Quilt-opedia by Laura Jane Taylor
All of us have seen books that promised how wonderful they were. We've paged through them, and they looked like they would be good, but later turned out to be proper shelf decorations. I hate wasting my money like that! Don't you? Then let me introduce you to a great one today.
One of My Original Mission Statements
One of my intentions in starting Pink Doxies was to inspire people to sew. Why? Sewing time has been shared for centuries all over the world creating common ground for conversation and relationships. We stitch and we chat. Sometimes deep, meaningful conversations, and sometimes just about the weather and mosquitos.
I spend a fair amount of time reading and thinking about social behavior, and the reality is it's become harder for us all to form acquaintances and friendships. I won't get into all the reasons because they are different for each of us, but In-Real-Life personal relationships are important to our well-being. They validate us, and make our lives more meaningful. Online friends are very valuable--like so many of you are to me, but there is nothing like a spontaneous hug from a friend. A hug with intent makes the poppycock in our lives slip away, if only for that one moment. It's amazing therapy!
My Search for an All Around Reference
I encourage and help many brand new sewists. The greatest gift I can give is a good experience their first time out. I'm their personal cheerleader. After they've learned basic skills like how to run their own sewing machine, etc., most want to start a project right away. Can you blame them? It's pure magic when you sew your first seams! Most of the questions from that point on can be answered easily, or better explained, by a book with excellent pictures and tutorials. Up until just recently, I was unable to recommend one.
I am so tickled by this book, and will tell you it's true to its promise. It says on the cover, "The only quilting reference you'll ever need." Yes, it is that good. If you're going to buy one book to get yourself or someone else going, and want to cover 99.9% of your questions, this is it.
I made a rough list of everything I could think I would cover with a newer sewist. Not one thing was left out, and oodles more were covered. The photography within the book is bright and colorful, and the fabrics are modern. Newer techniques like machine binding are covered right along with hand binding. Spiral, lay-flat binding is icing on the cake in my version of Quilt-opedia, but a paperback version is available here, too.
This was a book I purchased on my own, and my honest impression and review. I received no compensation to review it. The links I've given are to Amazon, and if you choose to buy through clicking them, I will receive a small compensation. With that in mind, it's an amazing book, and I do hope you support this quilting author. She's given us a great reference book, and the first one I will tell my newbies to go buy.
Linking up with~
I get excited about colorful+creative textiles, quilting & improvisational design. Making fabric is just as thrilling as using it! Join me in my studios, and on both blogs while I cut, stitch, dye, paint, and print my way through life. There's always something new to investigate here! Contact me at julie@pinkdoxies.com
