Two Great Quilting Reads

Hi everyone. I have been on the road alot over the last month or so, and as usual, I like to find a good quilting book to take with me. Well, I must say I found TWO!

The first is Karen K. Stone's book entitled... "Quilts", 2004. It is not the typical quilting book focused on how to make a particular pattern, instead it is a journey through her quilting process, in an interview format. As she helps the interviewer and her readers understand how she approaches quilting, including color and fabric selection, she uses 13 of her quilts as examples. Patterns for all 13 are included in the book as well, including my favorite "Cinco de Mayo". Karen uses wonderful colors and sometimes as many as 100 fabrics in her quilts. Take a look, you won't be disappointed!

The second book was another one that has been around for awhile. Gail Garber's, "Stellar Journey", published in 2001. I thought it was a new book, since I had a hard time finding it in quilt stores. But I finally found it on the APQS website. Later I realized, I could have just purchased it off of Gail's website, but oh well. I was introduced to the book via Gail's site, while googling how to draft circular flying geese. As you look at the site, you will see why I just had to have the book. Oh yeah, I brought the compass as well. Anyway, the book! I loved the way Gail made learning the basics of drafting soooo easy. She didn't tackle it, as if she was writing a book for engineering students (notice how many great quilt designers are either trained in art or engineering???). Well I am just a lonely software salesperson, and I don't understand all the mumble jumble many sites went into while I was poking around on the web. Gail's book also uses some of her students quilts to help make the process easier to understand. I am going to use some of her techniques to draft a center medallion for a round robin quilt project my guild just started.

OK... hope you enjoy the books, they are definitely worth the investment and are books I am sure you will pull out over and over again in your quilt designing.

BTW.. notice how both of these books use paper piecing to create great points... oh yeah, exactly the technique I use to create crisp points!

Cheers!