Quilting Books

I was just reviewing my blog and realized that I've been pretty quiet lately. Probably because I've been focused on getting Damian's quilt done and didn't plan on posting until it was finished. However, I'm taking a break from John Deere (the fabric in Damian's quilt), so I have the time to blog. I was in the city (Edmonton) yesterday, hit the thrift stores and did find some new treasures to share. Not fabric, not thread, not a vintage sewing machine. Though I did find one of those. I'm glad I didn't buy it however. It was a Singer Stylist from the 1970s and when I googled it, I found out it was made with cheap nylon parts that wore out quickly.

No, the treasures I found were books. Quilting books. 

 This is 101 Full-Size Quilt Blocks and Borders. Full-size meaning 9 inches. The blurb on the back says "Block pattern to template in seconds ~ Easy-to-trace 'lie-flat' book ~21 versatile full-size border patterns ~ 80 bed quilt diagrams ~ 7 exquisite sampler quilts ~ 181 block and border color options ~ step-by-step instructions ~ dozens of fun-to-make quilting projects." Here's a sample of what the inside looks like:

I like it. Fairly simple and straightforward. And, as you can see, it does lie flat, which is very nice. This is probably my favourite of the 4 books I purchased and possibly the one that will see the most use.

Well, everyone knows how to scrap quilt, right? But The Ultimate Scrap Quilt is more. It is constructing fabric by sewing scraps together and then using this "constructed fabric" to cut pieces for  your blocks. You can see samples on the cover and here's a preview from inside:

Doing this kind of thing is something I thought about years ago, but never did. Now I've got a book to help me do it. 
See my hand in there: this book doesn't lie flat.

Quilt Studio : Innovative Techniques for Confident and Creative Quiltmaking and Design is kind of a weird book for me to get because it's mainly about art quilts. Frankly, I really don't like art quilts. Maybe it's because I'm more mathematical than artistic and I like the rhythm of geometric shapes and how they flow together to make patterns within patterns. Most art quilts just don't "do it" for me. So, why did I buy this book? Actually, when I flipped it open to this page,

I was intrigued by how she could make a heron out of strips of fabric. There's also a great duck block in this book that I'd like to replicate. Plus there are some cool geometric patterns in here as well.  I don't know how much use this book will actually get, but I'm sure I can glean some useful material from it. And I can always resell it in a yard sale or donate it to the library once I've gotten what I can out of it. 
This book doesn't lie flat either.

Here's what the back of American Quilt Classics From the Collection of Patricia Cox has to say: "For the first time, the internationally renowned quilt collection of Patricia Cox is made public in this stunning and fascinating volume. Discover the rich history of American quilts, from the 1820s to the 1950s, and then re-create the finest quilts in the collection with 12 glorious block patterns that combine modern-day fabrics with traditional design." I love history, I love books and I love quilting, so this was a great find for me. 

a sample page from American Quilt Classics

And it does like flat. LOL!
So, yes, I did find some new treasures. I also picked up my new glasses. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I combined a coupon I got in the mail plus an in-store special and got 2 pairs of regular glasses and one pair of prescription sunglasses for what I normally pay for one pair of glasses plus clip-ons or fit-overs. And they're all designer frames, too. None of them have nose pieces, however, so they'll tend to slide down my nose...

Kind of funky mottled black and grey with a little brown. These are my favourites.

Another kind of funky pair with a hint of fuchsia  I can wear my fit-overs with this pair, but not the first pair.

These ones are really funky. I wouldn't have bought these frames for my regular glasses as I don't think I'd want this look all the time.
I didn't really like the look on my face in this picture, so I snapped another one.

Happy quilting!