Autumn Bouquet by Sharon Keightley Combines Patchwork and Applique

I need to make an Autumn Bouquet quilt!

I love applique. And I love these quilts that combine piecing with applique! 

Sharon Keightley has chosen color schemes suitable for autumn days, with rich browns and warm oranges. Reproduction fabrics work wonderful in these quilts, and the traditional applique patterns recall historic quilts from the 19thc.

Rose of Thorns, 22 1/2" x 22 1/2"

This Rose of Thornes quilt has a primitive feel that I love. Sharon has a 'make it easy' tip and I could make the applique in a few days. And she has no-fail Wild Geese instructions. Maybe this is the one I need to make.

Hollys Garden, 22 1/2" x 22 1/2"

Holly's Garden is also in the running. Sharon makes it easy with wash-away applique and easy pieced border instructions.

Goose Crossing, 74 1/4" x 74 1/2"

Oh, no wait--Goose Crossing is too wonderful to ignore! I love the appliqued flowers set in the negative space created in this traditional, pieced quilt pattern. And such a great idea to include dark-colored flowers.

Ring a Rosie, 30 1/2" x 30 1/2"

Here is an idea I can use. Ring a Rosie has a wonderful printed border and I have reproduction fabrics I have been hoarding for just such a quilt. The pretty scrappy flower wreath is on a pieced background and is set with super-easy patchwork units.

Treasures From the Scrap Bin, 21 3/4" x 34"

I have bins of scraps all organized by size and theme. Treasures From the Scrap Bin would be a great way to use some up! The Sho Fly block center is combined with a graceful flower urn border. I love a flower urn border.

There are a DOZEN quilts to choose from! Something for everyone! All sizes!

I have saved my very favorite until last. Sharon's Surprise was inspired by her study of antique quilts that combined pink and red.

I love these colors. I love the flower block with its reverse applique and the unique scalloped border. I love the light background and the way the applique colors pop.

This is it. This is the quilt I need to make.

Sharon's Surprise, 30 1/2" x 30 1/2"

I was given access to a free ebook by the publisher. My review is fair and unbiased.

Autumn Bouquet - Patchwork and Applique Quilts from Reproduction Prints
by Sharon Keightley
Martingale
$25.99 softcover
ISBN: 9781683560180
Publication Date: August 1st, 2019

Celebrate the Outdoors with a Patchwork Picnic Quilt

Aren't these just the cutest pieced block? And such an adorable quilt! Can you resist a Patchwork Picnic? Gracey Larson has created wonderful pictorial blocks for people--like me--who prefer traditional piecing to paper piecing.

I am in love with the lightning bug in a mason jar--and the ladybug--and the cattails--and the coneflower--and the dragonfly--and the watering can--O.K., I admit to loving this whole quilt!

If you don't want to make the whole quilt, at the very least you will want to make these bird blocks, seen in the table runner project below. I want to make a whole flock!

Or these fall-themed acorn hot pads. They could be whipped up in a day! Then use the flowers block to make a spring set!

Gracey offers seven different projects using these blocks. Including this zippered tablet holder.

 Or these useful pocketed and zippered holders.

I can't have too many tote bags. I use them for shopping, carting my quilt projects, and taking my book to book club.

The blocks are not hard to make, all squares and rectangles and geometric shapes sewn with straight and diagonal seams, using stitch-and-flip for angles. The instructions are detailed with loads of illustrations.

I can see a selection of blocks used to make a baby quilt. Or a garden quilt. Or a nature quilt.

Patchwork Picnic is such a fun, upbeat quilt!

I was given access to a free ebook by the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Patchwork Picnic: Simple-to-Piece Blocks That Celebrate the Outdoors
Gracey Larson
That Patchwork Place
ISBN: 9781683560104, 1683560108
Paperback $25.99 USD, £24.99 GBP

Wild Wool & Colorful Cotton Quilts by Erica Kaprow

I could not resist looking into a book with such a fun and colorful quilt on the cover! I love the wonky houses, how every space is filled with applique details, but most of all, the pure joy this quilt exudes!

Erica Kaprow combines textiles in Wild Wool & Cotton Quilts, which I know is very popular in my weekly quilt group. Quilters love the ease of wool applique and the texture and visual interest added by wool.

Three quilt projects are included, all in a medallion style with exuberant layers of vines, flowers, and circles.

The cover quilt is House on the Hill, 43" x 43" with a central block of 17" x 171/4". The patterns employs prairie points, beading, and tiny circles made with a hole punch.

Birds of a Feather, below, is a whimsical birdhouse and mating pair. The 42" x 42" quilt has a 16" square central block. Embroidery and beading are used. That sinuous vine around the house is divine.

Birds of a Feather

House in the Middle, 46 1/2" square with a 14" square middle block, includes seed beads, paper piecing, and embroidery. Don't you just love the cat sleeping on the rooftop?

Kaprow's order of operations explains how to create the patterns and applique the pieces and is fully illustrated, and photographs give an up-close look at the quilts.

 

Kaprow is the author of Everything's Blooming and Summertime Sampler. A lifelong sewer, crafter, and wool dyer, Kaprow found that quilting brought together her love of color, fabrics, hand stitching, and creativity.

I was given access to a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Wild Wool & Colorful Cotton Quilts: Patchwork & Appliqué Houses, Flowers, Vines & More
Erica Kaprow
32 pages, plus pullout
ISBN: 978-1-61745-846-0
UPC: 734817-113546
(eISBN: 978-1-61745-847-7)
 Book ( $19.95  )
 eBook ( $15.99 )

Classic to Contemporary String Quilts

Classic to Contemporary String Quilts by Mary M. Hogan offers 14 quilt projects perfect for scrap quilting, using pieces of all sizes. What quilter doesn't need patterns like these?

And it's amazingly simpler than I ever thought.

I have never really understood paper piecing. I even bought a book about how to paper piece but still felt confused. So when I saw Mary's pages on how to paper piece blocks for her book I was amazed--I understood the process! Each step is photographed, fronts and backs of the work in progress, with descriptions of what to do. 

Included are squares with center seams, half square triangles, and quarter square triangles, directional quarter square triangles. Blocks in which the background foundation fabric become part of the finished block include half square triangles, half covered background squares, star points, and one and four corner covered blocks. 

There's more--Crooked strings and disappearing strings and adding selvages to strings! Mary shows how to make tree panels for her branching tree blocks and Dresden plate sections. Various foundations are shown, including paper, fabric, and tulle.

Next comes the patterns for quilt projects. String pieced blocks in traditional patterns include flying geese, large block Carpenter Square, Church Dash, Shoo Fly, Card Trick, and Bow Tie.

Her star quilt pattern is original and modern in design. She offers a large Dresden Plate block pattern in a plethora of bright prints to create a floral-like block, and a Dresden Plate table runner.

String pieced sets are sliced thin to be scattered across a single background color for a simple, modern feel. A monotone palette for the strings also has a modern vibe set with white.

Her trees are very cool and make up to 16 1/2" x 18" size. She shows them as a set representing seasons but could also be set together into a bed sized quilt.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Classic to Contemporary String Quilts
by Mary M. Hogan
Fox Chapel Publishing
Landauer Publishing
Pub Date 08 Apr 2019
ISBN 9781947163041
PRICE $24.95 (USD)

MODA All-Stars on a Roll!

Quilters know that a "jelly roll" isn't something to eat with coffee but a delectable collection of 2 1/2" strips of fabrics, coordinated and ready to sew.

If you haven't yet developed a sweet tooth for these enticing treats, MODA All-Stars On A Roll might just have you running to the quilt shop for a quick fix.

Fourteen patterns from top designers are offered with something to appeal to every aesthetic. Each of the designers is introduced with cute Q&As and hints.

Just look at Square Dance by Karla Eisenach! This subtle plaid pattern at once modern and traditional. Karla used one Jelly Roll of assorted red and tan prints. I just love it.

Square Dance, 58" x 58", 12" blocks

Betsy Chutchian's Mountain Climbing has a traditional Country look. She used contrasting colors, one set "north" and one set "south," from a Jelly Roll of assorted prints set against a dark gray.

Mountain Climbing, 54 1/2" x 64 1/2", 9" x 8" block

The adorable Sweet Butterfly by Stacy Iest Hsu is a pattern any girl would fall in love with. She used a Jelly Roll of assorted pastel prints. Imagine it with bold colors!

Sweet Butterfly, 63" x 68 1/2", block is 17 1/2" x 14"

Lynne Hagmeier employed strip piecing for Chain Reaction. She used a Jelly Roll of tan and dark prints.

Chain Reaction, 62 1/2" x 76 1/2", 6" x 8" block

Trifle by Janet Clare is inspired by the British dessert that is to die for, made with layers of sponge cake, fresh fruit, custard, and whipped cream. She used two Jelly Rolls of assorted brights and 81 5" x 5" squares in assorted prints. This is a foundation pieced pattern.

Trifle, 63 1/2" x 63 1/2", 7" x 7" block

Maisy Daisies by Joanna Figueroa is another sweet pattern that can be made in the pastels she shows or in brights. Joanna used an assortment of Jelly Roll strips for this beautifully coordinated palette.

Maisy Daisies, 56 1/2" x 71 1/2", 9" x 9" block

One Roll Wonder by Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson uses one Jelly Roll of assorted pastels. This is a simple pattern to construct and would be a quick gift quilt to whip up.

One Roll Wonder, 60 1/2" x 60 1/2", 10" x 10" block

As a quilter who loves applique, one of my favorite designers is Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill. She offers Rule the Roost.

Rules the Roose, 40 1/2" x 40 1/2", 8" x 8" chicken blocks

I wondered what it would be like to hand applique these Jelly Roll pieced hens. So I made a table topper with my precut strips of fabric which I keep in a bin.

 I just loved it!

If you need more reasons to buy MODA All-Stars on a Roll, the royalties from the book are donated to School on Wheels which provides educational opportunities for homeless children.

That's a win-win for me.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

MODA All-Stars On a Roll
Martingale
Lissa Alexander
On Sale Date: March 15, 2019
ISBN: 9781604689884, 1604689889
$25.99 USD

Quilt Big: Bigger Blocks for Faster Finishes

In her new book Quilt Big, Jemima Fiendt enlarges traditional quilt blocks to 15", 18" and 24" size. The resulting quilts not only work up quickly, but they also have a Modern vibe suitable for today's home decor trends. Another plus is that the larger blocks are great for bigger and bolder prints!

The book includes 22 quilt block patterns and 17 quilt designs.

What I especially liked about the book is how Fiendt explains how to resize quilt blocks based on their grid. She explains how to enlarge each unit (four-patch, three-patch, and sixteen patch blocks) to create a larger block. 

Fiendt shows how to construct each block with easy piecing techniques. The quilt projects include quilts of various sizes, pillows, and table runners. She believes in making the quilt back look interesting, too, and explains how to make pieced backings with extra blocks and fabrics.

Chapters include:

• Quilting Basics & Why We Make It
• Upsizing Quilts and Quilt Blocks
• Quilt Blocks
• Quilts and Home Décor Projects
• Quilt Backings

The book is available in softcover and digital download.

Fiendt's previous book is Weekend Quilting.

Learn more about Fiendt and her quilts at her website Tied with a Ribbon

http://www.tiedwitharibbon.com/

Instagram page

https://www.instagram.com/tiedwitharibbon/

and at her Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/Tiedwitharibbon

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Quilt Big

by Jemima Fiendt

The Quilting Company

Publication: December 4, 2018

ISBN 13 9781440248542

Red & White Quilts: 14 Quilts with Timeless Appeal

I adore red and white quilts and was eager to get a look at Red & White Quilts from That Patchwork Place.

Fourteen designers were asked to create a red and white quilt they would treasure for a lifetime. 

Red and white quilts have been popular for generations. Turkey Red was one of the few colorfast dyes available to early quilters who could pair the red with white and not worry about bleeding. Today the color combo continues to attract quilters.

Red & White Quilts includes patterns ranging from the vintage-inspired to a modern vibe that will appeal to young people today.

One of my favorite quilts in the book is this mandala inspired wall hanging. It makes me happy to look at it! Helen's instructions for applique uses a glue stick, a tool I have been enjoying in my applique work.

Flower Power by Helen Stubbings, 52" x 52"

Patterns include patchwork, applique, and English paper piecing, each with an artist's statement and step-by-step illustrated instructions.

The designers include Lissa Alexander, Karen Styles, Susan Ache, Jill Shaulis, Helen Stubbings, Sarah Huechteman, Debbie Roberts, Lisa Bongean, Sue Daley, Kim Diehl, Victoria Findlay Wolfe, Carrie Nelson, Camille Roskelley, and Jen Kingwell.

One of these quilts could be your next masterpiece, a showstopper stunner to be proud of!

Circles are a clear theme in several of the quilts. Sue creates large medallions with English Paper Piecing and presented in a Medallion setting.

Forever Thoughtful by Sue Daly, 64 1/2" x 64 1/2"

This original quilt on a circle motif uses interesting techniques that will expand your repertoire.

Enough With the Curves by Jen Kingwell, 46 1/2" x 46 1/2"

Don't let this stunner scare you! The diamonds are made with strips! Set-in seams are not as hard as you fear, thanks to good instructions.

Ruby Jubilee by Karen Styles, 76 1/2" x 76 1/2"

 This star block variation in scrappy red and white feels fresh and modern.

DayDreams by Camille Roskelley, 70" x 70"

Inspired by antique quilts, this is actually made of Flying Geese blocks. Instructions for using Triangle Paper is offered. Lisa starches her fabric well when working with small pieces.

Memory of a Masterpiece by Lisa Bongean, 76 1/2" x 76 1/2"

 Flying Geese around a common star makes for a dynamic quilt!

Stars in Flight by Jill Shaulis, 42 1/2" x 42 1/2"

Pieced units are sewn log-cabin style to form the blocks in this unique quilt. This photo doesn't do it justice as the quilt in its entirety has an almost Three-D effect.

Twisted Cabin by Sarah Huechteman, 76 1/2" x 76 1/2"

The alternating color in the blocks creates an interesting design with a lot of visual activity in the quilt below. It again uses strip sets to make the triangles.

Happy Accident by Susan Ache, 76 1/2" x 96 1/2"

A pieced quilt can fool the eye into seeing circles!

Sweet Dreams by Lissa Alexander, 78 1/2" x 96 1/2"

Inspired by antique Turkey Track blocks, Debbie's quilt adds a floral wreath center that keeps the design from being too heavy.

Tracking Tradition by Debbie Roberts, 57 1/2" x 60 1/2"

Kim collected fabrics in a range of values then mixed piecing and applique to make this Modern Traditional quilt.

Scarlet Song by Kim Diehl, 63 1/2" x 63 1/2"

Here is another way to use your red fabrics in a scrappy quilt. The zig-zag pattern constrains the scraps in its powerful design.

Walk With Way by Carrie Nelson, 71" x 76 1/2"

Victoria loves repetitive patterns using simple shapes. This unique quilt has a lot of activity that keeps the eye guessing.

Crowd Pleaser by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, 88 1/2" x 98 1/2"

I hope you are inspired to make your own red and white quilt to cherish!

I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Red & White Quilts: 14 Quilts with Timeless Appeal From Today's Top Designers
On Sale Date: November 15, 2018
ISBN 9781604689624, 1604689625
Paperback |  112 pages
$27.99 USD, £26.99 GBP

Red and White Single Wedding Ring, circa 1915, made by Harriet Nelson