Scoop: Bookish Treats

Gluttony is its own reward, when the object of your noshing is a tasty book, or three. And we’ve got some new, quilty book-treats here to delight your creative tastes. How can you resist sampling a book with nearly two dozen fun, fresh pillow projects, a meaty how-to on unleashing your inner design wizard and an exotic array of Japanese-infused projects?

Isn’t it great that books don’t have calories?

Pillow Pop: 25 Quick Sew Projects to Brighten Your Space
Compiled by Heather Bostic
Stash Books
www.stashbooks.com
128 pages, softcover, $15.95

Used to be pillows were covered with the same or complementary fabric found in your drapes or furniture. (Yawn!) Thankfully, home dec has evolved and now we get to play with all sort of clever cushion ideas, as in this lively collective effort by Heather. (She is so on-trend!)

She’s gathered 22 hot blogger-stitchers and asked them to whip up some uber-dreamy pillows. Now, a pillow top is sorta like a small quilt, so design choices are endless. From Amber Carillo’s charming You Are My Sunshine to Erin Singleton’s clever Don’t Be Square and Tacha Bruecher’s fresh take in Union Jack, there’s plenty here to inspire.

Design, Create, and Quilt: How to Design a Quilt-Lessons, Techniques and Patterns
By Rose Hughes
Martingale
martingale-pub.com
96 pages, softcover, $26.99

Rose is a great friend to us here at GenQ and a regular driver in our Test Drive features. We cherish her blend of artistry, nurturing voice and simple, effective techniques that she’s been sharing with the q-niverse in classes and books since 1996. So in the interest of impartiality, we gave Rose’s third book to the newest GenQ team member team, Tracy, to review. Her thoughts:

“This book patiently urges you on to the creativity that Rose knows lives inside you,” says Tracy. “She leads you to a place where you can begin to design and create your own quilts. She helps you to think like an artist.

“The book’s 11 projects and numerous techniques will help you expand your sewing repertoire. We recommend it for anyone who really wants to create their own designs and art quilts, but doesn’t know how to begin.”

Japanese Quilting Piece by Piece: 29 Stitched Projects from Yoko Saito
By Yoko Saito
Interweave Press
www.interweave.com 
152 pages, softcover, $26.95

Japanese quilting is often characterized by intricate handwork and luscious, rich colors that often start with taupe. Open this book, though, and be prepared to be amazed.

Yoko is an award-winning quilter who’s written many books in Japanese for her native country, but this is the first written for an English audience. You’ll find 29 projects, including three quilts, an apron and many handbags, that are unlike anything you’ve seen before. Whether whimsical (the Pouch with Dog and Cat Appliqué) or elegant (Trapezoidal Bag with New York Beauty) you will be enchanted by her fine workmanship and creativity.

Similar to Japanese quilting magazines, she uses diagrams to explain how to make each project. The descriptions are thorough and the full-size templates come on a large pattern sheet. Pure inspiration!