{{giveaway now closed, winner is comment #7, Allison C. Thank you!}}
You guys, I know a couple of quilting rock stars.
Andie and Kelly's brand new book is called Modern Designs for Classic Quilts and it's truly a gorgeous book. Now it is true that they are two lovely and hilarious people that I love to hang out with, but aside from that, if this book was crap I wouldn't be posting about it :)
I've only had this book a very short time and I've already been inspired to make two of the quilts- and pseudo started on them. That cover quilt by Kelly absolutely breathtaking, don't you think? This is the stack I've picked out to make the quilt for someone special who loves these kind of bright and tropical colors. I've still never made an all log-cabin quilt, and as soon as I saw the cover of this book, I knew this was the one I've been waiting for. Just need to pick out my two solids and I'm ready to cut!
One thing I love about the this book is that there is no shortage of photos and diagrams of every single quilt. Plus clear illustrations of each construction step. The 12 large quilt projects cover all the traditional-gone-modern blocks and styles you could want to learn as a quilter- log cabins, dresdens, New York beauty, flying geese, postage stamps, hexies, and even wonky improv. And while the quilt patterns are beautiful and clear to follow, the projects are each presented in a way that make it easy for you to make it your own. Learn the basic block from the book, then make their quilt or make your own riff on it. I love that kind of freedom in a quilting book!
The second project I've already been inspired by is Andie's simple flying geese quilt. This is my month to pick the design for our charity quilt in the Harmony Circle of Do Good Stitches. I loved the idea of geese floating in all that beautiful negative space, so I told the girls in my group to make strips of 12 flying geese in a gray, aqua, navy, and citron yellow color scheme on a white background. I'm so excited to start getting their strips and put this quilt together!
The book is set up to have a smaller project that goes along with the skill learned in each big quilt project- stuff like table runners, pillows, and wall hangings. Projects with smaller time commitments are always great in a craft book. And I LOVE the little notes on each project that give tips starting with "Andie says..." or "Kelly says..." I can tell you that these are written exactly how the girls would talk. They are hilarious and totally make you feel like you are just quilting with some favorite friends.
You know how every quilting book has that part in the beginning that teaches you really basic stuff like rotary cutting and binding? Most of the time, these sections are kind of just a throw away and you can skim past them. But I think this instructional section is one of the most valuable reasons you should own this book. The picture tutorials go way beyond the basics and cover so much skill. They teach you how to do foundation paper piecing, English paper piecing, piecing curves, installing a pillow zipper, making ruffles, appliqués, and all kinds of things. It's so valuable to have all those tutorials in one place on your bookshelf. Sometimes the two of them even share different ways of doing things. (Spoiler alert: Andie presses seams open and Kelly doesn't. Gasp!)
This is just about the cutest picture of Andie and Kelly and it makes me so proud of them! It's very cool that the book is written by just a couple of friends who love to quilt. You can really hear both their voices and styles in the book. In the intro, they share their thoughts about traditional and modern quilting in a way that really sums up beautifully what the two styles mean to each other and what the modern movement is all about.
So have I gushed enough to sell you on this book yet? The quilts are absolutely beautiful, but even if you aren't one to follow tons of patterns in books, the basic instruction and general inspiration is priceless. I'm super lucky that I get to see all the quilts in person at the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild meeting tonight.
You should go buy it now!
Also be sure to check out these other fantastic stops on the blog tour:
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Ok, ready for the chance to win your own copy? Just leave me a comment here about which type of quilt block or design you've always wanted to try but haven't gotten around to yet. Make sure to include your email in the comment! (Sorry, U.S. entries only please.)
