Joan Ford

I've been quilting since before my kids were born, so I've got scraps. By the tons. And sadly, that's not really much hyperbole. But I digress....

What I liked about this book is that it gave some real, concrete ideas for dealing with your scrap pile(s!), but also tried to keep it realistic. Joan Ford says to get rid of your teeny, tiny pieces (the smallest piece she has you cutting and keeping is a 2" square--and honestly, at this point in my life I'm not sure I really want to sew together pieces smaller than that anyway), or, if you're not ready for that yet, put them in a container, date it, and if you haven't used any of them a year later, toss it. This was...liberating. I have tendency to keep every single viable scrap--and even some not so viable--when I really don't have the room for them. But precut squares? I can handle them! The idea of having your leftover scraps already cut into usable squares, ready to go at a minute's notice was a good one too--I've already spent a few TV nights cutting up my former scrap piles, and the plastic shoebox idea keeps them much better organized than the baskets and boxes they were in before did. Joan explains her reasoning for the three sizes of squares that she recommends, and they do make sense to quilters--especially the 5" ones, since charm packs are so plentiful and inexpensive these days. I loved the idea of being able to see a pattern, grab a box of squares, and go!

As for her patterns, they did tend toward the traditional--and lots of half square triangles!--which was fine, but I'd say at this time that I'd probably make only about half of them. That's okay, though. It's nearly impossible to discover a quilt book in which every single quilt screams, "Create me!". Often it's enough just to see what other quilters have done with their fabrics and colors to give you the spark of an idea. This book definitely offered plenty to look at, think about, and do. Definitely a keeper!… (mehr)