Scoops: With a Little Help from our Friends

We here at GenQ have had the blessing of many good friends over the last six months–friends who have lifted us when we were dropping and who offer their time and talents to us freely, just because they like us for some reason. We love our friends and we love it even more when their creativity shines brightly and we can benefit from it in other ways.

Here we have two books from good friends of ours. And, yes, we want to support their efforts so we’re moved to review them, but more than that, they deserve the shout-out because what they’ve offered for our quilting/reading pleasure is solid work with something you’ll be able to learn from. So may we present…our friends!

Bobbin, Quiltin’ & Fusin’ Fun

Michele Scott

AQS, 2011, $26.95

If you ever get the chance to have a conversation with Michele, don’t hesitate. In fact, dive right in! ‘Cuz this girl is as wild and crazy as we come. But more than that, she’s long on talent and short on diva-ness and that makes you feel like she could be your next best friend.

Michele just happens to be a teacher as well, and one that works with fourth-graders, which means that she’s also great at teaching us adults who sometimes stumble over our fear of making mistakes. Her book is as much a pep talk to snap us out of ourselves and have fun with our quilting as it is about techniques for successful raw-edge applique.

This isn’t just a book about raw-edge and fusible applique. It’s actually more about how to finish your projects with free-motion machine quilting and bobbin work. Bobbin work refers to when you load a bobbin with thicker threads or thin yarns and use the bobbin as your primary top thread. Because the bobbin can handle the flow of thicker thread better than a sewing machine needle, you’re working from the bottom up on your quilt. But, like any technique, it has its tricks to perfection and Michele does an excellent job of passing her knowledge on in her chatty, easily-read way.

One of our favorite moments is this tip, “Just learning machine quilting? For the love of Pete, start with a smaller quilt…” We’ve been preaching that one for years! And in case you can’t find a small quilt to play with, use one of her 10 projects. All are great canvases for your stitching, which is as it should be. Willow Tree is especially pretty with its rainbow of colors.

Transparency Quilts

Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr

C&T Publishing, 2011, $27.95

You will never find a couple more dedicated to their craft than Weeks and Bill. This married pair work their fannies off to create simple, interesting and  artful quilts and they were doing it modern before almost everyone else was. There’s a lot to learn from them and that’s what Transparency is about, learning. And specifically about color.

Transparent quilts are quilts that work with layers of colors created from the overall design. The resulting design looks transparent, hence the name.

Weeks and Bill explore color theory, offering solid and simple advice on how to select colors to create the illusion of transparency. Then they dish up 10 projects to practice your coloring skills. Quilt honestly, we spent a lot of the time with this book just ogling the incredible designs! Mint Julep and Whisper are two examples of quilts that left us wanting more, much more, and we were bummed we had to settle for a mere 10!

Besides the quilts and the color instructions, Weeks and Bill have done a great job of providing real fabric examples of what works and what doesn’t work when selecting fabrics for these projects. Leaves us feeling like we, too, can make these beauties!