Book Reviews x 3

I have three new book reviews to share with you today! I’ve even used one of the books to make a gift and I’ll be sharing that too.

The first one is a new e-book by one of my favourite embroidery designers Carina Envoldsen-Harris.  Carina taught at the Stitch Gathering a few years ago and she’s a prolific embroidery book author (check out my review of her last book here).

For her latest project she has combined embroidery with some sewing and patchwork to produce something really uniqueand personal. Polar Bear Country is completely inspired by Greenland and Carina’s love of the natural landscape and animals there (and especially polar bears!).  The ebook includes some really interesting and inspiring projects using a wide range of hand and machine techniques.

There’s even a cake recipe!   I particularly love the Milky Way Needle Case, the Polar Bear Landscape and the Flora Table Mats.

Carina’s very clear instructions and step photos will guide you through all the techniques and stitches and there is a good range of projects for different levels of experience.

This is a lovely book for those of you looking for something a bit different and those who like to dabble in a range of stitched crafts. For more info here is Carina’s post about the ebook. You can download your own copy of the ebook plus many more of Carina’s patterns from her Etsy shop.

The lovely folks at Lucky Spool recently sent me two of their books to review.

I was very interested in ‘Make your own Medallions’ by Erin Burke Harris of House on Hill Road blog as I have so far designed and made three different Medallion quilts and it’s a genre that has such endless possibilities.

The book is very clearly set out with lessons on the anatomy of the medallion followed by a

long section filled with the blocks (30!) that will make up the different borders.  I was particularly taken with those zingy modern Courthouse Steps.

I really like the idea of encouraging quilters to make up their own versions of quilt designs rather than just following other people’s patterns, and

this book gives you a simple  toolbox to do just that. 

Once you’ve mastered the blocks there is a section of wonderful medallion centres, 12 in total, which would all work well as projects on their own. I just adore Peels and Paths on the right above, it would make a fantastic cushion.

Lastly there are 6 stunning quilt designs made using all the components from the previous chapters, each of which can be swapped around from one to the other.

There really is so much to this book! It’s therefore very good value for money and includes some really beautiful quilts to inspire and delight.

The second book by Lucky Spool is Constellations by Fancy Tiger Crafts and this is again another very interesting idea. I do like it when someone comes up with something a bit different!

The book contains instructions to piece the 12 signs of the zodiac blocks plus Orion.

They are very simply pieced with strips of background mixed with strips of background and tiny squares.

But they are so effective! And I’ve found they also have the potential to be a little addictive. If you do make all the blocks you can make a Twelve Constellation Quilt, or a number of other projects like that beautiful jacket.  The book comes with a separate pull-out pattern sheet for this.

I particularly like the tarot card cloth.  I used to read tarot for myself and friends and I know that ritual is

very important to the process, including using a special cloth for all your readings.  I made myself a silk one years ago but if I ever get back into it again (I am very rusty now) I am definitely making one of these!

I liked the idea of these constellation blocks so much that I thought I would have a go myself and made my own star sign Gemini.

After what I just said about tarot you probably won’t be that surprised to hear that I have always been very in to astrology too!  We are in Gemini at the moment, with my birthday coming up and also many of my friends.

We also recently took stock of some new Sashiko fabric and thread so I decided to try them both out with this project.  I have to say that the fabric did not like being machine pieced very much, but then it isn’t meant for that so that’s not too surprising!  It did pucker a bit but I pressed it into submission with the aid of some Flatter (which is also back in stock at our Edinburgh store!).

The book helpfully includes stitch diagrams for ‘joining the dots’ between the constellations and so I did this sashiko style and the new thread worked like a dream through the fabric. I really love the way it turned out!

I decided to make it into a tote bag for one of my Gemini friend’s forthcoming birthdays.  Here is the finished bag being modeled by my (almost) DIL Colleen.

I backed it with that Tim Holtz vintage style fabric and lined it with more vintage style, this time a new fabric by Coats called Daisy Daze.

I would thoroughly recommend all three reviewed books and I do hope this post has helped give an overview of each!