Book Reviews

Continuous Line Quilting Designs by Hari Walner

Continuous line quilting gives you 80 different patterns for quilting so that you spend less time stopping and starting and securing stitches, and more time quilting.  The patterns are suitable for blocks, borders, corners and back grounds.

The book starts off by giving you a few tips about free motion quilting, choosing the right pattern, threads, batting and fabric.   It then gives you directional diagrams for each pattern to show you where to start and where to finish with arrows guiding you around the pattern.  They encourage you to run your finger along the designs to follow the direction of the stitching.  The diagrams are large and clear and easy to follow.

In the middle of the book are stunning photos of the patterns, which are great for helping you to choose which of the patterns to use for your particular quilt.  I have to say it will be a hard choice as there are many amazing designs to choose from.  The book ends with a few more useful tips and a visual index.

I would say this book is a must for any passionate quilter, the hard thing will be choosing which pattern to start with!

This book is published by C & T Publishing and can be purchased on Amazon here.

Picture This! By Marica Stein

This book shows you how to make a photo into a quilt – a brilliant idea which have to admit had not crossed my mind before but the results are stunning! This book takes you through every step of the process from camera selection and photo taking tips to choosing the right photos and fabrics. 

The first half of the book concentrates on taking the right photo and getting it ready to turn into a quilt.  The second part of the book then takes you through the steps of making the quilt – including 3 different appliqué techniques. 

I found the book very clear and easy to follow, there are brightly coloured photographs throughout as well as useful diagrams.  The book is broken down into very clear sections and makes the whole process looks easy.  This book would be suitable for a beginner looking for a challenge or an experienced quilter looking for something different.

This book is published C & T Publishing and can be purchased through Amazon here, although you’ll have to be quick as there were only 2 left in stock when I checked!

From Print to Stitch by Janet Edmonds

This book is jam packed with techniques for hand printing onto fabric and then advises how to use stitching to turn it into textile art.  After starting with a list of materials and tools needed the book describes how to develop a theme for your work.   It then talks you through the different types of printing and which are best to use when as well as giving a clear photographic technique guide.   My personal favourite is the section where it teaches you how to transfer organic products such as leaves onto fabric. 

The second half of the book is dedicated to stitching, and to using stitching to transform/complement your prints.  It shows you how many different stitches look on fabric, and when added to prints.  It is not however a stitch guide, it doesn’t show you how to do the stitches.   The photography in this book is very high quality and I find each page inspires you to get creating.  If you are looking to start creating textile art this is a great book to have in your collection.

This book is published by Search Press and can be purchased on their website or on amazon here.