Sew Mama Sew Giveaway (Week?) - a giveaway and a book review of sorts

I am a couple of days late to this party, but since Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day is really a whole week, I thought I would join in late, rather than never.

Today, I am giving away a new copy of one of my favorite books, Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters.

I reference this book almost every time I sit down to quilt something.  For example, recently, when I quilted my version of Jess's Giant Chevron pattern.  I chose a different design for each color of my chevron from the book to practice.

There is the Seafoam design (one of my favorites):

Wood Grain with Knots:

A modified version of Angela's "Plume Feather":

Geometric Allover:

Could I have picked a fuzzier section of this quilt to photograph?  Sorry!

I also recently used her Flower Power design on my commission quilt:

And there are still loads more designs that I haven't tried out yet.   This book is an excellent resource, whether you quilt on your domestic machine (like me) or on a long arm. I especially love how Angela walks you through drawing each design, step by step.

If you don't have this book, now is your chance to win it!  Or, you could always gift it to a friend in need.  It is the season of giving after all.

To enter, please leave me a comment telling me what your favorite quilting design is.  My followers get a 2nd entry, please leave me an additional comment telling me how you follow (Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin, Feedly, etc.); I am curious how you follow me.  MAKE SURE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMENT, please.  I still get a lot of no-reply comments, and if I can't contact you, I will have to draw again.

This giveaway will be open until December 13th at 5 pm PST.  THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!  I will randomly choose a winner and notify them by email by December 15th.  International entries are welcome.

Now go enter some more of the giveaway at Sew Mama Sew.  There are some really fantastic bloggers giving away fantastic prizes.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Jen

In serious trouble - Building Blocks Tuesday

It has been an interesting week.  I can't say that I have sewed that much.  I was nursing a cold and really got hooked on a book, well several books.....but before I really get into non-quilty stuff, here are the only blocks I have finished this week.  Swoon #11 and #12, finished this morning.

Now for the book talk:

I enjoy listening to the Crafty Garden Mom podcast while I am driving my children to and from all their activities.  Tanesha's day job is as a book buyer, so she reads a substantial amount and often recommends books on her blog and in her podcast.  A while back I decided that I really wanted to start reading again.  I come from a literary family and the love of reading is in my genes.  However, with 3 young children at home, I had given up reading anything longer than a magazine article, for lack of time and energy.  Listening to Tanesha's recommendations, sparked the desire to get back to reading.  While on my Mom-cation, I read Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand.  It was excellent.  I never knew how much I didn't know about the pacific conflict of WWII.

Another recommendation of Tanesha's was Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  It is the first book in a series and not something I would have chosen myself.  It is a historical based novel set in Scotland in the 1700's.  A few other podcasters in addition to Tanesha had recommended it also, so I thought "what the hey!".   What can I say exactly?  The first book flew by, I quickly ordered the second, Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander), and before I knew it was downloading the third book, Voyager (Outlander).  WOW! was it good!  I just finished it last night and I'm exhausted.  The first two books really sucked me in, but with this third one I was insatiable to find out what was going to happen with the characters.  Every page left me in suspense.  To say I was invested is an understatement.  I don't think I've gotten more than 5 hours of sleep each night for the last 5 nights because I've been reading.  And even as I slept, I was dreaming about the events of the book.  I couldn't put the darn book down.  It is action packed, intense and suspenseful.  I was reading while cooking, reading while cleaning.  If I could have figured out a way to read and sew, or read and drive at the same time, I would have been doing that too.  It was THAT good.  And now that I am completely exhausted, yet panting for more, I am AFRAID to get the next one.  Seriously, afraid.  I need sleep!  I have stuff to do, a house to clean, stuff to sew, children and a husband not to ignore.  But like a crack addict, I just want another hit!  There are still events from the first book that I KNOW mean something and haven't been explained yet.  I gotta know what happens........

I am in serious trouble.

Enough about that for right now.  There are a bunch of things here on the blog that I want to let you know about:

• One Block Wonder Quilt Along - the linky to show off your finished tops will open this Thursday and stay open till the end of the month.
• I am hosting TGIFF on the 25th!  Because it is the 2nd anniversary of TGIFF, there is actually a month-long link up for finishes.  You can enter as many of your finishes from this month as you like and there are prizes.  Check out the TGIFF OctoberQuest post for more info.
• Wicked Blog Hop - It starts on the 22nd!  this blog hop is hosted by Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt and will have loads of Halloween eye candy.  The schedule is still being finalized, but so far I am set for the 29th.   Building Blocks Tuesday may have to be postponed a day or it might come a day early.  I won't know until that week.

Thanks for reading,

Jen

One fabric wonders - Inspirational Sunday

It's been a few weeks since I've done a book review, and because I've gotten a few questions about my Blue and White One Block Wonder top, I thought I would share where the inspiration came from....

There were two books that I bought when I first became interested in this type of quilt.  One-Block-Wonders Encore by Maxine Rosenthal and Joy Pelzmann and Stack-n-Whackipedia by Bethany S. Reynolds.

Both discuss a technique for layering your fabric while cutting it to create kaleidoscope effects.  The fabric shown below was what I used to create my Blue and White One Block Wonder quilt.

It no longer looks anything like the original fabric does it?  The waves are transformed.  Here is another example..

I don't have a big chunk of this fabric left any longer because I've been using it for mini practice sandwiches for FMQ, but you get the idea.  It had large flowers, bamboo shoots, and some random gold spheres with what looked like jacks in them.  This one fabric created this..

My mom's One Block Wonder Quilt -- not my favorite quilt, but it illustrates how much diversity in blocks one fabric can create.  I was so excited about this technique that I have at least 5 different fabrics that I bought that were destined to become quilts like this.  Of course, I got a little distracted, and the fabrics are sitting there waiting for me to be motivated again.

I almost always see at least one "one block wonder" quilt at the quilt shows.  Here is one from the Long Beach show back in July.

It is called, "I Know Where the Summer Goes" by Cathie Ugrin of Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada.  Just beautiful!

I think what draws me to this technique is that you can take a really ugly fabric -- no I mean really ugly -- but in colors that you like, and create something completely different and beautiful.

One-Block Wonders Encore shows you the layering technique and how to make these hexagonal blocks using a 60 degree triangle ruler.  It also shows you how to make "Cube" Blocks to add to your quilt with the idea that it looks like a block fell out of the quilt.  THAT look wasn't for me, but it is the key difference between the "Encore" book and the original One-Block Wonders book.  You might as well get the encore edition = more for your money.  Finally, the book also shows you how to use multiple fabrics (like a different colorway) in these quilts to add interest.  The book has a gorgeous gallery of quilt photos.

If you really want more for your money, check out the Stack-N-Whackipedia book!  It shows you the same layering technique, but it gives you 11 different blocks (not just the hexagon) to try out.  There is a Dresden plate one that I would love to try out!  Since there is more diversity in this book, I feel you get more bang for your buck.

The technique itself is not very difficult.  Layering the fabric is a little tricky, but once you figure it out, it is easy.  Cutting is easy (with a sharp blade).  Figuring out where to put the blocks is the hardest part - only because the tendency is to over-think it.  The idea is that you group like-colored blocks next to one another. One could spend hours rearranging blocks!  If I made another quilt today, I think I would spend a little less time rearranging!

Want to see more examples of quilts like this?  There is a Flickr group for quilters who used the One-Block-Wonders books.  Some of the quilters also uploaded pictures of their original fabrics.

Well, what do you think?  Ready to try one?  I'm thinking I might want to finish mine up first, LOL!

Thanks for reading today!

Jen

Quilt Retro - book review - Inspiration Sunday

Today's book review is on Quilt Retro by Jenifer Dick.    I actually won my copy when I completed a quilt for the Hands 2 Help charity quilt drive back in the summer.  I was pleasantly surprised by the fun patterns I found inside.


Why do I like this book?

• The title says "Retro" but the 11 patterns in the book have a modern flair.  This is aided by the quilting patterns (some by Angela Walters), which are beautiful.
• There are 6 quilt patterns, 3 table runners and 2 smaller projects.  All fun, all different.
• The skills built in this book mostly have to do with machine applique and a lot of time is spent explaining her process so you can achieve similar results.  
• Bonus tips and hints are in the book - including some talk about color theory (my favorite tip in this section is "when in doubt, go with blue".  She has a laid back approach to her quilting and it makes you feel relaxed about trying out her projects.

There are also some additional skills that I wasn't necessarily expecting in this book:

• Choosing a quilt pattern that is either representative, contrasting, or matches the "feel" of the quilt
• A pieced binding technique to match up to sections of the quilt (this one I would really like to try)
• One other little bonus - FULL sized templates.  I didn't realize what a pain it is to enlarge things until I did a couple blocks from another book.

The project I can't wait to try...

• Outside My Kitchen Window - this is the quilt featured on the front cover above.  So simple, yet beautiful.
• Handyman - such a great pattern for MEN.  Luckily, I know several.

Do I recommend it?  

• Well......yes and no.  I think the price tag of this book is a bit high for 11 projects, especially when compared to some of the other books I've reviewed.  In fact, even on sale on Amazon, it is the most expensive of the books I've reviewed.  I honestly feel you will get more for your money buying one of Elizabeth Hartman's books or the Quilting Modern book.  Now, if you see this one on sale for about $1 a pattern, then I would recommend it, especially if you are at all interested in learning machine applique and want some fun projects to try out that skill.

Jenifer Dick blogs at 42Quilts.com. She has an ongoing feature on her blog of doing a different traditional block and a modern block every week, called Traditional Tuesday and Modern Monday.  These features seem to be the focus of her blog right now, BUT if you click on her page called "Quilt Retro Launch Party" you can actually see most of the projects in this book.


I hope you enjoyed this book review.  And speaking of Angela Walters, after receiving so many comments about free motion quilting and her book, I finally ordered it for myself!  I've only just started reading it, but I hope to write a review of her book soon!

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Quilting Modern - Inspirational Sunday book review

For today's Inspirational Sunday, I am reviewing Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson.  If you remember, I listed this one as one of my new favorites during my stop on the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop.

Why do I like this book?

• The quilt patterns are great.  I mean with a title like Quilting Modern, you better get some cool quilting patterns right?  I referenced this book several times while quilting my Totally Groovy quilt above (can you tell?).  There are several pages covering straight-line quilting, curved quilting, free-motion quilting, the use of decorative stitches, and quilting on a long arm (if you are inclined).  There are fabulous photographs showing many of the motifs discussed, plus a few that they don't.  They also give some great tips on how to choose a quilting motif for your modern quilts.
• I just love the projects in this book!  21 in all, and at least half of them are on my "want to do" list.  They also include smaller projects like pillows and place mats to try out the techniques.  I appreciate that as time is limited sometimes.
• The skills built in this book mostly have to do with improvisational piecing, something I think anyone can accomplish without too much difficulty and get fantastic results.  "Slice and Insert", "Stitch and Flip", and Improvisational Curves are also presented with projects for each technique. Angled and strip piecing are also discussed.
• Bonus tips and hints throughout the book - including how to sew an invisible zipper closure for pillows and 3 or 4 different ways to make a design wall for your studio.

Doesn't it seem like you get a lot in this book??

I also enjoyed reading their philosophy:

• Honor the Past
• Release Your Inner Artist
• Embrace Serendipity
• Fail
• Savor the Moment
• Make a Friend
• Free Yourself

I won't copy what they wrote about each point, but the failure one really hit home, "Improvisation is about trial and error.  Cherish every mistake or misstep as a learning opportunity.  Many of us don't start out of fear that we won't succeed.  We recommend failing right from the start.  Get it out of the way and move forward."  -- Great advice, don't you think?  

I think I have mastered failing right from the start!  But, they are right in that some people need to make mistakes in order to learn.  I am definitely in that category and I think you can tell by reviewing my projects chronologically.

Do I recommend it?  

• Yes!  Even if you aren't into modern quilting, this book has a lot to offer.  If you are into modern quilting, then it is a must have!

The project I can't wait to try...

• The Illusions Quilt - I want to make it in aquas, although the black and white is very appealing also (and goodness knows I have a lot of those in my stash at the moment).
• Tipsy City Quilt - so colorful!

Jacquie Gering blogs at Tallgrass Prairie Studio - check out her digital portfolio for pictures of many of the projects from this book, including the Illusions Quilt, and many more inspirational patterns.

Katie Pedersen blogs at Sew Katie Did - check out her Tutorials page.  She has some great ones, and links to some of her favorite tutorials found on the web too.

I hope you enjoyed this book review.  I'm going to go leaf through the pages one more time and perhaps make a plan to get that Illusions quilt started!

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Modern Patchwork book review - Inspirational Sunday

Welcome back to Inspirational Sunday.  Today I continue with my book review mini-series by looking at Elizabeth Hartman's second book, Modern Patchwork.

Modern Patchwork builds off of the basics discussed in her first book, Practical Guide to Patchwork, which I reviewed last Sunday here.

Why do I like this book?

• It is just as well written as her first book and has just as lovely photos
• I just love the projects in this book!  Unlike, Practical Guide to Patchwork, which has 2 projects I am interesting in trying, in THIS book I want to make at least 7 of the 12 patterns presented!
• Each project has 2 fabric alternatives, which really give you a sense for what each pattern is capable of becoming in your hands
• The skills built in this book include more complex piecing and quilting patterns, semi-improvisational piecing, angled cuts, machine applique, loops and curved piecing.
• Again, she includes instructions for striking quilt backs, which I find lovely!

New things I learned:

• How to build a design wall
• How to make a pressing board (if I wanted to)
• When choosing fabrics, especially coordinating solids, sometimes it is more interesting to have a slightly different color instead of an exact match.
• More organizational tips!
• tips for dealing with skinny sashing

Do I recommend it?  

• Yes!  If you like modern quilting, I bet you will enjoy this book very much.  Her patterns are amazing and she encourages you to try new things.  The patterns in this book are definitely a bit more challenging than her first book, but not so difficult that an intermediate beginner would have trouble.

The project I can't wait to try?

• Owl Eyes!  I just love the look of this quilt.  I admit I am a little intimidated by the amount of applique, but it is a striking quilt!

Elizabeth also has a blog of her own, Oh Fransson!, with lots of patterns and tips.  She is currently revisiting some of the projects in her two books, trying to make them a little differently.  Several of her latest attempts were from Modern Patchwork.

Elizabeth is also teaching a FREE online class on Craftsy called "Creative Quilt Backs".  I took the class and highly recommend it!  She has great tips for piecing together your backs (some of which could be used for other parts of your quilts), and for sandwiching your quilts together.  Did I mention that it is FREE?  And that I recommend it?  I do!  If you haven't taken a class at Craftsy, let this one be the first.  The class is broken up into several videos, so you don't have to watch the whole class at once.  You can even pause and resume a section if you are like me and half way through a video you realize it is time to go to bed.

Have you tried out any of the projects in Modern Patchwork?  How did it go?

I hope you will join me next Sunday when I review another book in my collection.  Now, which one will it be??

Thank you for reading!

Jen

PGP Book Review - Inspirational Sunday

Welcome back to Inspirational Sunday.  We can all find inspiration in many places.  In the past on Sundays, I have shown you pictures of beautiful quilts that have inspired me at quilt shows.  Since not everyone has access to these shows, I hope you found some of the photos inspirational.  Today, I would like to begin a series of book reviews.  Books, I find, are a more common source of inspiration, and nearly everyone has access to them.

I would like to start off by reviewing Elizabeth Hartman's, Practical Guide to Patchwork.  I will admit that this book was not in my collection until recently.  When I signed up to participate in Plum and June's "Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop" and started reading the posts of other participants, this book seemed to be on everyone's favorite list.  That made me very curious, so I used a coupon at my local Joann's and got the book.

Why is it everyone's favorite?

• It is well written and has gorgeous photos
• It covers ALL the basics, from supplies, planning your quilt, organizing yourself, and construction including quilting and binding
• 12 quilt projects with a modern flair help build your skills
• each project has 2 fabric alternatives to highlight options
• Skills include strip piecing, the "stack, cut & shuffle" method, foundation piecing, machine applique, even yo-yo's and more.
• She includes instructions for striking quilt backs

Why I liked it and things I learned:

• little tips on nearly every page are very helpful
• stitching in the ditch, defeats the purpose of showing off your quilting (well, duh!)
• she actually shows you how to do the mitered corners on the back of your binding - you would be surprised how often this step is simply left to one's imagination
• a knot-less start for handwork (if only there was a knot-less finish as well)

Do I recommend it?  

• Yes!  I found her section on the basics very well written and easy to follow.  Her instructions are likewise easy to understand, and her projects are striking.   I think this book would be the perfect gift for a new quilter, or the final push for someone who has been tempted to start quilting!

The project I can't wait to try?

• The Valentine quilt!  I would so like to show you a picture of this one, but I fear it may violate some law of sort.  It is a beautiful and colorful quilt that uses foundation piecing of strips to create colorful squares.  It is possible that I might have enough scrap strips by the summer to try out this beautiful quilt.

Next week, I plan to review Elizabeth's other book, Modern Patchwork.  I admit this is MY favorite between the two.  I hope you will join me next Sunday.

Elizabeth also has a blog of her own, Oh Fransson!, with lots of patterns and tips.  She is currently revisiting some of the projects in her two books, trying to make them a little differently.

Have you tried out any of the projects in Practical Guide to Patchwork?  How did you like them?

Thank you for reading!

Jen