Book Review: Jelly Roll Dreams and Push Stitchery

New titles for the Quilters and those that love Fibre Arts…..

Jelly Roll Dreams: 12 New Designs for Jelly Roll Quilts  includes 12 lovely quilt designs from the finalists of the Jelly Roll Dreams International Quilting Competition. For each quilt, there is a variation created by Pam and Nicky Lintott using different jelly roll fabrics.  Jelly Rolls are becoming really popular in the quilting world, and this book will inspire you to unravel those beautiful rolls of fabric.

There is a great range of creative designs – some that are suited to beginners with simple and clever uses for a jelly roll; and other designs are more challenging and inventive. I love seeing each design presented in two different colourways/variations.

All the quilt patterns include helpful diagrams and photographs, and clear instructions. All templates are shown at full size. The book also includes a helpful section of General Techniques to guide the beginner quilter through the basics of quilting, adding borders, attaching binding, and more.

My favourite designs include:

The Penny Quilt by Penny Vanderwal

Sense of Direction by Mary Claire Allen

If you enjoy using pre-cut fabrics in your quilts, this is a great book to add to your quilting library.

Publisher:    David and Charles
ISBN:        1446300404
Format:      Paperback, 128 pages
RRP:          $29.99

Jelly Roll Dreams is available from  Booktopia ,Fishpond, and Can Do Books.

Push Stitchery: 30 Artists Explore the Boundaries of Stitched Art is an inspiring volume that showcases the work of 30 artists from around the world who “Push” the boundaries of traditional craft mediums as they show just what can be accomplished with needle and thread, whilst using techniques of embroidery, needlecraft, quilting and textile crafts. Although the majority of the pieces use fabric, other unorthodox surfaces such as metal, porcelain, and stone show how modern artists have transformed some traditional crafts into a contemporary forms of art.

Way of Roses, Severija Incirauskaite-Kriauneviciene

Push Stitchery is not a “how to” book with project and instructions. Rather it is a gallery of inspiring artists, each presenting a collection of their work that is interspersed with an interview where they describe some of their techniques; their medium of choice; where they find inspiration; their process; and more.

Blue Dress, Diem Chau

Some of the projects include: Cross stitched cars; stitched stone sculptures; embroidered paintings; and Blackwork embroidered cities.

Welcome to Eastbourne Pier, Gillian Bates

Push Stitchery is a book that can be picked up and studied whenever you need some inspiration for your next stitched project.

Publisher:      Lark
ISBN:           9781600597879
Format:         Hardcover, 176 Pages
RRP:             $24.99

Push Stitchery is available from Fishpond, Booktopia and Can Do Books.

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