Folk-Art Favorites: Quilts from Joined at the Hip
The minute this book arrived in the mail, I was quite taken by it. Before I even opened the book, the cover quilt caught my eye with its bright, cheery, perfect-for-scraps look. This book is folk art but with a modern twist, with 12 projects including a full-sized quilt, four seasonal door banners, pillows, and a wonderful sampler wall hanging.For me, I want any book about quilting to be diverse in its offerings and not require a certain line of fabrics to accomplish the look of the projects inside -- and that's exactly what this book brings to its reader. Designs are easy enough for an advanced beginner, but unique enough to offer quilters of any experience a sense of accomplishment when any of these projects are finished. These are projects that are not overly time-consuming. You will have plenty of time to complete the 4th of July door banner for the upcoming holiday.Overall, FOLK-ART FAVORITES offers a well-rounded group of patterns with easy to understand instructions. Although the Folk-Art title might put off some of the more modern quilters, don't let it. These are Folk-Art with a modern twist designs that should appeal to all quilters. --Joan Johnson, Quilting on a Budget BlogWhen you've been a quilter for a while, you somehow collect a bookshelf full of quilting books that have a project or two for your "to do" list.Folk Art Favoritesis a book that has so many great projects that every turn of the page makes another addition to that list!First on my list is A Warm Welcome. This is a quilt that combines two of my favorite things--saltbox houses and pineapples. The pineapples, which are the traditional symbol of welcome and hospitality, are easily pieced and then embellished with wool and buttons. The houses are also pieced, and the sashing has randomly placed flying geese. The vintage look is completed with a wonderful large print floral border. Yup, gotta do this one!Next is the series of seasonal door banners. Since my decor changes with the seasons at home, these too are a must do! Each one has a saltbox house with greetings for each season, a bundled up snowman for winter, cheerful flowers for spring, fireworks and flags for summer, and a sunflower and pumpkin for fall. Each is machine pieced and appliqued, and has special added embellishments with rickrack, buttons and metallic threads.While flowers are not usually my thing, the cover quilt called He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, looks like fun. The brightly colored Gerbera daisies with their big button centers just bring a smile. They are machine appliqued and are set together with brightly colored pieced sashing and a polka-dot border. Another favorite is the wall hanging called My Best Sampler. It combines easy to sew units, a touch of applique and a wonderful flying geese outer border that frames the quilt. There is a touch of Americana, some traditional quilt blocks and another version of the saltbox house.This book of favorites wouldn't be complete without a project for Christmas. The Pomegranate Christmas quilt and pillow are just stunning in the rich red and gold fabrics the gals used. The pomegranates are machine appliqued and alternate with pieced squares to make up the quilt. There are instructions for a new take on pillow shams that complete the look for the holidays.So, I'll be gathering my fabrics, going through Grandma's button box, and sitting down at my new sewing machine to get started on warming my home with someFolk Art Favorites.--connectingthreads.com