Book Report: Material Obsession

Have I shared with you what a weakness that I have for quilting books? Good ones? Well, I do and here are two of my favorites: Material Obsession 1 and 2.

 Kathy and Sarah's first book, Material Obsession, published in 2009, was probably my first whiff of what modern quilting would become. I borrowed this copy from the library, but wish I owned it myself. The book is laid out with the 23 projects in order from easy to advanced. There's something for everyone within the pages.

 Here's an intermediate project delightfully called The Burbs. My friend, Vicki, and I are talking about making this one next after we finish our Spider Web quilts. 

The photography and hand drawn diagrams are so lovely that its fun to thumb through the book just for the eye candy that it is!

In the back of the book is a good size section describing everything you might need to  know to make the quilts within the book. The photographs showing how to use a rotary cutter and ruler is particularly well done, I think. 

 These pages with tips on layering the backing, batting and top into a sandwich for quilting is helpful and not something you see in most books.

 For years, I've been thinking about making a Dresden quilt. Sarah's version is so adorable and I keep going back to it over and over. I think this might be the year that I actually dive in and start it!

I've even got a picture in my head of what overall look I'm wanting to try. This Kaffe fabric is a hint as to what fabrics I'll be pulling.

 The wintry weather affords more time to dream up new projects and I'm really good at that! Yesterday, it snowed all day. I managed to get the feeders full before it got too bad out welcoming many feathered friends to the party in my yard. I love watching them! These guys just ate what the other birds pushed out onto the snowy ground.

 Today's agenda involves getting the snow off of the driveway so that we can get our cars out. We used to shovel by hand, but this winter my hubby has a new toy on the front of his garden tractor. (It's only taken us 7 winters of living here to figure out that this might be a good idea!)

 My part is to go out and help him when the tractor gets stuck in a drift. I'm grateful that the sun is out today...that helps when the temperatures are single digit!

I never did hear. Did that groundhog see his shadow or not?

Word Play

The mailman delivered this to my box yesterday!

I'm pretty excited about Tonya Ricucci's new book, Word Play. I've been a fan of hers for a while now. You can get it on Amazon.com, like I did, by clicking on the tab at her website. 

 Last spring, I used her tutorials when making a little wall hanging for my grand daughter.

                  Oliver's quilt has his name along the border of this quilt, thanks to Tonya. Her directions are very clear and easy to follow.  I'm hoping to do a whole quilt of words someday,  like the one on the cover of Word Play.  I think that would be so fun hanging in my house!

I even have a Christmas quilt with funky letters pieced into it. Come back on Christmas Eve for a full few of Santa and his reindeer on a quilt! 

Favorites

I have favorites.  Do you?  Breyer's vanilla bean ice cream with raspberries on top....shopping at TJ Maxx and Marshall's......sitting on the deck in the perfect spring weather (like today)......

oh, wait.  This is a blog about quilting.  Okay, sitting on the deck in the perfect spring weather (like today) thumbing through one of my favorite quilting books: Thinking Outside the Block by Sandi Cummings.

I don't own this book, but I sure wish I did.  I have checked it out from my Quilt Guild library a number of times.  There's always something that inspires me when I browse through the pages. I admit to a big appetite for quilting books and have a nice library.  Most of them, I've never made a quilt out of......... I just look at the pictures.  This book is different....no recipes for making a cookie cutter quilt just like the author's.  Instead it contains ideas, how-tos and eye candy for your own interpretation.  This is the best kind of book in the quilting book world, I think.

The first time I checked out Thinking Outside the Block was several years ago. (The book was published in 2004, so has been around awhile.)  My second grandson "needed" a quilt for his nursery, and Lolly (that's me) hadn't made him a proper one yet. Enter Sandi's book and the idea of inserting one inch strips of fabric into a block to add interest.  Here's what I did.........The simple Snowball quilt takes on the look of Tinker toys with the fabric strips inserted into the border.

Tomorrow is the quilt guild meeting.  The book is due.  My favorite will have to go back.......

Until the next time I check it out! In the meantime, I'm working on another idea with inserted strips.......show ya later!