The question for this giveaway is:
Lark Crafts is always interested in your thoughts about quilt and craft books. To that end, answer the following question in as much detail as possible:
- What type of quilting book would you like to see on the market that’s not already out there?
- If you could publish your “dream” book on quilting, what would it cover? How would it be set up, etc? In other words, what would be most helpful to them?
If you do another kind of craft, you can answer the same question, just substitute your craft (knit, crochet, stuffies, etc) for quilt.
Prize (2 copies available):
Mean Mom Stuff:
- Substantive comments only. “Sign me up” comments will not be entered.
- Comments on questions close tomorrow 11/30/2013 at 6pm PDT. I may not actually get to choose the winner until December 1, but no whining if you can’t leave a comment at 6:01pm on 11/30.
- The books will be sent from Lark. I will send them the names and addresses and they will send you the book.
- Everything else is coming from me and will be shipped the week of December 2.
- International entries are welcome!
- I will select winners using the Random number generator.
- Make sure your email address works. If I can’t contact you, I can’t send you your prize!
- No whining, frowning or complaining. Whiners and complainers will be disqualified.
- Winners first name and last initial will be posted on this page
- Answers may be compiled for a future blog post. Last names will not be used.
If you are looking for the Creative Prompt, look here: https://artquiltmaker.com/blog/2013/11/creative-prompt-235-meal/
I would like to see more quilt books that provide the reader with some basic building blocks and show them how to use them to design their own quilts.
I think a Sampler class would work very well for you. One thing that really helped me design my own quilts is learning about the grids of different blocks in the sampler class.
I’d like to see an encyclopedia of blocks that shows every block you can make with the Accuquilt geometric dies. I saw a website that showed something like 24 variations on half square triangle, so it may be a rather large book.
I think I would love this book as well. Remind me to show you Ebony Love’s book about die cutting. Not what you want, but useful.
1. I would like to see a quilting book that has tips and patterns for creating quilts out of diverse found fabrics rather than fabrics from bolts at fabric stores. For example, old clothes of varying kinds of fabric, table linens, tea towels, trims, laces, anything that had another use before being re-purposed into a well-designed quilt.
2. My dream book on quilting would be a large coffee-table size hardcover book with art-quality photographs of contemporary bed-size quilts created by modern day quilters interpreting traditional blocks in a distinctly novel way – in other words, contemporary quilts in which once can see how tradition has evolved into new expressions. Perhaps each contemporary quilt could be paired with an antique quilt. There would be no patterns, just gorgeous photographs and some notes on the quilts and their makers.
I’d like to see some more ideas on secondary patterns. I know there are some books out there, but most of them focus on beginners. Also I’d like to see one that teaches all the hand embroidery stitches which I’d love to learn.
I think it would be interesting to have a book that starts with design and goes all the way through quilting. It would have a discussion of color combinations, several 9 inch block patterns (or 8 and 12 inch blocks) , several connecting chain type blocks, and setting ideas but no finished quilt. A graph page that works with 9 inch blocks, quilt designs that work with the blocks. Block and Quilt designs that would work with nine inch blocks in 3 levels of difficulty. Maybe a promotion for people to submit the build a quilt designs in 12 – 18 months for a contest.
I think that sometimes a simple quilt can be made striking by the intensity of the quilt design or a complex quilt can be wow by color placement. I think a good book that would emphasize that any quilter can build from their strengths and make their own design.
I’m a newer quilter, so there may be a book on this…but I haven’t found it yet. I need a book that tells how to DESIGN quilts. And it would need to include the elusive quilt math. Yes, that is the type of book that I want now. A start to finish quilt designing book!
I’d love more on two-block quilts, which I think is similar to Kati’s design. The Easy Street mystery that Bonnie Hunter did last year is a great example.
I would love to see a book that lets me follow one quilter’s progress over several years. So I can see that what they are doing “now” (that is totally amazing to me) is achievable. Kind of like a five- to ten-year old blog in book form. lol
I think it would give me hope that I could make incredible quilts, and that it’s a journey. That the person I admire had some uh-oh moments, and maybe even an “ugly” quilt or two, before they really found their quilting voice.
Ohhhhh, or a quilt coloring book. Lots of pages of b/w line drawings that I could color in, cut out if I wanted, and just play. Maybe clear plastic/vinyl sheets in between pages so I could practice quilt designs, too!
Pretty sure my “dream” quilt book would be written by many authors and made up of several volumes — right now I’d love to be using the volume on ‘color and design’ — hmmmm. Maybe I’m describing the internet….lol
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I definitely agree with the coloring book suggestion! I’d love to have an encyclopedia of blocks with a CD so I could print out scaled-down blocks and color them in.
I also wish there were more technique-focused books out there. It seems like there’s a much greater percentage of books out there that focus on entire quilt patterns. I’d love to find more books that teach a technique in detail and show different ways of applying it in a design.
BTW – I already have a copy of Stitched Blooms, which is a fabulous book (I’m currently working on the calendar and dala horse projects!) so please leave me out of the drawing to make sure it goes to someone who doesn’t have it. I just wanted to comment 🙂
Since my technique comment was maybe a little vague, the sort of thing I’m thinking of is RaNae Merrill’s Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts – there are full quilt patterns in it, but the majority of the book teaches how to construct & sew the different kinds of spirals and demonstrating different design possibilities. I haven’t done a quilt from it yet, but I’m working on an embroidered piece using spirals constructed using her instructions.
I think i would like to see a publication that is aimed at quilts for boys and men. Instead of recommending a designer or fabric line I would find it more useful to feature the quilt design in several color ways more useful. If the book could be divided into several areas such as contemporary and traditional blocks as well.
I would really like a better book on how to use my EQ 7. Seriously, there have to be some shortcuts in the block design process that I am missing (like a copy and paste), not to mention trying to design non-rhombus shaped blocks. Grr…..
At the moment, the only idea I can think of is a book with more quilts geared toward men. Not wildlife or rustic or sports. I guess I really just need to see current quilt patterns in color ways, and with quilting desings that are less feminine than many that I see.
I remember the C&T Book, Quilts for Guys. I am not sure how popular it is. I think that this might work in the context of a general quilt book if the author showed quilt examples in different color ways- perhaps even 3-4.
There are many new quilters coming into the quilting fold. I’d like to see a book of step by step photographic tutetorials for quilt basics like making flying geese, etc. The internet is a wonderful resource full of many resources, but I think for many, a photographic resource book for certain basics could be a winner. My dream book would be one which discusses, depicts diversity of handwork. It would include such things as hand piecing, hand quilting with differentt threads, making and using hexagons , hand appliqué., embroidery., etc. Again, this would be a resource book with photographic or pictorial tutorials. Btw, I like all of the above comments. We all deserve to win. Whatever you bring to us, Lark Books, please keep on publishing books, real books!
This is a wonderful idea! I love it. I think it would be great, for example to show a few different ways to make Flying Geese such as using the Deb Tucker ruler, using the Eleanor Burns ruler, the regular way, etc. I keep intending to show the different ways for Flying Geese, but I never seem to get around to it. I also love the idea of a handwork book – needles to use for Perl Cottons, how to English Paper piece, etc.
I just remembered my real idea!
I love playing with hand dyeing fabric. I have been growing quite a stash of dye experiment fabric and really need to use it. Although I am starting to find uses for this particular fabric and starting to sew my way through my stash, it would be nice to have a book showing projects made from just hand dyed fabrics, along with some tips for producing particular dye effects to use in specific projects.
As I was writing this comment, I decided to start a Flickr group for items made with hand dyed fabrics:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/made_with_hand_dyed_fabrics/
I’ll post the link to your Flickr group on the next Various & Sundry post. I think a regular Sampler quilt-how to learn to piece book would be great if hand-dyed fabrics were used.
Diane Dodds Rincon made me comment.