Light not only catches the eye, it can transform your work into something truly magical. With four inspiring projects to get you started, Gloria shows you how to bring light into your quilts to set a mood. You’ll learn how to create your own landscape quilt with her easy-to-master techniques, including fusible tiling, invisible machine appliqué, free-motion stitching, plus fabric dyeing and painting. She also shares important design principals behind perspective, composition, color, and focal points.

• Get stunning results with Gloria’s mosaic tile process for capturing the essence of natural light with your fabric selection
• Add dramatic depth to your landscape appliqué quilt by reviewing basic design principals and exploring a variety of stitching, dying, and painting techniques

Basic patterns make for really great quilts!

If you’re a fabric-lover, then you know that sewing basic patterns with straight lines is the quickest (and possibly the most satisfying) way to get yourself to a finished quilt. Squares and rectangles are not just for beginners! With no-fuss piecing, you’re free to explore all kinds of exciting possibilities with different colors, fabrics, and layouts. You’ll love how easy it is to customize these quilts and make them your own.

• Ten fun quilt projects include yardage and cutting requirements for multiple sizes
• Enjoy stress-free piecing and easy construction with squares, rectangles, and strips
• Learn how to alter a pattern for a completely different look by resizing the blocks, trying a different setting, or changing the color palette

Ever find yourself saying “that’s pretty, but could I use it?” Are you drawn to grand, pictorial prints or novelty fabrics but don’t know how to incorporate them into your quilts? Acclaimed teacher Sandy Turner shares her secrets for putting those artful fabrics to use. Learn what to look for when choosing large-scale fabrics and how to use color to enhance your choice. Discover how to create some of your favorite blocks in a size that complements your featured fabric. Yes, big surely is beautiful!

The Patchwork Place; 80 pages, softcover, $24.99

Extraordinary is one of the many words that can be used to describe Kaffe Fassett. A true visionary in his use of color, he is recognized worldwide for his many talents…painting, textiles, needlework, knitting, and quilting. His life, his loves, his passion for his art are all penned in this captivating, and yes, extraordinary biography. It’s a virtual who’s who of artists, designers and celebrities whose lives have crossed paths with Kaffe’s over several decades and continents. Whether on your coffee table or in your craft room you will enjoy this book for years to come.

STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book; 224 pages, hardcover, $40.

Are you like many of us who occasionally dozed off in geometry class and dreamt of being an artist? Now your art is quilting and your medium is fabric. Fret no more about doing formulas in your head, when all the answers you’ll ever need are in your pocket. This easy and accurate carry-along reference guide helps determine yardage, how to enlarge a block and converts yards, inches and decimals. Containing 16 charts including guides on mattress measurements, backing and binding requirements, and measuring diagonal and triangular blocks. An invaluable guide for quilters of all levels.

Landauer Publishing; 36 pages, softcover, $6.95

The title says it all! In this informative read, the author teaches us that just varying the number of fabrics or changing their placement creates a world of limitless blocks based on his favorite shapes — stars and strips. Merging two traditional blocks, Rail Fence with Lemoyne Star, gave Carl the design result he sought, thus elevating his creations to compete on the national level. With 10 designs to get you started, it’s enough to draw in the fearless beginner and please intermediate to advanced quilters alike.

American Quilter’s Society; 64 pages, softcover, $19.95

Bring That Piece O’ Cake Style to Your Piecing!

• 15 lively, pieced quilt designs from the popular Piece O’Cake design duo
• Perfect gifts for weddings, babies, birthdays, or anniversaries
• Reference guide with all the quilting basics shown in clear, step-by-step photos in a lie-flat hidden wire flexibinding
• Use fabric, color, and contrast to create several completely different looks from one quilt pattern
• Start simple with strips, squares, and triangle-squares, then flex your skills on more challenging diamonds and curves

Fun-to-make quilts from two master colorists, with complete instructions that teach you how to do it right: that’s Piece O’ Cake Piecing. Becky and Linda show you how to make 27 colorful quilts from 15 easy to intermediate designs. Start with simple favorites like Chinese Coins or Log Cabin, then graduate to more complex patterns as your confidence grows. A complete guide to quilting basics gives you a foundation of skills you’ll use forever: sewing “scant” quarter-inch seams, cutting fabric that’s larger than your cutting mat, sewing perfectly placed points, and much more.

What if making a quilt could be easier, faster, cheaper, and more accurate?

In her signature lighthearted style, Beth Ferrier reveals her personal arsenal of “sneaky tricks” for quiltmaking. Beginners can easily master the basic techniques and then make a really great quilt! You’ll learn how to make every step simpler and better – fabric choices, cutting, pressing, piecing, and finishing. Beth also shares lots of organizing tips to help you make the most of your sewing time.

• These tips and tricks make every part of the quiltmaking process easier and more fun!
• Apply what you learn with classic quilt projects ranging from simple to a little more challenging

In Kaffe Fassett Quilts Shots and Stripes, quilt master Kaffe Fassett and coauthor Liza Prior Lucy present 24 projects—small and large, beginner and advanced—made with iridescent solid-colored cotton fabrics (called shot cottons) and woven striped cotton fabrics, all photographed in and around his weekend home on England’s southern coast. Inspired by worldwide travels and a plethora of ethnic textiles, including Amish quilts in America, Japanese indigo patched work clothes, and African weavings, the projects featured include full-size bed quilts as well as smaller pieces that can be completed more quickly, such as throws, wall hangings, table runners, and pillows. With Shots and Stripes, Fassett answers the current call for quilts that make bold graphic statements but are not necessarily as time-consuming as some of the work for which he has been previously celebrated.

Release Date: March 5, 2013

Appliqué & Embroidery Fundamentals is a step-by-step guide for quilters who enjoy the timeless art of needleturn appliqué and embroidery. Detailed color photos, stitch selections, and instructions teach readers the tools and techniques of these quilting skills and give them the confidence they need to create these projects. Author Jan Vaine instructs readers on her favorite appliqué technique, Perfect Placement Appliqué, in the pages of this book. With Jan’s lessons readers will learn to layer the appliqué with simple embroidery and embellishment techniques to add beauty and dimension to each project.