Push Stitchery - Wow! What a Book

Loved this little book curated by Jamie Chalmers from first look and touch.
It is the perfect size to present work that is often somewhat diminutive, and fits the hand well for a long sit down and read. I read the book from cover to cover within the first 24 hours and loved every minute of it.

There are 30 top stitch artists in the book with a lovely spread of each one including lots of photos of work, insightful interview questions, and lovely details to bring the work up close and personal.
The first two photos are from a portrait done by Cayce Zavaglia from the USA. She has masterful use of space and thread color. As well done as any portrait in oil.

Yes, that is a shovel that has been drilled and cross stitched by Lithuanian Severija Incirauskaite-Kriaunevciene.

In Root Deep Meagan Ileana plays with the female form in just a touch of hand and feet with a strong sense of the goddess.


I want a pillow. Charlene Mullen of UK is best known for her blackwork embroidery of London landscapes. She has really pushed the envelop on taking "craft' at its most mundane level of both form and method and pushed it to art.

And the Lady in Red by Marloes Duyker, Netherlands, is a testament to what heights one can take free motion embroidery and a few bits of old lace.

This is a book that I will love and enjoy for many years to come.

Great News! Just got an email from Lark, that I can get a copy of the book to give away. Leave a message here, with your email address by November 10 and I will draw a random name to send the book to.

Nancy

Pretty Little Mini Quilts - Review

Pretty Little Mimi Quilts

At a posted request from Lark Books, I volunteered to do book reviews. This little 144 page book arrived along with 500 Art Quilts in my mail last week. Books are second only to chocolate in my list of things to love, so the opportunity to get free books to review was met with eagerness.

Pretty Little Mini Quilts, by Ray Hemachandra, is an enjoyable and easy read that feels good in the hand and is refreshing to read. It is well designed to intrigue the beginner to want to learn about quilting and to tackle a project.

There are 31 different projects that range from fairly traditional to very artsy. None of the projects require extensive knowledge or equipment to do. All are designed to be accomplished with minimal time and monetary investments - a boon in this economy. No quilt is larger than 36 inches.

Breezily written to inspire, it is not a detailed "how to" book. An experienced sewer will recognize missing details that may cause a problem for a beginner.

I could easily see a quilting grandmother using this book to introduce a grandchild to quilting. Another good use for the book would be a beginners' quilting class at a fabric shop. The projects are tempting and feel very doable.

In summary, this little book can help increase the numbers of new quilters, especially younger ones. It will not answer all the questions, but may help at least get a younger generation trying to find out some of the questions about quilting. And goodness knows, we do need to help the next generation discover the wonderful world of quilting!!

Enjoy.

Nancy