Stash Statement Blog Hop Kickoff!

Today is the kickoff day for the Stash Statement Blog Hop tour. Stash Statement is a new book from Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation, and I'm thrilled to be part of this blog hop!

I love the look of improv, but I'm afraid of doing it. As a former software engineer and current owner of a very mathematical brain, it is a challenge for me to improvise even under guidance. That is why I so welcome Kelly's approach which combines improv piecing and traditional piecing for one-of-a-kind quilts that caters to my need of order and structure but gives me a chance to experiment with improv. It's the best of both worlds!

My stop of the blog hop is on 5/7. Until then, here's a sneak peek of what I've been up to:

Below is the full schedule. It starts today with Grand Bazaar which is the stunning rainbow quilt on the cover of the book. I can't wait to see the versions these talented bloggers have made, and of course, I hope to see you back here on 5/7!

Stash Statement Blog Tour Schedule

Kickoff post:

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

4/16: Grand Bazaar

Shelley @ Cora's Quilts

Connie @ Freemotion by the River

4/26: Louvered

Lindsey @ Primrose Cottage Quilts

Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

4/30: Precarious

Jess @ Quilty Habit

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts

5/7: Beach Retreat

Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

Liz @ Savor Every Stitch (you're here!)

5/14: Fire Pit

Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts

Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts

5/21: Detour

Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts

Shelley @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts

5/28: Murrina

Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl

Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

6/4: Scattered

Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

Christine @ Triangles and Squares

6/11: Bloom Chicka Boom

Chris @ made by ChrissieD

Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

6/18: Regatta

Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

Debbie @ A Quilter's Table

Christa @ Christa Quilts

6/25: Catch a Falling Star

Cynthia @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework

Anja @ Anja Quilts

7/2: College Prep

Hilary @ by Hilary Jordan

Lori @ Crossquilt

7/9: Take Flight (bonus digital pattern)

Kelli @ Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches

Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

I'm Feeling Zen Chic

I'm actually pretty picky when it comes to fabrics or quilting patterns. On average, I only like about 5% to 10% of what I see. So when there's a designer whose collection I like almost all of, that's pretty special. I find her style to be a blend of mid-century modern (which I adore) and Japanese minimalism (which I adore even more) so naturally, I love pretty much everything she does.

That designer is Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic. She's an interior designer, and it really shows in her quilt photos. Every one of her quilts is photographed against a lovely interior that compliments the quilt perfectly. Now that's great presentation!

Naturally, when I found out she had just come out with Zen Chic Inspired: A Guide to Modern Design, I was thrilled. I snagged a copy and waited quite impatiently for it to arrive.

I've read through the book several times already, and there are quite a few must-make patterns in there for me. But the real appeal of the book isn't just the patterns, it's the way she wrote about designing quilts. I usually approach it with what technique I want to play with or (usually) what fabric I want to use up, and then trying to fit a pattern to that. Brigitte's approach is to think of the space that quilt will dress up, and designing according to that, and she offered tips and illustrations that I found both unique and very interesting. Reading through this book makes me feel really calm, relaxed, and happy ... and really, I think that was the aim.

I'll eagerly look out for new fabric lines and patterns put out by Zen Chic, because if there's a designer that melds with my style so closely, that's something to hold on to.

Quilting Is My Therapy Too

I'm not bashful to admit that I have a hero in the quilting world. Angela Walters takes my breath away with her stunning machine quilting. I have taken all her Craftsy classes, and own at least 5 of her books. In addition to being incredibly talented, she's also really funny.

Well, of course I had to pick up a copy of her new book, Quilting Is My Therapy, which is part story, part machine quilting showcase, and fully inspirational.

I read the book cover-to-cover, and I was both awed and in tears. In tears because of the stories of how she became a machine quilter, in particular involving her Grandpa sweetly encouraging her. And in awe because her work is stunning. I always knew this, but I've never seen it in this detail before. The book doesn't have a single pattern or instruction on how to make any of it, but that doesn't matter. It's a machine quilting book, and because there are so many really close shots of the designs, I can work out how she did them.

Angela herself says that she doesn't like hard quilting ... she likes fun quilting. It's true that most of the designs she uses are not hard, and completely approachable for even me. But the way she arranges them into a composition ... the way she just knows what to do on a quilt top to bring out its maximum beauty ... that is where her true artistry lies.

I completely agree with Angela that machine quilting is the best part of making a quilt. Quilting is my therapy too!

Book Review: The Quilt Block Cookbook

As soon as I heard word that Amy Gibson had published another book, The Quilt Block Cookbook, I preordered mine on Amazon. I had enjoyed her previous book For Keeps immensely, and looked forward for months to receive this new book of hers.

I get lots of quilting patterns online, but the reason I buy and keep quilting books, even if they only have a few quilts that I want to make, is the experience and the presentation. Reading the introduction, seeing the layouts and the little blurbs that go with the quilts is what makes the experience for me. To this end, The Quilt Block Cookbook does a superb presentation.

This book is presented like a cookbook, which I also happen to love despite the fact that I don't cook, with all the analogies to cookbooks from ingredients, recipes, staples, and every block is presented with food and spices. The photography is great, it makes my mouth water to read this book, but it's a quilt book! There are 50 blocks in this quilt, and though some of them are very simple, some are rather complicated and are composed of many smaller "ingredients." All in all they look very approachable, yet are interesting due to the way Amy combines familiar elements.

My favorite part of the book, however, is when Amy presents 7 sampler quilts. These aren't your traditional sampler quilt layed out in a grid with sashing, which I do love and respect as well, but new and modern layouts for sampler blocks. I found these layouts innovative, and can actually see myself making quilts with sampler blocks to outfit my bedroom.

This is a beautiful book that is delightful to the eyes, and it makes me hungry for chocolate, for some reason.