Contain It!
Linda Chaney and Laura Chaney Gerth
American Quilter’s Society; $24.95

When I think of English paper piecing, it is usually about hexies these days. It was a delight to see this easy adaptation of the technique to make numerous vessels and other home accessories. Once you have learned the basics of stabilizing and stitching the pieces together, the authors — a mother and daughter team — offer instructions for seven types of flat or container projects. The instructions are clear and well-illustrated, and you will find full-sized templates to use. I appreciated the “Lessons from Laura” tips to be sure your project turns out well. I found several projects that I wanted to try from a fussy cut scalloped to the star boxes. I am pretty sure once I start it will be hard to stop.

Home Sewn Celebrations
Teri Henderson Tope
American Quilter’s Society; $21.95

I am a celebrator, and so is Teri Henderson Tope, the author of the new book Home Sewn Celebrations. Teri is from a large, loud Italian/German/American family, and while shes says she does not create gourmet meals in the kitchen, she wants to look great there. Most of the 21 projects are food and celebration focused, such as the table runner, the aprons or casserole covers. If you are looking for some fun ways to incorporate your love of sewing or quilting into how you celebrate the kitchen and the memories you make there, you will find some fun ideas in this book.

Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

The “Lost Quilt Masterpieces”
Barbara Brackman
Kansas City Star Quilts; $14.95

Isn’t choosing a new calendar for the new year fun? I always pick up the AQS Quilt Engagement Calendar to use as the travel log in my car. But I like to find one to hang in the kitchen. Once I found The “Lost Quilt Masterpieces,” the choice was easy.

Subtitled A Silly Calendar for 2009-2010,  this calendar showcases Barbara Brackman’s clever sense of humor. Each month features an undiscovered masterpiece, including “Long Arm Quilting at the Folies-Bergére” by Edouard Manet, “Double Wedding Ring” by Jan Van Eyck and “A Sunday Afternoon on the Old Quilts” by Georges Seurat. Each month’s calendar page does give homage to the actual painting. This calendar will amuse me each month, and I’m looking forward to using it.

And if you are like me, you’ll need an engagement calendar, too. The Quilt Art 2009 Engagement Calendar from AQS lives in my car where I use it to track my mileage. It’s great for this purpose and I can be inspired by prize winning quilts at all the traffic lights. Here’s a link to Amazon to this calendar.