Daily Archives: April 3, 2015

Outstanding book of great workshops for modern quilting

Lucky Spool’s Essential Guide to Modern Quilt Making: From Color to Quilting: 10 Design Workshops by Your Favorite Teachers

By: Editors of Lucky Spool

Rating: 5 of 5

luckyspoolThis is a fantastic book on many facets of quilting. While the book focuses on modern quilts, the skills taught in the book apply to all genres of quilting.

As the book is a compilation of ten workshops, rather than a book written by a single author, each of the segments reads as a small book written by someone who is an expert at that particular quilting skill. The workshops include: The Principles of Color, Working with Solids, Working with Prints, Improvisational Patchwork, The Alternate Grid, Circles and Curves, Paper Piecing, Large-Scale Piecing, Modern Machine Quilting and A Study of Modern Quilts. Each workshop (except the last) includes a project or practice exercises that involve that particular field of study. There is also a good number of templates are included at the end of the book. The section on A Study of Modern Quilts has a large number of color photos of various modern quilts, along with a blurb by the quilt artist regarding the making, inspiration, or comments about the making of the quilt.

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Adorable knitted seasonal hats for baby

Holiday Hats for Babies: Caps, berets & beanies to knit for every occasion

By: Debby Ware

Rating: 5 of 5

holidayhatsforbabyThis is a gorgeous book with 25 patterns of adorable hats for babies. The sections are divided by season with a great choice for each one. I really liked that the book included some hats for girls, some perhaps a little more for boys but the majority of which were fairly gender neutral.

I have crocheted hats for babies and for infants but have only knitted standard preemie hats. I have been looking for baby hats which would inspire me to try my skills at more advanced knitting.
I am an intermediate knitter with visions of someday being more advanced. The projects in “Holiday Hats for Babies: Caps, berets & beanies to knit for every occasion” look to be an excellent way for me to try new skills and techniques on smaller, easy to finish projects.

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