5 comments about Scrap Quilts: The Art of Making Do.

1. The author no doubt is a very talented quilter, and did a great job with the book. However, I was somewhat mislead by the title. I thought the book would deal exclusively with tradtional scrap quilts - you know, making do with scraps like they did during the depression and war years. This was not the case. I purchased the book from a book club, so I wasn't able to review it's contents before I bought it. Had I been able to do so, I would not have made the purchase.



2. I bought this book through a book club several months ago and am ordering a another for a gift for my quilting bestfriend.

   This book explained to me what was special about the quilts that I loved and was drawn to.... I get an ache inside because I want to create what I see so badly and don't know how. Based on my experience as a quilter, this book is much more that a quilting book, it seems more like a curriculum on how to see quilts, fabrics, colors, and to interpret in fabric what one sees and loves about scrap quilts. Each time I sit down with the book, I study it, and pick up a new piece of information.

   In my opinion, Robert Horton is a very talented lady. Thanks for writing it, Roberta!




3. Although I have a fair collection of quilting books, and I keep buying new ones, this book is my favorite. Roberta Horton encourages her readers to be adventurous. She gives a really good treatment of ways to combine fabrics to make a quilt that looks inviting and interesting. She especially likes directionals, and she likes them slightly off-grain.

   There are some wonderful color pictures and a wide variety of color combinations. The last part of the book invites readers to create picture quilts.

   All in all, this book makes me feel like I can create a quilt and enjoy what I create.




4. This is the second book by Roberta Horton I have bought. I realize now that she is a teacher...her goal is to motivate us to be as creative as we allow ourselves to be, then push us just a little more. This is a wonderful book about using colors/prints/stripes together in projects that don't "stay between the lines" so to speak. Learned about creating interest and movement in quilts by her wonderful explainations and examples. I do prefer the traditional color-coordinated repeat block quilts, BUT NOW, I know that the scrap quilts and quilts that may not have caught my eye in the past certainly will now, because I have an understanding of the work the creator put into the project. There are block patterns in this book but as far as step-by-step for creating specific quilts...no. She gives you information, examples, some how to's (applique, drafting blocks, cutting out applique patterns, etc) and lots of good info on how to let yourself go in creating a real work of art. If you feel like you have become stagnant in your quiltmaking, buy this book and enjoy the creativity it sparks in your mind while you read it through. A nice addition to a quilter's library!



5. Roberta Horton is a national treasure. I have never met her or had her for a class, but I have learned as much about quilts and constructing folk art quilts from her books as I have with many terrific courses with big name quilters. Scrap Quilts is a workshop in a book! There are no patterns--she makes you create your own paper appliques in a chapter near the end of the book.
   She also has a chapter of pieced block diagrams that work well with scrap quilts. She does not waste your time printing templates of classic blocks that you already have in other books.
   Also--you can glance at the diagrams and rotary cut the pieces to
   whatever size you want--so you are not locked in to a certain size block. The color plates of the the scrap quilt examples are awesome. (So are the photos of Roberta's toy sewing machine collection in the sidebars-- a bonus for all you tiny stitchers!) Roberta has taken her evaluation of the scrap quilt process a step further than Gwen Marston in Liberated Quiltmaking (which is also an awesome primer on creative scrap quilts.)Gwen focuses on the process--but Roberta focuses on how to manipulate
   color and design to enhance the process. She also shows you how to add freeform applique to pieced quilts and still retain the scrap quilt flavor. There is always attention to value, color, and fabric so that your quilt will end up a piece of original art
   and not an imitation of someone else's work.
   If you see your quilts as identical blocks of classic patterns--this book will confuse you. If you hunger to quilt your
   life--this book will help you immensely.
   For instance, Roberta has a picture of a quilt about her Singer Featherweight. She loves that featherweight and it shows in the quilt. It inspired me. I spent most of last night on my EQ designing a wall quilt for my Elna Grasshopper. I love it--but it
   has a totally different personality than Roberta's featherweight.
   My quilt will be very different--but she has several ideas that I will probably borrow. (such as the plaid background around the machine.) Also, her idea about using old sets of scrap blocks for a border has got me thinking and looking. I want to call my quilt
   "Grasshopper in the fabric stash" surrounding an applique center block with scrap rail fence fabric--but I may audition some scrap
   pinwheels that I pieced at random in Gwen Marston's suprise quilt class.
   That's one of the things I love about Roberta's books. She gives me lessons that fit in perfectly with the classes I've had with
   Gwen Marston, Joen Wolfron, and Margaret Miller. I can take projects I've started in their classes and incorporate them into
   something she's pushed me to dream up.
   A great book--don't miss it!
   :)

1 comments about Embroidered Purses: Design & Techniques.

1. This is a wonderful book to get your creative juices flowing. It's not so much a pattern book as a book to give you ideas, and suggestions to create your own work of art. This is the best book on making purses that I have found. If you are looking for a book to take you through step by step directions, then this is not the book for you. But, if you are looking to be inspired, buy it!

4 comments about Impressionist Palette: Quilt Color & Design.

1. Of the many books currently available on watercolour quilting, Impressionist Palette is, in my opinion, the best. The pictures are absolutely stunning; the quilts exquisite. Apart from being an art book, the instructions on the technique of watercolour quilting are extremely clear and well-written, making it possible for myself, a fearful watercolourist, to attempt and succeed in making a watercolour quilt.



2. This is a truly wonderful book for the quilter who wants to create art, to go beyond traditional approaches. Ms. Perry's quilts are inspiring -- I went out and chose my fabrics for a new project the day after I got this book. She emphasizes the importance of putting certain colors and prints together to create marvelous impressionistic effects on a quilt top. The pictures of completed quilts are incredible, the writing instructional and clear, and the suggested projects are exciting and fun to make.



3. This is the most marvelous book I have ever seen about impressionist or watercolor quilts, Gai did realy a great job with this book. It gives you lots of ideas to go on and make some beautiful Impressionist quilts of your own. I love all her books, and hope she write lots of more in the future, certainly about this type of quilts.



4. This is the best. It takes your breath away how Gai can come up with all these gorgeous inspirational quilts. The book is very easy to understand and English is my second language. She explains it in very simple terms. Your hands will itch to get started. It is like painting with fabric. Start collecting lots of fabric and she teaches you what to look for. You will never look at fabric the same way again. I also like to recoment her 'Color from the Heart' book. You learn so much that you use these books over and over again. Her books are real treasures.

1 comments about Weekend Log Cabin Quilts/4126 (Quilting for People Book 3).

1. I bought this book 2 months ago. I work full time with 3 day weekends, and have made a baby quilt and a king size quilt in my free weekend time. That means, I didn't spend all my day's off sewing. I had a life as well. I am not a seamstress of any kind, just an average home-ec graduate. :-) The instructions are easy to understand and follow. You have a lot of latitude to make mistakes as well as creative changes and the quilts still turn out wonderful. People think I'm some kind of expert seamstress now. I tell them I just bought a "make a quilt in a weekend" book, and it worked!

3 comments about Card Art: Create Treasured Greetings from Fabric & Paper (Create & Treasure (C&T Publishing)).

1. the introduction is fun, everything after that in the book is doable even for someone like me who is artistically challanged!!
   this is for those of us that are still making stick people, the patterns are great!



2. I love this book! The directions for making each card are clear and easy to follow. What I like most about this book is one doesn't need a lot of expensive materials to make the cards, which is not true of other books on the market. The author utilizes materials from around the house, nature and fabric scraps. I have had very positive remarks about the cards I have made so far and I am eager to make more for upcoming events. If you are a beginning card maker, I guarantee you won't be disappointed!



3. I expected more from this book than what it delivered. The cover has some cute cards and I thought there would be more of the same in the book but it left a lot to be desired. Cards were very folksy and used a lot of recycled items, which was good, but there was too much of the same. It wasn't what I expected.

5 comments about Sweater Workshop.

1. I am a learn-by-doing-and-watching person. I do not generally learn well from books, although I have purchased several, including Barbara Walker's Knit from the Top and several Zimmermann books. Nevertheless, if you are serious about improving your knitting and want to have a little fun at it, too, this is the book. The key to this book is to knit the "sweater sampler" by which Fee takes you through all the techniques she can think of to construct a sweater. Fee's writing style is deceptively simple and VERY easy to follow, even for this very visual learner.
   
   Even if you're not into knitting sweaters [I live in Mississippi, VERY little use for wool, although I love it]the techniques acquired working your way through the book give you the capability to make it past the "bumps" we all experience with traditional knitting instructions.
   Which brings me to my second major point. I absolutely abhor line-by-line knitting directions and any knitted pieces requiring sewing or other seaming. By that I mean seamless knitting is the only way to go and Fee's workbook takes you there, although she includes instructions for "flat" knitters as well.
   
   So, regardless of your preferred method of knitting, flat or circular, seamed or seamless, there is a great deal to be gained from this book. Although I have also acquired a great fondness for Elizabeth Zimmermann's writing, the DVD's for Zimmermann's instructional sections are better and make the techniques far more accessible to the average knitter who lacks a more experienced knitter for assistance. There is no such shortcoming with Fee's workbook, which means you can take it with you and work your way through it without access to video or computer equipment.
   
   I really, really like this book and of the several knitting books I have purchased this one has taken me a long way to designing my own sweaters and other items without having to resort to a pattern wedded to a particular gauge, needle and yarn size.
   
   I also strongly recommend you get the spiral bound version - it's definitely worth the few extra dollars you spend on it
   
   Many thanks, Ms. Fee. And I would adore a DVD workshop "book" as well; if it would turn out to be anything like the book, I'd be glued to the computer with wool and needles in hand.



2. This book is for knitters who want to take the next step and design their own sweaters. It is not a book to glance through in order to glean ideas - it is a book to STUDY. There are some patterns/designs included, but whether or not you like the author's designs is irrelevant - the whole point is to understand how to make your OWN designs from any yarn. I spin my own yarn. I don't want to use anyone else's patterns! This book, along with KNITTING IN THE OLD WAY, and KNITTING FROM THE TOP DOWN, is a teacher, a class, and a reference book all in one. It is not for the faint-hearted! It is for the knitter who says, "I CAN DO IT MYSELF."



3. This is a wonderful book! I'm just now working on the sampler and I can see that I am learning a lot of new techniques. There are lots of great ideas and techniques for making and creating your own sweaters! A worthwhile purchase!
   
   Jan



4. I am a very beginning knitter. I do know how to knit and purl. This book has you make a sampler to start off with. She walks you through step by step. It is so easy and I am amazed at what I was able to do. I am getting ready to make the sweater, but with the sampler, I have already proved I can do the stitches.



5. Jackie comes across a bit like a dictator. She has very strong opinions, and if you're new to knitting or have perfectionist tendencies (like I do) you're liable to get caught up in Jackie's "the only right way to do things" vortex. As an antidote I suggest reading some of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's books. As Steph says: "There is no knitting police!"
   Having said that, the reason I give Jackie's book five stars is because you will learn more from this one book than you would from any dozen others. The sweater sampler is genius, and though I've yet to start the basic sweater, I have the sense that it will be a delightful, eye-opening experience. Don't get hung up on the dorky looking sweater models in this book - that's not the point. The point is to learn to be utterly free to design you own sweaters and have them come out right. P.S. Unless you're built like Gwyneth Paltrow, consider buying a longer circular needle than the 24" needle Jackie recommends for sweaters.

No comments about Screen Your Stuff: A Fun, Funky Introduction to Silk-Screening Your Tees, Totes, Towels & More.

5 comments about Luscious Landscapes: Simple Techniques for Dynamic Quilts.

1. This book was purchased to go along with a class I took by the author. The infomation was very helpful and allowed me to begin creating my first art quilt. Joyce takes you step by step and simplifies the process. The book is very easy to understand. I recommend this book to anyone that has a desire to try their hands at creating an art quilt.



2. I bought this book for a class with the author. It is a great book and I loved making the landscapes in the class. I would recommend to anyone who loves to do landscapes or wants to learn the making of landscapes.
   S.Rooker, Palm Desert, CA



3. I was totally satisfied with what I had available to me to choose the book before I bought it. I thought what you made available was sufficient. Nothing to add.



4. I've had this book for a while now and have almost finished my first landscape quilt and I can credit Joyce Becker for getting me started. Of course the book doesn't have patterns like another review stated, however after reading this book you will find that there shouldn't be patterns other than a beautiful photo that you have and want to make into a quilt. Also for some that have a problem understanding any parts of this book there is a DVD available from Joyce Becker on how to make landscape quilts. I have all of her books and the DVD and the landscape quilt I'm almost finished making is turning out great. With a little of your own imagination and this book you'll be able to create a stunning landscape quilt.



5. I found this book to be highly motivating with a wonderfully useful array of techniques explained in adequate detail. However, I would encourage anyone buying this book to consider buying Joyce's complimentary landscape book entitled, Beautifully Embellished Landscapes: 125 Tips & Techniques to Create Stunning Quilts. Together, I found these books to offer a good range of information from which to tackle my first landscape quilt.
   
   I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to embark on the worthwhile and highly satisfying journey into landscaping quilting as a means to express and enrich your soul.

4 comments about Texas Quilts and Quilters: A Lone Star Legacy (Grover E. Murray Studies in the American Southwest) (Grover E. Murrray Studies in the American Southwest).

1. A very readable from cover to cover photo book of quilts of yesteryear to quilts of today and all in the Lone Star State. Marcia Kaylakie defintely did her homework and reserached each quilt front, back and between the designs. Each quilt tells an amazing chronicle of the quilter and the who took the time to make a piece of history. This book makes a wonderful gift for yourself and your quilting friends for Christmas. I plan to put one my quilt table in my studio and buy 2 more for my quilter friends. Happy Holidays!



2. What a wonderful legacy, Marcia Kaylakie has created a beautiful book capturing the Texas history and colour from all it's regions. The stories behind each carefully chosen quilt are well written and complimented with beautiful photography. Previous reviews of this work speak volumes, so it is was an easy decision to buy this book and I am not disappointed.This is a beautiful volume and to the author and her assistants, well done.
   I enjoy the fascinating stories mixed with the historical content,history can often be a 'dry' subject, but definitely not, in this case. I would recommend this book to all the quilters who love diverse stories and rich pasts. Enjoy......



3. What a beautiful book about quilts and Texas! Kaylackie has done a wonderful job of weaving the stories of quilts into the history of Texas. The photos are gorgeous and the narrative is always interesting. This book should appeal to anyone who loves quilts and/or Texas. I'm buying several for Christmas gifts. Great job, ya'll!



4. I cannot exactly call my copy a coffee table book. I keep mine on the top shelf; because after reading it and looking at all of the beautifully photographed quilts, I think I would kill anyone who put a coffee ring on it. Excellent stories and descriptions from a well educated woman on the subject of quilts (and not only Texas ones!).

4 comments about The Magic of Handweaving.

1. While many go ga-ga over the Chandler book, my teacher recommended this one to me and I have found it heaven sent and covers everything that a novice weaver could possibly need to know including the triangle, weavette & hand looms to the 4 and 8 shaft varieties. Sigrid gives lots of examples and by the end shows you how to take apart a design and recreate it. Wonderful book and cannot praise it highly enough.



2. I found this book in a brick and mortar store and thought it would be helpful as an introduction to weaving. While the illustrations are beautiful and the coverage appears to be broad, I disliked the organization of the book. It is not well organized for a beginner. It would have made learning easier to introduce the technical terms more slowly and then providing an illustrated glossary at the back. I found that the book went into too much technical detail too quickly. Teach a person to weave with a lap loom and those terms first until comfort with the vocabulary is established. Instead the author launches into a detailed explanation of floor looms, etc., in the second chapter! I believe this book is a good resource and I may turn to it later on, but this books is not for beginners.



3. As a very new weaver without much confidence in what I am doing, I found Sigrid Piroch's book Magic of Handweaving to be a Godsend!
   It tells in wonderful detail and fantastic pictures exactly what I need to know to begin weaving.
   I would recommend this book to any new weaver.



4. The subtitle of the book "The Basics and Beyond" is a good description of the contents. There are many beautiful photos. There is great design inspiration in the book. It is perhaps more comprehensive than the beginner can digest.
   
   This is not a great book from which to learn to weave. That basic information is spread throughout the book, but there can be an overwhelming amount of advanced concepts, for which the beginner brain is not ready, along with the basics.
   
   Although it contains a large amount of useful information for all weavers, it is also not a book that makes it easy to find that bit of information you need that you know is in there.