3 comments about Quilt in a Day; Pioneer Sampler (Quilt Block Party - Series Five).

1. This book is a must have for any quilter! I have decided to order one as a gift for a friend who has just started quilting. Eleanor makes her directions easy to follow and understand. THe Pioneer Quilting book has an array of beautiful choices for many fabrics and color schemes. A lovely book!



2. Eleanor Burns' Quilt in a Day series is a great collection of books to help quilters, and Pioneer Sampler is one of my favorites. It includes 12 different blocks to create a lovely sampler quilt. Each block has a little descriptive paragraph about its name, and there are a few recipes in the book too. But best of all is the clear and detailed pictures and directions of how to make each square and the whole quilt. I



3. Pioneer Sampler is one of my very few Keepers in the quilt reference library, and you should know I'm "picky" in that I don't want same old/same old repackaged. I had that -- and it was a waste. Er, and instead of picky, let's say selective, okay? (grin)
   
   So several years ago Kidlet gifted me with the Pioneer Sampler book and I was tickled. It was her first quilt book to me (she'd given notions before but to save her money/buy this was a real treat)
   In any event, I use mine AT LEAST once per week.
   
   You see, it's a perpetual calendar too. So in addition to the quilt blocks we also get a two-page spread for each month of the year. Because it's one of the perpetual's you can mark the first on any day block that pleases you. So, since Son was born on a Sunday, 2 November`is Sunday for that month. Kidlet was a Monday, so in December, the 5th is Monday.
   
   Please note I use and maybe even abuse my favorites. This book has stood the test of time -- folded back, folded over, whatever. All pages are intact and of good quality.
   That's another thing -- the paper is of better than average thickness and all are shiny. Ink doesn't smear either when you write on it.
   
   As for blocks, lots of choices, all basic and easy to duplicate. Specifically, there are no applique pieces to fuss with.
   The beginning of the book is an overview of our lovely toys, er, tools, and provides basic how to's.
   
   In addition to the blocks shown on the cover, there are others photographed (real blocks/real fabrics) showing color variations. It can be quite a colorful quilt if you prefer.
   
   Back to the book:
   Next we have January... it's a covered wagon sort of journey. We read a tiny bit about what is on the trail. Get a block to make, detailed instructions including cutting, measurements, directions to press, order of sewing -- you know: the "basics" but still necessary. Then we have the calendar pages, and they include a recipe plus show a strip with all 12 blocks in chronological order of the book.
   
   Note on details: Our recipes match the seasons. Specifically, you're not gong to get a recipe for something that's out of season at that particular time of the year. It's a detail, but shows care went into the layout of this one.
   
   There are twelve blocks with such names as Chisholm Trail, Golden Gate, Rocky Mountain. At the end of the book are several pages telling us how to border and complete the quilt. The illustrations are clear and directions are easy to understand.
   
   In any event, this is my calendar -- I can tell you when the pups were born, when Grandma was born, when Kidlet had her first date with Blue Eyes -- everything! And whenever I step back in time with this one I swear I'm making the quilt. Still haven't mind you but I don't know many reference books that have been used as much as this one. Goodness -- imagine it as a Perpetual Calendar for Quilters. It doesn't get much better than this!
   Aside: for the one time only events (yearly festivals for instance) just use a Post-It note on the appropriate page. You can also tuck in pictures of your completed quilts for a visual reference later generations may appreciate.
   
   I'd pay retail -- my highest compliment.

No comments about Pretty Lace.

1 comments about The New Sampler Quilt.

1. The New Sampler quilt is an exelent and motivating book. It is good for beginners and intermediates alike. It has bright colorful pictures as well as clear and concise directions. The book also includes already drawn pieces for 12" blocks. This book gave me many new ideas.

3 comments about Embellish Chic: Detailing Ready-to-Wear.

1. This set of clothing embellishment guides from Taunton Press carefully and clearly explains how to use additions of beads, ribbons, and other trims to translate usual to unusual clothing. The tips on using applique, embroidery, and beading to enhance these garments blend step-by-step instructional photos with finished results and are inspirational and revealing.



2. The author is very detail oriented and explains each technique well. However, there are no unique or inspiring examples. They are extremely common and plain. This book is definitely not for the artsy and creative person looking for that one new and inspiring method to express and create. I want to pack it up and ship it right back.



3. Just received my copy today and really love the basic beading instructions. Many books don't provide detail how-tos and easy-to-follow beading illustrations, so I appreciate this book. A solid reference for those interested in learning embellishment techniques.

1 comments about Denim: From Cowboys to Catwalks: A Visual History of the World's Most Legendary Fabric.

1. Anyone with an interest in denim will find this wonderful book to be a very easy and enlightening read. The pictures are all bright, clear, and of high quality. There are several great images of musicians and celebrities wearing denim (Elvis, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis) as well as close-up shots of vintage jeans (The first known pair of Levis!). Not only are the pictures great, but the book is written in a manner which is easy to digest. The subject ranges from the history of denim to current trends. It also contains a glossary of terms for quick lookup so if you need to be reminded what selvage or sanfordized is, it's there for you.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in fashion and denim, or simply anyone who wears a pair jeans.

4 comments about Star Happy Quilts.

1. I love Judy Martin's books and patterns and was looking forward to receiving her newest publication.

   This book offers a concept of combining four blocks (evening stars in 2 sizes, rising star and plain square)into different outlays for several sizes of quilts. The quilts are breathtaking as usual and the different colors are sure to inspire everyone. I would have wished for more "behind the scene" information on the quilts presented as done in the pattern book.

   For a thin booklet like this it is a bit expensive, but I am still glad I bought it and am looking forward to trying the concept.




2. As a quilting instructor, I found this book a delightful assortment of color combinations that sometimes students overlook. However, I thought the cutting instructions were somewhat confusing and didn't like her method of cutting triangles for the blocks when half-square triangles would have worked better and are easier to handle. I also thought the price was too high for a book that basically only had one pattern. On the plus side, it does show an interesting variation on settings and would work well for an intermediate project if started with an instructor.
   Greta Stewart, Lincoln, NE.



3. This book has some beautiful star quilts with good instruction. I only wish that there had been a few more patterns.



4. Just as I expected, very happy with my purchase and the service. Would buy from again.

1 comments about Peruvian Textile Designs (International Design Library).

1. I bought this for my daughter who is in college studying textile design. She found the illustrations very useful for this course of study, and she was able to use samples of the designs in her artwork.

5 comments about Imagery on Fabric: A Complete Surface Design Handbook.

1. From high tech computer photo transfer to the ancient art of leaf hammering, this book is a comprehensive presentation of fabric manipulation and imagery. Avoiding the "cutesy" trap of so many crafts books, this volume is sophisticated and will be useful to artists and crafters of many styles and sensibilities.

   Imagery on Fabric is smartly organized by method, rather than individual project, allowing for much more creativity from the reader. Each process is thoroughly explained and accompanied by fabulous photos of work by professional fiber artists as well as hobbyists. Laury also includes a useful list of resources for the various products and equipment that she discusses in her book.

   When I bought this book I was just fiddling with fabric and art quilts. Laury and her book singlehandedly motivated me to fully embrace fiber arts as an exciting means of artistic expression.




2. After seeing the demonstration today on the Carol Duval Show on HGTV, I am definitely ordering this book! What intersting ideas for quilting fabric! Loved it!



3. This book is a very good guide to all sorts of transfer methods on fabric for any kind of fabric work. It is very user friendly because the wording is clear and concise with very good full color examples that go along with the text. Troubleshooting hints are included with each method as well a lot of other useful hints. The examples and pictures of the actual work are very helpful in that they show many different applications of each technique and really help to get you thinking of ways to be able to further play with and modify the methods shown. Also, it is very clearly laid out into categories per chapter that make it very easy to use as a quick reference. A reference chart is included in the book telling the basic overview of each technique with information concerning the permanence of the method, fabric types recommended for each method, as well as many other useful info that really make this book very easy to use and covers the basics of most any kind of transfer method you could need. I originally had to buy this book for a fibers class I was taking but it has been more helpful after the class ended because it really was a very easy to use by being very easy to quickly reference with it's clear layout and detailed description of all of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods clearly labeled. It is a very good book and would recommend it to anyone interested in any kind of quilt or fabric work.



4. I own lots of fabric art books, and none of them come close to the amount of techniques this book has for putting color and images on fabric. It doesn't matter how many supplies I may run out of, because I can always turn to this book for *something* that I can still use. Easy to read and understand and lots of great examples. I always have this book nearby when a creative impulse strikes me.



5. This book is a great introduction to all forms of surface design, with detailed instructions for tranferring images to fabric in many ways. Awesome introduction or reference for anyone interested in cyanotype, screenprinting, image transfer, batik, etc.

5 comments about Red & Green: An Applique Tradition.

1. Once in a while I pick up a book and actually feel afterward that I got every penny's worth. This is one of those. Jeana has combined the best features of great books on traditional applique forms - history, numerous quality photos of antique quilts, modern tradition-based creations, and patterns. If you haven't caught the traditional, red and green bug - fasten your seat belt because this book will leave you hungry to learn more. Thanks to Jeana for a really USEFUL contribution.



2. Although I appreciate applique, I didn't used to be a huge fan of doing it myself. I had always appreciated the instant gratification of rotary-cut strip-pieced quilts. Kimball's "Red and Green: An Applique Tradition" has helped change that.

   "R&G" focuses on red-and-green applique quilts from the mid-19th century, but also includes photographs of earlier whole-cloth and medallion, to show the progression of quilt-making styles, and several modern quilts that beautifully reproduce this traditional look. Most fascinating to me was Kimball's discussion about how red and green became popular colors for these applique quilts: Around 1850, aniline dye produced more colorfast cloth. Green was produced by overdying yellow with blue. The green fabrics almost always changed color, since the two dyes did not have the same degree of colorfastness, but quilt makers found the resulting colors pleasing. At about the same time, "Turkey red"--using a dye that was much more colorfast than other reds--became fashionable--and commanded three times the price of ordinary calico.

   A red and green applique quilts usually was a woman's "best quilt," Kimball explains, and a woman generally made one of these labor-intensive quilts either just before her marriage as part of her trousseau or later in life, after her children were grown.

   "R&G" contains many stories about the making and use of these applique quilts. My favorite is about a circuit-riding preacher whose young wife defied tradition by joining her husband on all his overnight trips, instead of only on special occasions. Her repeated presence presented problems in the southern communities he served since a visit from a preacher's wife dictated that the hostess must thoroughly clean the house, wear her second-best dress and a white apron, and use her best quilt on the guest bed. If the preacher were staying over, food and bed were sufficient. After a while, the frustrated women on the circuit decided to stop putting out their best appliqued quilts on the guest bed when the preacher's wife came to visit. "She was pretty headstrong, that girl, but even she couldn't ignore what the absence of the best quilt signified," Kimball quotes from an earlier work on quilts.

   For quiltmakers interested in reproducing one of these traditional quilts, Kimball provides two dozen full-size patterns as well as ideas for other designs. Her instructions for how to assemble these blocks seem very easy to follow. What I liked best was that she doesn't just give instructions for one or two "cookie cutter" quilts, but instead emphasizes that quiltmakers should follow their own inspiration, using the design elements and ideas from the depicted quilts. "R&G" contains plenty of inspiration, from the historic quilts and biographies of their makers in the front section, to the numerous rose, tulip, fruits and berry patterns in the middle, to the gallery of historic and reproduction quilts at the end.

   Even if you aren't a fan of making applique quilts, "R&G" is interesting reading, and it might entice you to try a project.




3. As a beginner in the art of applique, I found this book clear and easy to follow. This have also sent my senses into overdrive thinking of the quilts I can do in the future.



4. Packed for the price, this book has easy to follow directions and fabulous applique designs typical of the red and green antique quilts from the 1800's. If you have a passion for antique quilts, applique, or red and green, this book is for you or any quilter - beginner or seasoned. ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY aspects about this book is that Ms. Kimball has taken the time to not only provide a large pattern for a particular block, but provides SCORES of drawings of particular blocks with changes to the designs so that one is not confined to the pattern offered. An example of this would be for instance, the popular Single Rose Wreath. Ms. Kimball provides the layout and applique patterns for a 16" x16" block; then offers 16 OTHER rose sketches (not enlarged, however) to give varitey. The smaller sketches are even documented designs (or spin-offs) from other quilts in books and musemums.

   The book has poignant information about antique quilts and the quilters themselves, history of Red and Green Quilts and the patterns. Ms. Kimball includes a gallery of photos which includes antique and modern reproduction quilts, one of which is her own; a stunning Hexagon Rose Wreath quilt.

   The book even goes so far as to give instructions for making an impromptu light box! This is a perfect book for the beginner who wants to learn how to applique because directions are in the book. It is fitting for a seasoned quilter who wants to expand her/his knowledge of American quilt heritage and reproduce an heirloom. A very valued publication in my libray. Thank you.




5. After seeing and being totally impressed with the quilt on the front cover of Quilter's Newsletter Magazine's March 2004 issue I had to purchase this book! The quilt on the cover of QNM is designed based off of the patterns in this book, only it is not red and green--it is pink, magenta, teal, purple, and blue (beautiful!). One of the most important things that I look for in a pattern is versitality. This book has many patterns in it and though the book is about red and green quilts, these patterns are very versitale and could be made from any color pallett.

   Traditional quilts are very beautiful and Ms. Kimball guides you thru the meanings and histories behind each symbol in each block. The book is very well written with a lot of color pictures for examples. Another thing that I really enjoyed about this book was that Ms. Kimball, unlike many other authors, wants you, as a quilter, to use your own creativity and imagination. She even tells you to use her blocks as starting points and encourages you to expand on them. She also includes numerous small diagrams of quilt blocks with the same name but different layouts. Examples of this are the Rose of Sharron, Pineapple, and American Beauty Rose to name a few.

   This book is an extremely worth while investment! A+ all the way!

5 comments about Chihuly's Pendletons: And Their Influence on His Work.

1. Dave Chihuly is an American artist known for his physics-defying shapes: Chihuly's Pendletons explores the creations which inspired some of his work, focusing on American Indian blankets and weavings and providing chapters which present the artist's reflections on how Indian works influenced his productions. The full-page color photos are revealing, while the first-person insights are important.



2. My comments to distinguish what this book plays in the world of contemporary art, is not my intent. Rather I wish to acknowledge the sheer beauty and aesthetic warmth I get from the pages of this large sized book by Dale Chihuly. The rich and colorful geometric patterns that record the decoration and simplicity of the Pendleton Blankets is understood and achieved with out the necessity of additional text in the images. The unpretentious or incidental record that these black and white photographs of the American Indian provide as a documentary technic blends well together with sheer beauty of the American Trade blanket designs. The enchantment and functional magic of glass with it's extraordinary range of form and color linking past to the present, is uniquely profound as well. Chihuly brings to this mix of history and art by acknowledging the reader to move effortlessly from textile to photography, to glass. As an artist, Chihuly takes the fundamental and intangible and blends each together in his truly extraordinary glass cylinders to enrich our eyes and spirit. It's quite simply, a beautiful book.



3. If you want to know about Native American trading blankets your money would be better spent on Kapoun's book titled "Language of the Robe" which tells it more like it is. I believe that Chihuly purchased the Kapoun's collection and became an overnight authority on the subject, if you catch my drift!
   I have photographed Pendleton blankets for years, and Chihuly and Lohrmann should be more accurate in their detailing of what is and isn't made by the Pendleton Woolen Mills. The photos are good, but there is still room for someone to do a thorough and interesting book on this very important topic. This isn't the one to waste money on, in my opinion.



4. Chiluly's Pendletons is an interesting book. It shows the early career of Dale Chiluly-who has become one of the pre-eminent artists in America. Chiluly's trademark is his flamboyent, contorted glassworks, which are displayed around the world.

   This book consists of two parts: The first part shows pictures of trade blankets. The second part shows how Chiluly incorporated ideas from his interests in Native American Arts into his early work...during his starving artists phase.

   Chiluly was interested fiber arts, he could not afford the expensive native American blankets; so he collected indian trade blankets...the most enduring trade blanket manufacturer being the Pendleton Woolen Mills. As his fame and fortune grew; so to did his collection.

   This is a very good book for people who wish to study how artists evolve in their work. You have a nice juxtaposition of indian art, photographs of native Americans, and pictures of Chiluly's earlier works.

   What the book is not: It is not an adequate scholarly treatise on trade blankets (it has a lot of nice pictures). The book shows his earlier works. These are all well done, but not quite as large and flamboyent as you might see in his later periods.

   All in all, I give the book high marks. Chiluly fans will enjoy this coffee table book. It helps you see the influences on this artist. It will also get you interested in trade blankets.




5. This 252-page large format book is a wonderful overview of the history, use and collection of Indian "trade blankets", the most famous of which are those made by Pendleton Woolen Mills. Although seemingly a coffee table book, it is also a good reference for many blanket patterns.
   
   From the earliest says of interactions between Europeans and Native Americans blankets played a major role in trans-cultural trade. The manufactured woolen blankets were thicker, warmer and more colorful than traditional Indian blankets laboriously made from woven animal hair. The colorful patterns became particularly important to the Indians who relied on the blankets as "robes" or overcoats for social occasions and ceremonies. The Indians draped the blankets over their shoulders and held them in place by clasping the edges together with one hand. Antique blankets that were actually used by an Indian will be heavily worn at the location where the edges were grasped.
   
   The trade blanket is a rare instance of a positive, mutually beneficial collaboration between European Americans and Native Americans. The Indians received a superior product that enhanced their lives and the Europeans responded by developing patterns derived from, but not really replicating, traditional Indian decorative themes. Pendleton still manufactures these blankets and nearly half are still purchased by Native Americans.
   
   The book contains 60 full-page or two-page color photographs of classic trade blankets, presumably from the collection of Dale Chihuly, the famous Seattle glass artist. There are also 24 classic black and white photographs that show Indians wearing trade blankets in the late 1800s and early 1900s. And there are large color photographs of wonderful trade blanket-inspired glass art Mr. Chihuly created.
   
   The text includes essays by Mr. Chihuly on collecting blankets and how the blankets influenced his art. There is also an essay by an historian on the history of the blankets, their manufacturers and trading them with the Indians from the 1600s to the present.
   
   Highly recommended to anyone interested in Native American history or folk arts in general. There is an outstanding image-keyed index to the blankets, classic photos and glass art.