Appli-Quilting; Applique & Quilt at the Same Time

This is another book that provides a quicker way to make a quilt.  Appli-Quilting; Applique & Quilt at the Same Time!  by Gina Perkes provides different levels of applique and quilting. If you click on the link, it will take you to Amazon, which provides a look inside some of the pages of the book.


With this technique the applique is prepared and positioned on the background fabric.  The applique can be turned under or raw edge. The top is then sandwiched, and the applique is secured with quilting stitches.  I have done this many times, but the book provides great tips about different ways to secure the edges of the applique and different quilting designs to highlight the applique. There are full size pattern sheets to go along with the instructions.

When I was trying to decide on my favorite, I chose the Garden Bling, which was used as an example in many parts of the techniques section. Unfortunately, it was not one of the projects in the book.

This page shows snippets of all of the projects.  Perkes provides skill building projects and techniques for domestic and long arm sewing machines. There is a lot of material about techniques, so there are only six projects in the book.  I thought that was a good balance, and mastering the techniques is more important than the projects themselves.

Soft & Cozy Keepsakes Faux Rag Quilting

Quilting does not need to be complicated or difficult to be cute.  In this book, Soft & Cozy Keepsakes; Faux Rag Quilting, Margo Yang shows how to make cute quilts.  This reminds me of chenille, which I have never done, so I am not sure if the technique is similar.


The key to making these quilts is to make and bind a quilt and use that as a canvas to make the faux rag strips to make the design. You then clip the strips to make it rag.

There are 16 projects in this book - 12 quilts, 3 pillows and one tote.

My favorite  - the fireworks pillow - looks very simple with the straight lines, but quite striking.  The patterns are presented in a CD-ROM.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As you would expect any book about athletes who made it to the Olympics to be inspirational, this book was also. It is about endurance, perseverance, and commitment. It is also about family, relationships, trust and working as a team.

I read the children's version. I haven't read or looked at the other one, but I think the difference may be that the children's version may have just left out parts that were not palatable for young readers. The vocabulary and style of writing still seemed to be advanced, which is good for children to stretch. Everything is clearly described, and you can really feel for Joe and his team mates throughout the book. This version also has photographs that the adult versions may not have.

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A Sound Among the Trees

I have added a book review of A Sound Among the Trees on my Millionaire Tips website. It is a book about a modern day bride who moves into a house in Virginia with a troubled history.  It is rumored to be haunted by a Civil War spy.

I have successfully participated in the 30 Hubs in 30 Days challenge, and am currently working on the 100 Hubs in 30 Days challenge.  Basically this means I am writing a large number of articles about quilting, genealogy and personal finance.  I am running slightly behind schedule, because I am trying to make sure that I keep up the level of quality as I increase my output.

Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts

I won the book Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts: 13 Quilts Projects to Piece and Applique in a giveaway by C & T Publishing on their blog, and received it yesterday.  It is a beautiful book with 13 beautiful patterns.  There are some that are completely applique, some that are completely pieced, and some that have a mixture of both.

The quilts represent quilts that were discussed in the eighteen novels by Jennifer Chiaverini about the Elm Creek Quilters of Waterford, Pennsylvania. It was a real treat to see the quilts and see how they compared to the ones I imagined while I was reading the novels.  The quilts are beautiful, and the instructions appear to be thorough, but generally do not provide quilting instructions.

There is one quilt that is appropriate for a beginner quilter, but the remainder appear to be for the confident intermediate or advanced quilter.  This is a refreshing change from the many beginner books I have been drawn to lately.  Sometimes we need to stretch and expand our skills, and a book like this is a good way to do just that.

Many of the quilts involve using templates, curved piecing and / or intricate applique. I think we should not limit our quilting techniques to those that use modern rotary cutting if a template provides additional value, but there was a square that was provided as one of the template needed for a quilt. It would have been nice to modernize the directions to avoid using templates when they are not necessary.

I have also reviewed the book on my Millionaire Tips website, and have included pictures of some of the quilts in the book on that site.