In the early eighties, she learned how to quilt—by hand—and taught quilting for the next few decades. When my older sister decided to take up sewing, she fell into quilting and now works as the assistant manager of a quilt shop. The two of them have been my guides and my inspirations, and my husband and kids are the enthusiastic recipients of all my experiments in quilting over the last few years. And as I write this, my girls are both sitting at the kitchen table, hoops in hands, working on their first embroidery projects. I hope that when they grow up, they will say they can never remember their mother without a needle in her hand and that they will treasure the things that came from my hands as much as I treasure the ones that came from my mother’s and sister’s.”
Here’s the rest of the “blogging family” Natalia has invited to help her celebrate the birth of her book! Check out their posts, too!
Amy Webb – October 6
Melissa Corry – October 7
Melissa Mortensen - October 8
Stash Books – October 9
Amy Ellis - October 10
Kimberly Jolly – October 11
Vicki Christensen – October 12
Candy Glendening – October 13
Angela Yosten - October 14
Generation Q Magazine – October 15
Tracey Jacobsen – October 16
Vickie Eapen – October 17
And then Natalia wraps it up on Oct. 18 back at her blog, www.pieceandquilt.com, with one final giveaway.
What’s that noise? Are we forgetting something, you ask? Not! Of course there’s a giveaway. Leave a comment at the end of this post, telling us about an item you treasure that was sewn or quilted by a loved one. On Oct. 18, we’ll pick a winner from the commenters. (Note: If you’re a fan from outside the U.S., you’ll win an e-book version of Beginner’s Guide.) Thanks for stopping by!
{ 105 comments… read them below or add one }
My daughter made me a night gown several years ago that I love. She isn’t a sewer but did an amazing job.
I have a stuffed rocking horse that is made from a quilt of my grandmother’s. The quilt was fraying so my aunt made one for each grandchild. There is only 8 of us.
I love my quillow made by my Aunty, it lives permanently on my lounge and gets used all year round (I’m wrapped in it right now).
My mother and grandmothers, were’nt quilters. They were seamstress’ they made a lot of our clothes and their own clothes also. I don’t have any of the clothes they made, anymore. I do treasure my grandmothers buttons, I have them in a beautiful jar. I remember playing on the floor of my grandmothers sewing room, with her large button box, while she sewed. ;-> Toni Anne
My mother did mostly embroidery when I was little and before I was born. She also knitted and did some sewing. But all those crafts stopped once we grew, so there was no overlap between hers and mine. I did have a very cute drawstring breadbag with a scene embroidered by her, which I used daily. Sadly it got lost in our move last year. I know that she still has some of her work at home, that hopefully one day she will let me have for myself.
I have a beautiful quilted jacket that my m-n-l made for me. Thanks for the giveaway!
I treasure some old quilts that my grandmother and her sisters made that have recently been “found” in my attic and my mother’s.
Thanks for the give away!
My mom was a seamstress, sewing late into the night for clients and also for her three girls. My mom made most of my Sunday church dresses and holiday dresses, but the one item that I treasure most is my wedding dress. She made my dress as well as all the bridesmaids’ dresses. Beautiful! Thanks for the chance to win this book. Looking forward to learning how to free motion quilt someday soon
My grandma passed away a year ago and I was able to inherit most of her sewing notions including scissors and old thimbles. I still have many of the clothes she sewed me over the years and will always treasure her amazing sewing ability….as well has her passion for fabric that she passed on to me! Lisa in Texas
My grandmother hand quilted a queen sized quilt for me when I was a tween. It has almost no batting left, and isn’t very warm anymore, but I still use it every now and then!
We have 2 quilts that my husband’s aunt made, probably in the ’30s. True treasures!
I have a baby blanket that was sewn, embrodiered, and quilted by a very special friend when my oldest daughter was born. It was used so much and it is worn but it is priceless and still holds a place on the bed (ssshhhhh she is 25)…
lisamcgriff (at) hotmail (dot) com
I do not have a lot of handwork from my ancestors. I do have an embroidered tablecloth that I cherish.
Well, I have a few of special items. I think that I will lump them all together and say that my favorite ones are from the people that have since passed. I value them because it feels like a piece of them that I can still hold physically in this world. Makes them kinda sentimental. Thanks for the giveaway
Honestly I don’t have anything. I’ve already made sure that will never happen on my clock again. My son is going to have tons of quilts to pass down to his family one day.
I had a cousin who needlepointed, I quilted. She made me needlepoint pillows every year for Christmas. I lost them all in Katrina, but when my mom passed away, I inherited the ones she had made my mom, so everything’s good! I treasure them so much, because she was great – a very generous person.
I really treasure all the quilts that my mom has bound for me. Somehow we fell into this pattern. She finishes my quilt bindings for me. Thanks Mom!
THANKS! Your post is awesome!
My mother was a craft “starter”, and one closet was filled with projects never to be touched again. That’s why I make sure my kids and grands have lots of my quilts. Love seeing pics of them wrapped in a quilt I made. So, I’m starting a new memory.
I have some blankets that have been knitted for me and my daughters by my great grandma. I do not have a quilt
But now that I have started quilting myself each of my kids and husband have one to wrap themselves in my love 
My mother made me a Mariner’s Compass Quilt with matching pillows. She did it just for me in colors that I love. I treasure this quilt and her handquilting is wonderful.
My favorite item from someone else is the quilt my grandma made for my brother. It was passed down to me and now to my son. It’s ugly as sin but I love it to pieces
We have some quilts made by my husband’s grandma which are wonderful keepsakes. My family hasn’t had any quilters/sewists that I know of before me, so I am trying to provide many family members with homemade things they might treasure.
It is a blouse that my mom sewed out of a piece of white cotton fabric years ago and then she hand embroidered some flowers to embbelish it. It is very pretty and very special to me because it is my mom’s handmade. I will keep it forever!
I love a quilt my Mother made for me as a child. It was a scrap quilt backed with flannel and I loved it to death!
My mom used to sew most of my clothes. Those were what I treasured most, though none of the clothes were kept but when I see my childhood photos I have a very fond memories of each of the dresses she’s made
I have a handkerchief from my great grandma that I love, love, love. She did both sewing and tatting on it and it is such a treasure.
I have baby blankets for each of my three children that were made by my Mother. I also have a crocheted baby blanket that my Mom made for my oldest daughter, who is 29. I have made quilts for each of my three granddaughters and for my great nephews and nieces as a way of carrying on my Mom’s traditions. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Natala’s book.
I love the crocheted bed spread made by my great-grandmother.
I treasure one of the two identical quilts my late grandmother made for my dad and his late brother when they were little boys. She hated making quilts even though she was an accomplished seamstress and never made another one.
I still have two dresses my mom sewed for me, one for my baptism and the other for a prom in high school. So fun to have reminders of those great memories! Thanks for the giveaway!
I have a pair of crazy patchwork pillow shams made years ago by a dear friend.
Unfortimately I have nothing made by someone close.I was promised a quilt but that never hapened.I am making sure that my family has something that I made.I hope that they think goods thoughts when they look at it.
My country wedding dress was made by my mom. It isn’t fancy, made from a pretty calico type fabric but I love it and the fact that she made it for me.
When my daughter was 11 (she’s now 20 and hates to sew!!) she made two table runners … one for Halloween and the other for Thanksgiving … I love them and use them every year on the dining room table!
After my maternal grandmother passed away in 1959, I was given a quilt kit she had started. She had completed only one of the blocks. I was a freshman in high school at this time, but I worked at it on and off and finally completed the blocks which consisted of 6 appliqued roses, embroidered stems and tied together with an embroidered ribbon. After I finished, I put it away. Several years later, my Mother took the completed blocks to my paternal grandmother. She put it together and along with two of my aunts, they hand quilted it. My Mother surprised me with the finished quilt in 1966. This quilt is special to me because it has the excellent handwork of both of my grandmothers in making it.
I have a quilted wall hanging my grandmother made me when I was about 9 or 10. It now hangs in my son’s room!
My mother and I started quilting at about the same time but didn’t realize it. Mom does most of hers by hand, while I do as much with my machine as humanly possible! Got an email from my sister the other day and she’s thinking about getting a sewing machine. Maybe she’ll catch the bug too!
No one in my family sews, so I don’t have any treasured objects from others. I really love and appreciate the things that I have made for my family, though. I am sort of depressed now… I’ll be OK, though…
My grandmother made many quilts, but I only got one floursack quilt top . She did crochet many doll clothes for me though!
I have two treasured items, the first one is a quilt top my grandmother paper pieced that I have yet to make into a quilt and a quilt the my mother pieced Dresden plates and handquilted.
My aunt made me my first “cabbage patch kid.” She has blond yarn hair and was my favorite doll. I named her Mary Lou after the gymnast and my hero.
Since I’m the sewer in my family….I love my boys’ receiving blankets that they came home from the hospital with!
My aunt made me a beautiful maple leaf quilt.
Thanks for the giveaway!
My grandmother made a quilt for each of her grandchildren, entirely stitched by hand from old clothes and whatever other fabric she had available. She had numerous grandchildren, so it was an amazing accomplishment. Mine is safely tucked away in a quilt keeper, and I bring it out from time to time to admire and refold.
I love a quilt my grandmother made for me when I was 18. It is a crazy quilt she made all by hand. I have her unfinished quilt that I will finish one day to honor her memory.
I have a log cabin quilt that my grandmother made for me. She is no longer with me so I do treasure this quilt.
thanks for the giveaway. I would love this book.
my sis made a quilt for me long before i started quilting myself. she worked and quilted it herself … shades of teal, pieced, the pattern intricate, like a triple infinity figure. i’ve forgotton the name, and, i’ve not seen another pattern like it as i browse the blogs and shops and pattern sites across the web. i have it on a quilt stand where it can be admired by all.
I have a 12-inch throw pillow that was made by my mother, and the central lace medallion she used was crocheted by her mother. It’s beautiful!
We have a quilt pieced by my great-grandmother, and a quilt pieced by my husband’s great-grandmother. Both of our grandmothers had the tops quilted for wedding gifts for us. Very, very special! Thanks for a chance at this fabulous book. I’m a new quilter and could really use it!
I did so enjoy looking over your blog, then checking out Natalie’s book….great book. My paternal grandmother made many quilts and decorative pillow covers with old fabrics. I treasure the ones I have.
My wedding dress which was sewn partly by me, but also party by my Mum. I think that’s why I’ve still got the dress even though I’ll never fit it again we put too much work and love into it to get rid of it.
I have a couple wonderful quilts that were made by some of my mother’s older relatives. One of them has been loved so much that it is in tatters and it is one of my goals to create a new one, reminiscent of the old.
In terms of sewn items, I saved some of the outfits my mother made for me when I was growing up.
A cross-stitch quilt by my grandmother.
My mom has made everybody Christmas Stockings since we were kids….I still have my original one and can remember as a little girl watching her finish it up on Christmas Eve…a very prized possesion.
I have a christening/blessing dress that was made for my grandmother by a relative. It is very lovely! My mom wore it, I wore it, and all 3 of my daughters wore it! Such a sweet hand-me-down!
jpshirley@ymail.com
Mom was an outdoorsy, non-domestic type, so I was surprised when she gave me several Grandmother’s Flower Garden blocks she had pieced some 60 years earlier. I appliquéd them onto fabric I hand-dyed and made a quilted tabletopper that I call Heritage Garden.
I have the only quilt in the family. It’s a yellow and white snowball design made by my grandmother and a great-aunt. It’s never used because I have more than 100 quilts of my own! Thanks for the chance to win this book.
i made quilt’s for people i worked with before their babies were born and 20 years later they still have those quilts
My husband’s aunt sewed him a gorgeous quilt years and years ago, and we still have it on our bed!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I have the quilt that my Great-Grandmother made for my Dad – well, the shreds that remain anyway, as it was meant to be USED & so it was! Dad said she made it when he was around 9 years old (he’s 95.5 now) – that she always waited to see what kind of person the child was going to be – so that would have been about 1926. Oh, and Dad’s was done in the pattern “Wheel of Fortune”. Since he once supported us by playing Pinochle, I think she was spot on!
My older sister Darlene made me a queen size quilt as a wedding gift. It was her first and only quilt. She sewed love with every stitch because she knows how much I love quilts.
I cherish a quilt that my mother made for me while in college. It has embroidered cats, and then she pieced them into a cute arrangement, and then made it a two sided quilt. My husband loved it then (no quilters on his side of the family) and still loves it. I do too. We still use it! (it hasn’t been used up yet, but it’s getting there).
Such neat quilting! I have a quilt my grandma made for me. It was loved alot when I was a kid and now I have it packed away to keep it safe. I do bring it out sometimes, hug it and refold it and put it back away.
Thank you for a super giveaway and a chance to win a neat book.
usairdoll(at)gmail(dot)com
I have a quilt that was made by my great-grand mother. It is the Caroline Lily pattern. It must not have been exposed to light very often because the green and red fabrics are both in great condition.
Well, I don’t have any quilts sewn by loved ones, but I treasure my first quilt.
When I was 14 years old my highschool went on strike. I was “volunteered” by my father to go help look after my grandmother, who had just fell down and broke her arm and ankle. I was there for several months ( very long months to a teenager ) and in that time she taught me to hand sew quilt blocks. The small dresdens were already sewn into circles, but she taught me how to handsew them onto the blocks and then let me pick out, cut and sew on the middle circles. I also met her quilt group, who I thought were a bunch of ” old ladies”. They were sitting around a large quilt frame working on a fellow member’s childs wedding quilt.
2 years later my dad handed me a box, in it was the quilt all done up and hand quilted by that group. My grandmother passed away several months after I recieved it. My own daughter treasures it now as I passed it on to her.
I have nothing
but my husband has a blanket that was made for him when he was a baby. The poor thing is barely hanging on by a thread. It’s being buried with him!
I have a teddy bear that my late grandmother made for me when I was a baby – made from a fur stole that she had with button eyes & hand stitched nose & mouth. Teddy is well worn & much loved & is my most treasured posession. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Natalia’s book.
When my daughter was about 11, she embroidered a little rabbit onto a piece of fabric. I made it into a pillow, and it makes me happy every time I look at it. Last year, she and I made a quilt together. I’m thankful that she’s got some sewing in her!
My grandma made me (after my sisters wore it and handed it down) a beautiful lined jacket made out of curtains.
I have my mom’s baby blanket, pieced by my grandmother during the Depression. The fabrics are authentic feedsacks; the contents fed my grandfather’s livestock before my grandmother received the sacks.
I had a handmade doll “Betsy” when I was growing up that I loved and played with all the time. Thanks for the chance to win!
I have a quilt top created by my great-great grandmother at the turn of the century (2oth, of course). It is my most precious treasure!
I have on my bed a king size quilt with a storm at sea pattern that my mum pieced by hand and began hand quilting. Before she died she asked my MIL(also a quilter) to finish it for her. So now I have a beautiful quilt made with love, by both sides of our family. It is treasured.
I treasure an adorable baby dress my mom sewed for me, is a bright green fabric with pink little roses, and I LOVE it (if only I could wear it now!) but my little girl wore it last summer after 35 years! °°
maybe is for this reason that my favorite colors are green and pink better if togheter? (I realized this right now!)
I love my quilt made by my grandma!
I love my quilt made by my grandma!!!
Although my mom sewed a lot and made some quilts she didn’t start applique quilting until she was in her 70′s. She then decided to make each one of us at least one (I have 2) appliqued wall hangings. These are not your mini-wall hangings, they are about 36″ x 45″ , first pieced and then appliqued – BY HAND! By the way, there are 6 of us that she created these for and I treasure mine. Every time I get tired machine piecing and quilting, I just look at her quilts and think of the love in each one of them.
My grandmother sewed the smartest doll clothes for my Chrissy doll when I was a child. My mother later gave the doll and her wardrobe to Goodwill, so I don’t have any of them. Other than that, I am the only sewist/quilter in the family, so I am the one giving handmade items to family members.
It was baby dress my mom made for my daughter. She didn’t sew a lot but she did make a few for her.
When I was a senior in high school, my grandmother refinished an antique trunk and lined it as my graduation gift. I will always treasure it. It holds my most precious items.
I have an embroidered picture that we found after my grandmother passed away. It is of an English thatched cottage and garden in a variety of stitches. My mother and I both added to the picture in our own styles. Now my Mom is gone too, but the picture is signed and dated, and I treasure it!
I have some quilts that were made for my sons by my grandmother that are treasures. They have scraps of clothes that I made for my boys in them. She also made a couple of other quilts for me before I had children. She did almost everything by hand or on a treadle sewing machine. Thank you for the giveaway.
Have a super great sewing and stitching day.
I have two quilts that my grandmother hand quilted. They make me so happy and inspire me every day
I treasure my Christmas quilt that my MIL pieced and quilted for me…and it was her first quilt! And she did FMQ on her old Singer!
Every Christmas when I get it out, I admire all of the hard work and love she put into it. 
I never got to meet my grandmother and quite a few things “disappeared” to other family members but I love a handmade scrap quilt she made. It’s falling apart so I have it tucked away.
My best friend surprised me with a lap quilt made out of fabric I was caught petting in a store we visited on a “Shop Hop” together. It was beautiful and I cherish it everyday.
My mom made the most amazing receiving blanket for my firstborn. It was silk ribbon embroidered and had lace around the edges that she made by hand. So pretty.
I have the baby quilt my mother made and was used by all 3 of the girls in my family. It is pieced and appliqués.
I’ve inherited the sweetest hand pieced, quilted and hand embroidered baby quilt ever! It’s a true heirloom!
When I was a freshman in college, my mom sewed me a dress for my spring formal. It took her a lot of time, but she never complained. I love how much care she put into every stitch.
My treasure, I have a small bucket that my mother as a child used to get milk from a farm down the road. She grew up in the countryside of France.
My godmother made me a hand quilted small pillow when I was tiny, and I treasure it muchly!
My 10 year old daughter made me a pillow which I love! It was her first attempt at sewing and she spent so much time just getting it right. It’s a true treasure!
My prom dress (a million years ago!) sewn by my mom. It was floaty & made me feel like a princess. Mom taught me to sew & is with me for every stitch I take. Faith.
I love all the sweet little baby quilts and crocheted blankets given to my babies. We’ve got so many talented friends and family!
My next door neighbor hand quilted a baby quilt for me. I love it and it hangs on the wall in a hallway, away from direct sunlight!
My grandma made me a quilt many years ago when I was young. I treasure it, as I will never get another one… Thanks for a chance to win!
I have a quilt that my sister in love made for me when we moved into our new home two years ago. The colors are perfect and the quilting is great! Such a treasure. She could not have given us a better house warming gift!
I actually don’t have anything that anyone has given me that was sewn or quilted by them. Most people don’t give me things that they have sewn because they know that I sew and my mother did not sew.
I have a red and blue Sunbonnet Sue quilt that my grandma made for me. It’s only 36×45 and the edges are getting really worn, but it’s my favorite. I just display it now, but used it as a kid.
I only have one pieced top sewn by my Mother. It’s just a onepatch but all of fabrics we both can pick out and reminense where each square was used from. She just celebrated her 94th Birthday.
My grandmother made me nightgowns when she was alive.