Best of Fons & Porter
Leisure Arts; $24.95

I love patriotic quilts and have a small red, white and blue star quilt I love to use. While every day is a good day to celebrate our American pride, it’s about six weeks to Memorial Day, the perfect occasion for another patriotic quilt. In this collection from Fon’s and Porter’s Love of Quilting magazine, you’ll find 30 patriotic quilts, wall hangings and table runners. As with all the “Best of” collections, you’ll find “Sew Easy” tips for learning new techniques. The collection includes pieced and appliqué quilts.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Mastering the Art of Longarm Quilting
Gina Perkes
C&T Publishing; $29.95

You got your longarm, now what? Many books offer lots of quilting designs. Gina Perkes does that, too, but she actually helps you get to the stage where you can use the designs. She starts with step-by-step instructions from finding design inspiration and selecting the appropriate design all the way to blocking and binding the quilt. I loved all the tips throughout the book, e.g., printing a large color photo of your quilt to sketch designs on it, how to build a lightbox, how to use clear tablecloth vinyl to draft border designs, and how to add additional measurements to the leaders to help maintain a square quilt. Since longarm quilters are thread lovers, Gina includes a chapter on choosing and using thread, including troubleshooting. In addition to quilting designs shown throughout the text, she includes 40 original quilting designs. If you are new to your longarm, or more experienced, I think this is a great reference.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Simply Triangles
Barbara H. Cline
C&T Publishing; $24.95

Barbara Cline focuses on using the basic triangle to create complex-looking quilts. The 11 quilts she created are divided into three groups and vary by complexity. The first features triangles that make star designs. The second features triangles that turn into daisies. The final section takes the basic triangle, sometimes with a diamond, and creates pinwheel patterns. Because sewing is a family tradition – Barbara’s Mennonite parents purchased a fabric store when she was 10 – she includes life lessons from many of her family members. You’ll find a good variety of Barbara’s sewing and quilting tips throughout.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Quilting Modern
Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen
Interweave; $26.955

What sets this book apart from others that focus on the modern quilt movement is Jacquie Gehring’s and Katie Pedersen’s emphasis on improvisation. For the authors, improvisation means, “creating in the moment and reacting to ideas and our environment to make something new. Improvisation energizes our creativity and fosters an inventive spirit.” After covering the basics – tools and materials, quilting basics, color and design, and finishing techniques – Jackie and Kate share seven different improvisational techniques. These include free piecing, improvisational log cabin, slice and insert, stitch and flip triangle, strip piecing, modern crazy-piecing and improvisational curves. You have your choice of 22 different quilts and projects, or venture out on your own and improvise!

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Easy Quilts
Best of Fons & Porter
Leisure Arts; $24.95

The subtitle of the book got me: 31 Projects to Make in a Weekend or Less. Who doesn’t want to make a quick quilt that’s attractive? This book features mostly quilts in a variety of styles and size options by 27 designers, so there’s sure to be something for everyone. As with other Best of Fons & Porter books, it’s filled with technique sidebars. What was odd was that the same sidebar on making yo-yos appeared twice in the book. I’m not sure if all the quilts are really completed in a weekend, but you will definitely make good progress in that direction.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Utility Quilting
Carolyn Forster
Landauer Publishing; $27.95

With all the interest in longarm quilting, it’s easy to forget lots of quilters are still hand quilting. And those new to quilting may be interested in giving it a try. Carolyn Forster takes the approach that utility quilting is the perfect solution for the modern quilter. Utility quilting uses bigger stitches and thicker thread. It makes the job go faster and the results are bolder. She offers 25 different quilting designs, 12 knots and stitches, and four finishing techniques that can be applied to any of the 11 projects in the book, or used on your own quilts. I liked the section on creating design templates, e.g., Baptist fan, and then how to mark the design on the quilt.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Jelly Roll Quilt Magic
Kimberly Einmo
AQS Publishing; $26.95

No sign in sight for jelly roll and other precuts to disappear. If you haven’t jumped onto the bandwagon, this is a great book to start with. Kimberly”s engaging spirit shows up on each page as she guides you through creating sub-units to basic blocks to any of the 12 projects in the book, both pieced and appliqué. I found so many quilts to like in this book, and I think it’s because Kimberly has a wonderful color sense with so many of the quilts filled with light or sparkle. Extras include Kimberly’s Top Tips – love the one about dealing with fuzz from the Jelly Roll; tips for using leftovers, or “bitlits,” as she calls them; and ideas on how to host a Jelly Roll Round Robin. And, if the food theme still grabs you, Kimberly offers recipes to compliment optional quilt layouts on her website.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Sisterhood – A Quilting Tradition
Nancy Murty
C&T Publishing; $24.95

I’ll admit it was the title that got me. I am the eldest of five sisters, and unfortunately, I’ve not turned any into quilters, yet. Nancy Murty has one sister who quilts, as well as her mother. Her mother’s sister and daughter also quilt. Nancy wanted to not only share the quilting sisterhood of her family, but also what she has discovered in her own quilting journey. In addition, this fabric artist, fabric and pattern designer set out to encourage readers to find their own creative voice in quilting. The book includes 11 quilts, table runners and wall hangings. The pieces are traditional patchwork and applique pieces, and I found the coloration and scale to have a sophisticated look. I particularly liked “Family and Friends,” an applique quilt that incorporated photos into the border, and the patchwork “Heritage,” that seemed to have a glow.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Create Your Own Dream Feathers
Peggy Holt
AQS Publishing; $26.95

Feathers. Everyone appreciates the elaborate look of feathers across their quilt. Peggy Holt’s take on feathers goes a step further than the standard feather and it did come to her in a dream. The dream feather builds upon itself or another shape and is independent of a spine. They are not as formal as the standard feather, but they are just as elegant. In her book, Peggy covers three concepts: the standard feather, the dream feather and using base shapes to help unify your quilting designs. Once you have all the concepts, she shows you how to embellish them with furls and flourishes, borders and swags, folded paper applications, medallions, and butterflies and hearts. While Peggy is a longarmer, the designs can be used for domestic machine and hand quilters.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Fresh Fabric Treats
Moda Bake Shop Designers
Stash Books; $21.95

If you aren’t familiar with Moda Bake Shop, it’s an online bakery of sorts, filled with jelly rolls, honey buns and layer cakes. Of course, we’re talking about precuts. Moda has taken the reins on this idea with eight types of precuts, five named after baked goods. At the Bake Shop, you’ll encounter a number of chefs. These would be the Moda Fabrics designers. This book showcases a fun mix of 16 projects from those chefs. You’ll find a selection of seven quilts, several bags, a pillow, table runner and accessories. If you are looking for a project to use your precuts, you’ll find a recipe here.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.