I'm very excited to be posting about Lisa Solomon's new book, Knot Thread Stitch: Exploring Creativity through Embroidery and Mixed Media. This book is not just about embroidery. It is chock full of inspiring ways to use embroidery along with various materials in interesting and different ways. Lisa has included a wide variety of projects and after each one, there is another interpretation of the same project by a different artist. I love seeing how one idea can percolate into something else similar, yet different. This isn't just about fabric either. Paint, paper, stamps and shrinky dinks all show up in the projects. And most of them are easy, accessible and look to require little time. All good, in my mind.

In other words, it's freaking cool.

Projects that jumped out to me immediately:

These tea towels combine paint with embroidery. What an unexpected and interesting combination!

This tote bag uses a child's artwork as inspiration for the embroidery. I have done something along these lines with both of my kids and I treasure the resulting projects.

And look! A neclace made from shrinky dinks! With stitching! How fun is that? I also think it is a great project for my girls to do...really, who doesn't love shrinky dinks?

I think my favorite thing about this book is that is a wonderful starting point for exploring your own creativity with embroidery. The projects are great on their own, but work just as well as prompts that will help you create something that is truly one of a kind.

Lisa and her publisher, Quarry Books, have generously offered a copy of Knot Thread Stitch to one of my readers. To enter your name into the "hat", comment on this post before Sunday, September 16th at 5:00 p.m. Let me know how you use embroidery in your projects. If you are not a stitcher, what would you use embroidery to do? I'll let the random number generator chose a winner.

Hey there. Long time, no blog. Life, people. Summer.

School starts Wednesday. Wednesday. And there are still four skirts I need to hem. Ahem. But otherwise we are set and ready to go. I hope (fingers and toes crossed) to be back here a bit more frequently. Not as if that would be hard. Geez. I have been a slacker.

But, I've been reading a lot. Tons, actually. The amount of pages turned may inversely correspond to the amount of blog posts this summer. Or not. Who knows? Here's what I've read on my summer vacation:

Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

Gillespie and I by Jane Harris (Small coincidence, huh? My Jane Harris gave this to me for my bday)

The Marriage Plot by Jefferey Eugenides

The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger

In One Person by John Irving

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Bowling Avenue by Ann Shayne

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (7th in a series - all mysteries, best read chronologically)

Eight Inspector Montalbano books by Andrea Camilleri (again, mysteries that are best read in chronologically - these are not necessarily listed in order. There are also a few (5 or so?) that come before these that I had already read):  The Age of Doubt, The Patience of the Spider, The Potter's Field, The Track of Sand, The Wings of the Sphinx, The Paper Moon, August Heat, Rounding the Mark

That's 17 books since my birthday. I'm impressing myself.

That pile up top? 5 are mine, 2 are Fatty's. 1 of mine we will both read. Bonus points (and maybe a prize?) for anyone who can figure out whose are whose.

A few weeks ago, a copy of Jennifer Paganelli's latest book, Happy Home, arrived on my doorstep for review. I immediately thumbed through it and was wowed by all the gorgeous photos. I have always enjoyed Jennifer's bright, cheerful prints and this book shows them off in a magnificient way. When I had more time to spare, I spent some time reading and really looking at the projects. There are lots of great household items including home dec (bed coverings, curtains, bedskirt, pillows, tablecloth and napkins) as well as accessories for the home (fabric boxes, garland, pompom lanterns) and accessories to wear (hat, apron). The ones that caught my eye immediately are:

The Playful Patterned Pillow - I love the large hexagons and there are good instructions for machine sewing them all together.

The Laundry Bag (would make a nice high school graduation gift and great for overnight campers!) and Jimbo Jumbo Dog Bed Cover

The Sophia Stocking - I love seeing different versions of the same pattern.

The Express Yourself Applique Pillow - This is the one that I knew I would make right away. I love the overscale letters and the cute sayings. Plus, I'm a sucker for applique - it's fast, easy and gives you a lot of color bang for your time.

Jane and I decided that we would make one of these pillows for her friend's birthday this week. Jane picked out a stack of purple, green and pink fabrics to spell out "SWEET DREAMS". I thought this was such a great idea until I came down with the flu. I started to make the pillow, but I was thinking straight and cut the fabric all wrong (measure TWICE, cut once). I did manage to save enough fabric to eek out the birthday girl's name and applique it onto a premade tote. Although it was what we had originally planned, I think it turned out cute and I have Happy Home to thank for the inspiration.

Chronicle Books has offered to give a copy of Happy Home to one of my readers (U.S. addresses only, please). To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me what you want to sew for your Happy Home before Sunday, June 10, 5:00 p.m. EST. I'll draw one winner using the random number generator at that time.

Good luck and happy weekend!

I'm so excited to be one of today's stops on the blog tour for Little Bits Quilting Bee by Kathreen Ricketson and published by Chronicle Books. As you probably know, Kathreen is the brains behind Whip Up, that fantastic website and resource for those of us that are craft-inclined. She's also the author of Whip Up Mini Quilts, a fantastic book with some of the most amazing little quilts around, and she publishes Action Pack, an e-magazine geared towards crafting with kids. She's a woman with boundless creativity and it was no surprise to me that her new book, Little Bits Quilting Bee, is fresh and informative resource for quilters.

Little Bits Quilting Bee has 20 different quilt projects that use pre-cuts. You know the charm squares, layer cakes, jelly rolls and fat quarters that are always so pretty and tempting at the quilt store? Yes, those! I am always ooh-ing and ah-ing over those little stacks and rolls, but have never really know what I would do with them until now. Kathreen has done an exemplary job of showing just how versatile using they can be. I especially love how she uses solids, together with prints and shining on their own. She also doesn't stick to the simple square and rectangle shapes that pre-cuts come in. There are patterns with curves and appliques, projects that are easy for beginners and some that offer a little more challenge. The book also contains a good resource section with information on quilting basics and about how to start your own quilting bee. I just love the idea of sewing with friends.

Some of my favorites are:

Crimson Cross

Garnets and Gold

Community Garden

Dress Circle

At the moment, having just pieced 176 half-square triangles out of two charm square packs, I'm working on my own version of Prismatic, which in the book uses layer cakes.

Kathreen and the nice folks at Chronicle Books have offered a copy of Little Bits Quilting Bee to one of my readers. To be entered in the giveaway (U.S. addresses only, please), comment on this post before 5:00 p.m. EST, Sunday, November 13th. If you are so inclined, tell me if you have ever used pre-cuts and what you have used them for. I'll pick a winner and announce it on the blog next week.

For other reviews and giveways, take some time to visit the remaining stops on the blog tour:

Friday, November 11 – CraftyPod

Monday, November 14 – Handmade by Alissa & Hello My Name Is Heather

Tuesday, November 15 – West Coast Crafty & Foxy Art Studio

Wednesday, November 16 – Patch Andi & The Last Piece

Thursday, November 17 – In Color Order & Duo Fiberworks

Friday, November 18 – Kristin La Flamme & Camp Follower Bags & Quilts

Monday, November 21 – Quilt Dad

Tuesday, November 22 – Pat Sloan & Pleasant Home

If you are not familiar with Ellen Luckett Baker and her blog, The Long Thread, take a moment and go familiarize yourself. Please. You will not be disappointed.

Back? Great.

Ellen's book, 1, 2, 3 Sew, Build Your Skills with 33 Simple Projects is one of the best beginning sewing books out there. It's also fantastic for intermediate sewers, too. It's organized so that you can increase your skill set project by project. Brilliant, no? The projects are divided into 11 groups, each with 3 different entities.  The first project teaches you one thing and the next project builds on the skills you've already learned. For example, in the first chapter, beginning with tea towels, you learn how to hem and make folded corners. The next project is napkins which add mitered corners to your repetoire. Then it's on to a table runner and seamless pockets. It's so wonderfully presented and organized that it is easy to gain an entire skill set just by following the projects in order.

The book includes a wide-range of items to make. There are things for the dining and the kitchen, totes and pouches, children's and baby items, softies, pillows and more. The instructions are very succinct, the photography is straight-forward and gorgeous, the projects do-able. I read a lot of craft books every year and 1, 2, 3 Sew is among my top picks for 2011. I'm so impressed with the range of projects, the simple and easily-followed instructions as well as the great format in which it is all presented.  The pattern pieces come in a envelope at the front of the book and are easy to copy/transfer and do not overlap like many others. It is a great resource for any sewist, regardless of experience. Some of my favorite projects are:

Lawn Cosmetic Bag - this, and a few other projects in the book, include the use of stencil/fabric paint on plain fabric. What a great detail!

Change Your Mind Skirt - A reversible and simple, elastic waist skirt for young girls.

Bunny Softie - A cute, squeezable animal for any young person you know.

Circles Floor Pillow - A wonderful project that showcases special fabrics (think Liberty!) and teaches you reverse applique.

Totes - there are three in the book and all are fantastic!

And here are my interpretations of the Mouse Pincushion. I whipped up two - one for Kate and one for Jane. I loved making them - fairly quick with interesting, but easy construction. The girls are excited to have a pincushion of their own, too. I'm psyched that I no longer have to share.

Chronicle Books has generously offered a copy of 1, 2, 3 Sew to one of my readers. AND I am offering a mouse pincushion to one of you, also. That's right - you have 2 chances to win! To enter in the giveaway, please comment on this post before Sunday, July 24 at 4:00 p.m. EST. Tell me what your first sewing project was and how it came out. If you don't sew, tell me why you want to learn. I'll pick two names using the random number generator - one will get the book, the other a pincushion made by me (to be specific, it will not be one of the ones pictured above).

Other stops on the blog tour include:

Monday, July 11 – CRAFT
Tuesday, July 12 – Sew, Mama, Sew & Oh My! Handmade Goodness
Wednesday, July 13 – Handmade Charlotte
Thursday, July 14 – Everything Etsy & Not Martha
Friday, July 15 – Modern Kiddo

Monday, July 18 – Crafty Pod
Tuesday, July 19 – Indie Fixx & Patterns by Figgy’s
Wednesday, July 20 – Papernstitch
Thursday, July 21 – Coquette
Friday, July 22 – Bolt Neighborhood & True Up

Get clicking. I'll announce the winner next week.

I chose the number 40 so the winner of World of Geekcraft by Susan Beal is Mandy!

Congrats! Mandy, email me your contact info and I'll mail this off to you right away.

The random number generator has spoken.  Fresh Quilting by Malka Dubrawsky goes to:

Congratulations to Sylvia!

Sylvia, please email me at hillroad (at) bellsouth (dot) net with your shipping address!

Thanks to all that entered!

Malka Dubrawksy's new book Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design and Inspiration arrived a few days ago and I am so excited to share it with you.  I've been following Malka and her work for a few years and I am always bowled over by the way she uses color and pattern to create beautiful quilted objects.  This book is no exception - it's jam-packed with great projects in bright, crisp colors that all have a modern aesthetic.  It showcases Malka's signature style with projects that are inventive and inspiring.

The book includes a very thorough section on material and tools and another on technique.  These parts are extremely informative and are a great resource for newer quilters and those of us who have more experience, too.  There are also two project sections.  The first one has small patchwork projects for home, family and friends.  In this part, you can find everything from a knitting needle case to a crib bumper and everything in between.  All the projects are fantastic and live up to the book's title.  One of my favorite projects is the mix it up patchwork scarf.  I love how Malka combined different types of fabrics - silks, corduroy, cotton prints - in an interesting pattern.  I can see making this for just about anyone on my list.  Using subdued colors, plaids and stripes would make it great for a man.  I also love the strings attached potholders and trivet.  These projects are great for using up scraps - perfect for anyone like me who has a hard time letting the little leftovers go. 

The second project section includes quilts for wall, bed and baby.  Malka has included a wonderful variety of patterns that use different techniques.  I think one of the strengths of this book is Malka's ability to transform a traditional patchwork pattern into something updated and modern.  I especially love the honeycomb hexagon quilt for this very reason.  Not only is the scale of the hexagons larger than you'd traditionally find, Malka also walks you through how to piece them by machine, not hand.  Awesome.

Malka's fresh approach to quilting and patchwork is inspiring.  Looking through the projects in this book, it is immediately evident that they are all versatile and adaptable to other items.  I really love the look of the whirlygig quilt - it's simple and understated but there is some great play with pattern and color that appeals to me.  Unfortunately, I don't have time to make any kind of quilt at the moment so I took the whirlygig pattern and used it for a potholder instead.

This came together easily and pretty fast.  I pieced the front and then followed the quilting and assembly directions from the strings attached potholders.  All the fabrics came from the scrap bin with the exception of the binding fabric, which is also on the back.  Easy, fun, fresh.  I am sure I'll be making more.

I have one copy of Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design and Inspiration to give away.  If you would like a chance to win it, please leave a comment on this post before 5:00 p.m. EST, Sunday, December 12th.  I'll use the random number generator to choose a winner.

For more information about Malka and her book, visit her blog, A Stitch in Dye, and visit the other stops on her blog tour.

12/6 -  http://www.filminthefridge.com

12/7 -  http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com

12/8 -  http://jchandmade.typepad.com

12/9 -  https://houseonhillroad.com

12/10 - http://www.tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com

12/13 - http://blairpeter.typepad.com

12/14 - http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog