Create Your Own Dream Feathers
Peggy Holt
AQS Publishing; $26.95

Feathers. Everyone appreciates the elaborate look of feathers across their quilt. Peggy Holt’s take on feathers goes a step further than the standard feather and it did come to her in a dream. The dream feather builds upon itself or another shape and is independent of a spine. They are not as formal as the standard feather, but they are just as elegant. In her book, Peggy covers three concepts: the standard feather, the dream feather and using base shapes to help unify your quilting designs. Once you have all the concepts, she shows you how to embellish them with furls and flourishes, borders and swags, folded paper applications, medallions, and butterflies and hearts. While Peggy is a longarmer, the designs can be used for domestic machine and hand quilters.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Beautiful Botanicals
Deborah Kemball
C&T Publishing; $29.95

Are you looking for a way to add more beautiful flowers into your life this time of year? I know for many of us the only place we see fresh flowers this time of year is at the florist. Deborah Kemball offers a wonderful way to bring more beauty into your life. Her book offers 14 sophisticated floral appliqué projects, varying in size from pillows to quilts. She includes templates for 45 different appliqué flowers, two butterflies and five borders. The book is also filed with wonderful tips to make your work a success, e.g., fussy-cutting fabrics for some of the flowers. You’ll enjoy mixing the various flowers to create your own individual project.

Look for the book at your favorite book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

America’s Quilted Garden Blocks
Fay Labanaris
American Quilter’s Society; $24.95

I’ve always liked the books that linked quilt blocks to states. Having lived in close to a dozen states, I’ve thought about creating a sampler style quilt to include each. That still unstarted project got another push when I looked at Fay’s newest book. She designed 55 unique flower blocks, one for each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and four territories. The bordered blocks range in size from 20-24 inches and incorporate a variety of basic appliqué, embroidery and ribbon work. The patterns are included on a CD, which also includes additional information on each state or territory. I did look at the blocks for each of the states where I’ve lived and was partial to the wreath of black-eyed Susans on the Maryland block.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

The Best of Quilting Arts
ed. Pokey Bolton
Interweave; $24.95

Are you a fan of Quilting Arts magazine? Ten years ago Pokey Bolton happened upon a craft store, the fabric beckoned, and long story short, when she couldn’t find a magazine dedicated to art quilting, she decided to start her own. Over the last 10 years, the magazine has provided resources, techniques and inspiration for thousands of quilt artists. In this collection, Pokey has compiled the most popular articles from the magazine. I am particularly drawn to books that teach a variety of techniques, and this won’t disappoint if you are looking to try new techniques or expand your horizons. Some of what you’ll find: free-motion quilting, stitch-resist shibori, thermofax printing, batik with soy wax, embellishment, and fabric painting. A bonus is the five articles written by Jane Dávila with the professional artist in mind.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Australian Spirit
ed. Sham Lohani and Barbara Macey
M&S Textiles Australia; $34.95

We often hear that the quilting makes the quilt. In this case, it’s the fabric. More specifically it’s the unique design and bold coloration of the Australian Aboriginal artists as seen in this collection of projects from eight designers. The book features 10 projects of varying sizes and complexity that showcases the fabrics. In addition to the projects, the book includes a gallery of 21 additional quilts and 90 color shots of the Aboriginal fabric collections. What I most enjoyed was reading about the Aboriginal artists and learning about the traditional aboriginal symbols and motifs.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Taupe Inspirations
Kylie Irvine
Kansas City Star Quilts; $24.95

When I shop the vendor malls at quilt shows, I’m often drawn to the booths with the Japanese taupe fabrics. In striking contrast to brightly colored quilts, these simple, often naive, quilts have a calming quality. If you are drawn to these fabrics, Kylie Irvine’s book offers her modern take on using Japanese taupes. She offers patterns for two quilts (one is actually shown in two different sizes, one with a softer palate) and nine projects ranging from a notebook cover to a pillow cover to a handbag. If you’ve been collecting taupe-inspired fabrics, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in this collection.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

Wonky One-Block Quilts
Marlous Carter
C&T Publishing; $21.95

If you or your students are looking for a way to add another level of interest to your quilts, give the wonky technique a try. The basics are simple: traditional blocks are created and then cut at a new angle. Once the blocks are all cut, they are pieced into a quilt. Sometimes you can easily find the original block; sometimes it’s difficult. Once you’ve got the technique down, Marlous Carter offers you eight projects plus a variety of creative borders. This would be a fun way to use a stack of blocks you’ve not put into a quilt yet.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.

Orange Peel: New Quilts From Old Favorites
Linda Baxter Lasco, ed.
AQS Publishing; $26.95

I always look forward to each year’s release of the book showcasing the winning quilts in The National Quilt Museum’s annual New Quilts From Old Favorites Contest. The contest features creativity and innovation of individual quilters as they interpret a traditional block with their own design, this year being the year of the Orange Peel block. Each of the 18 winning and finalist quilts is featured in full color along with comments from the quiltmaker. What I like best about the book is that you learn about the quiltmaker’s design decisions, inspiration and techniques in constructing the quilt. I would not have thought about an Orange Peel block incorporating stained glass or Mola techniques. A terrific inspirational and learning resource.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon  if you would like to learn more about the book.

The Quilter’s Color Club

Christine E. Barnes
C&T Publishing; $27.95

Most quilters at some point need help with color and Christine Barnes offers the perfect way for you to gain color confidence. She found that when students took her workshops they wanted more color help, particularly in a group setting. That led to her creating a “color club,” where you can work with friends to explore color concepts and get feedback. She even offers tips if you want to work as a “color club of one.” The club works by following 12 hands-on exercises titled “Give It a Try!” In addition to the 12 exercises, Christine offers eight projects that build on what you’ve learned about color, including value, intensity, visual temperature, luminosity and more. The gallery section of the book features 35 examples of quilts and vests that demonstrate the color qualities. Christine also answers questions that she frequently gets from quilters about color. I loved Christine’s practical, easy-to-follow approach to understanding color concepts, and anyone who “joins the club” will see positive results in the color in her quilts.

Look for the book at your favorite quilt shop or book retailer. Here’s a link to Amazon if you would like to learn more about the book.

The Summer issue of The Professional Quilter includes an article by Eileen Doughty introducing Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark. Daphne and Susan are well-known pattern designers based in Canada. Here’s an excerpt from Eileen’s article:

Some great teams just seem fated to get together. Burns and Allen, Fred and Ginger, Fons and Porter. Though growing up thousands of miles apart, Daphne Greig and Susan Purney Mark were fated to meet each other at a quilt shop in downtown Victoria, British Columbia. Their web-based business, Patchworks Studio, was launched in 1996 and continues to thrive as they expand their publishing endeavours.

“I don’t think we consciously decided that a pattern business would be our journey,” Susan says, “but once we realized what was happening, we did spend quite a bit of time developing a business plan, examined what we wanted to create and how we were going to do all of this. I remember being quite excited to open a business account and get a business credit card!”

When asked if they have any regrets about running a business, both are overwhelmingly positive. Susan only wishes they had started years earlier as she is enjoying herself so much. “It is really a privilege to work in an industry that respects and nurtures creative women,” she says. Daphne enjoys the flexible scheduling allowed by being self-employed.

The two may make a good business match because their skill sets complement each other so well. They also have an explicit separation of tasks so they don’t step on each other’s toes. Daphne takes care of the website and financials, while Susan looks after the orders, shipping and physical inventory. Daphne also concentrates on the technical aspect of writing patterns, building on her long experience with word processing programs and document layouts. Making shop samples from others’ patterns (“some well done, others not so much!”) showed them the importance of reviewing their own pattern instructions for clarity and accuracy.

Communication, pure and simple, is the key to making their business relationship work. The two live about a 40-minute drive apart and usually meet once a week to trade paperwork and go over any details that can’t be dealt with by phone or e-mail.

The Patchworks Studio website and its blogs are the duo’s best marketing tools. Magazine advertisements and direct mailings have limited success, though they regularly advertise in several quilt guild newsletters. Writing articles for quilting magazines gives them additional exposure. Several distributors carry their patterns in the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

They have been attending International Quilt Market for many years, sometimes doing both Markets in a year. They also did several consumer sewing festivals and quilt guild shows for a few years. “It’s not only essential to be seen and introduce your designs to a world-wide audience, but also to see the new fabrics and notions, and the pattern competition,” Susan says.

However, it is exhausting work to go to these shows, and travel and lodging can be expensive. Eight years ago, the duo decided they were competing with their main customers (the quilt shops) and would be better off providing them with pattern samples and other support. They have been happy with how this worked out, particularly as it freed up an enormous amount of time to devote to designing, writing and teaching.

If you would like to read more of Eileen’s article on Daphne and Susan, it’s included in our Summer 2011 issue of The Professional Quilter and available to IAPQ members. The International Association of Professional Quilters offers resources and networking opportunities for you to create a success from your quilting business. Learn about all the benefits of IAPQ membership and join here.

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Morna McEver Golletz is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Professional Quilters, an association to help quilters, fiber artists and other creative arts entrepreneurs build business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://www.professionalquilter.com.