Timeless by Jo Morton, c2007
I first got interested in Jo Morton when I saw her do the Triangle Technique on Love of Quilting. As you may remember, I contacted her and asked if she had a technique sheet that gave directions for different sizes of half square triangles. She said no, that she was focusing on projects, which is what the market wants and my Triangle Technique post was born.
I bought Timeless in Minnesota after the email exchange, because I thought I would get an idea of her directions. The book was on the clearance table at Glad Creations, one of the shops I visited. This is a self published book, thus no ISBN and rather expensive ($16.00 for a 32 page pamphlet/booklet before clearance price). There are 3 projects, a section called ‘General Directions,’ a section on handpiecing, another on single thickness binding, some bio information and a pattern and book listing. There are lots of color photos as well.
The projects are quite classic. Jo does her projects in Civil War era reproduction colors and fabrics, but I think the projects would be stunning in more vibrant colors and more contemporary fabrics.
The heart method of making Flying Geese is well illustrated n in the Pickens Lane project. The directions are only for one size of Flying Geese. Deb Tucker’s Flying Geese Ruler comes with a chart of different sizes, which is one thing I was looking for from Jo Morton.
The Indigo Moment project gives specific instructions on cutting out patches for handpiecing, so the directions might be useful, if you have a car trip coming up and need a hand project. The other projects include directions saying how much to cut, but don’t say which method to use to cut. The directions are vague enough so one could rotary cut.
The Fabric Requirements have specific SKUs rather than saying 1 yard blues. This is definitely geared to people who are using her fabrics, which is difficult if you want to use different fabrics. I also think that tactic limits her market. I am not going to buy her fabric just because the directions include a SKU.
The feathers quilted on the Chestnut Hill project are very ….casual–, big and loopy, and I like their look very much.
She has general directions for making quilts including her “Clipping Trick” clearly shown and described in this book. This book is small enough to carry around without adding significant weight or bulk to your bag.