Scoop: Your Kids Aren't the Only Ones Who Get New Books this Month

Yes, sweet pea! You, too, deserve some new food for thought, and we’ve got a few printed wonders here for you. Check out these four books, two by Charles & David and two by American Quilter’s Society (AQS), each bringing us a healthy dose of q-spiration. However, before you loudly retort that these books are a wee bit mainstream, remember this: Just because a book highlights a traditional technique doesn’t mean that modern-styled quilters can’t glean some guidance or find a creative springboard for what we prefer to do. Info in, inspiring work out!

Beautiful Wild Flower Applique
Zena Thorpe
American Quilter’s Society, 2011
www.AmericanQuilter.com
Softcover, 96 pages, $26.95

When it comes to hand applique, there is probably no one better at it than Zena. That’s a strong statement to make, but when you see this Brit’s incredible handwork in person, you’ll know the truth too. Her quilts are masterpieces, and that’s not us saying so. She’s got the ribbons to prove it, as well as the elite designation of being a member of the Master Quilter’s Guild.

In this her second book with AQS, Zena explores her designs and techniques for realistic looking hand-appliqued flowers. The flora and fauna samples ranging from bell heather to wild strawberry are so finely stitched you can barely make out the stitches on the close ups. Though more than half of her life has been spent in sunny Southern California, Zena’s British heritage influences her designs, which are mostly derived from traditional British images and natural studies (such as these flowers). This book provides the patterns for 32 flowers and specific techniques for completing them. It’s all about the handwork, and while any applique can be adapted into much simpler methods, like fusible, take a stab at one of these. Make a pillow or small wallhanging. It’s all about breaking into something different. And that’s what makes it worthy of your shelf space.

Give & Take Fabric Applique
Daphne Greig & Susan Purney Mark
American Quilter’s Society, 2011
www.AmericanQuilter.com
Softcover, 80 pages, $24.95

This is a cool technique. You start with one quilt block, a square of one fabric and two squares of a second fabric. Transfer the block’s pattern onto template plastic or freezer paper. Cut the pattern shapes from the single square of fabric. Then lay out the alternating sections of the block between the two background fabrics and voila! You have a two mirror image blocks. Of course you still have to do the fusible applique part and the stitching (there’s gotta be a reason to buy the book,  after all) but it’s actually a fairly simple design technique that can lend itself to some pretty complex designs.

Daphne and Susan provide a dozen quilts to try out some of the scarier quilt designs in this simple method. Double Wedding Ring and New York Beauty are two examples. There is no needle turning, no points to perfect. It’s all about the fuse. What we really like about this book, besides that idea that we can get away without piecing points for our next New York Beauty, is that it’s simple enough for kids to play with and there is some excellent tutoring on how to stitch the raw edges of your block’s pieces. If you’re craving an afternoon to work up some great blocks into some great quilts, grab this book. It’s almost instant gratification.

Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts: 10 Stunning Sampler Quilts to Make from over 50 Patchwork Blocks
Pam & Nicky Lintott
A David & Charles Book, 2011
www.rucraft.co.uk
Softcover, 128 pages, $24.99

Pam and Nicky are a mother-daughter quilt design team out of the UK that specializes in those highly addictive 2 ½” strips of fabric, called Jelly Rolls. With at least four other books to their credit (we’ve lost count), we bow before their strippy greatness on a regular basis.

In this variation on the roll theme, the gals have developed traditional patchwork blocks made mostly from 2 ½” strips and then partnered them in varied arrangements to create sampler quilts. For newbies, here’s what that means: A sampler quilt showcases many different blocks on one quilt and is a great quilt for beginners to gnaw on as they learn basic piecing tricks. By working with pre-cut strips, much of the grunt work is done, leaving more time for the fun stuff—sewing. Their genius comes, always, in the incredible variety they manage to achieve from the same basic component—the strip. And even more incredible is that their designs, while usually working with a single collection of fabric strips, manage not to look too matchy-matchy. If you’re looking for some clever quilts from those hoarded strips, this book is an excellent buy.

Japanese Quilt Inspirations: 14 Easy-to-Make Projects Using Japanese Fabrics
Susan Briscoe
A David & Charles Book, 2011
www.rucraft.co.uk
Softcover, 128 pages, $24.99

Here’s another book we can gush over. What Zena is to applique and the Lintotts are to strips, Susan is to Japanese style. Go ahead, we dare you to disprove this. (Cheeky, aren’t we?) Her books reflect the wide range within the Japanese genre of quilt-making, from sashiko to small patchwork and applique blocks.

In her latest release, Susan plays with both the fabrics and the design aesthetics that sing proudly, “We are Japanese if You Please…” (That’s our version of the classic Lady and the Tramp song, guys…) Anyway, back from the digression highway, Susan’s projects include quilts, bags and home dec items, and they’re gorgeous, glorious and just waiting for your next free sewing moments. There’s a little bit of all techniques included here, from patchwork to sashiko and applique, but none are so complex as to send you running away in tears. And, just in case great projects weren’t enough, the book’s photography is pure eye candy. So worth your allowance.