I am thrilled to be one of the stops on the blog tour for Creative Quilt Challenges by Pat Pease and Wendy Hill, published by C&T. I have known Pat and Wendy for several years because they are local Central Oregon quilters. I see them pretty regularly at various meetings and events and have watched their collaboration develop over the years.
This book is right up my alley with the idea of challenge themes to inspire quilters. I have done many quilt challenges over the years and always learn something new. The book is organized around 7 open-ended challenge ideas and for each, Pat and Wendy show the quilts that they made that were inspired by the challenge. The great part about the book is that they also give us the background for each, the design challenges they faced and how they overcame them. So, while this is a book about challenges and how to organize a challenge, it's also a technique book and well worth reading! With the addition of loads of gorgeous quilts how could you go wrong?
The challenges are open-ended and run the gamut from using unlikely materials (hair interfacing, anyone?) to passing it back and forth with a friend without speaking. I especially like Challenge #6: Invent Your Own Challenge. They each challenged themselves to address their perceived weak areas. For Wendy this means keeping it simple, for Pat it was sewing inset circles. Each quilter talks about her fabric choices, design decisions and special techniques used in her quilt. With wit and humor they get the point across and leave us itching to sew.
I also have to mention that I found the Special Techniques section especially valuable. Here are just a few that really intrigued me:
- Satin stitched triangles or dots in the quilting
- Reversible binding
- A special way of doing facings to avoid bulky corners
There are so many great little tidbits, that I'm sure I'll come back to it again and again. Congratulations gals on a fantastic book!
Now its time for a giveaway! If you'd like your very own copy of Creative Quilt Challenges, leave a comment on this post with your email address and your favorite ever challenge theme (whether your did it or not). I will choose a winner and send the info to Wendy at the end of the tour. Comments will close Saturday April 9 at noon. Check out the list below for the other blog stops and to increase your chance of winning the book!
Blog Tour Calendar
Monday, March 28: Lynn Merrill, ctpub.com/blog
Tuesday, March 29: Maria Shell, talesofastitcher.com
Wednesday, March 30: Sandra Clemons, sandraclemons.blogspot.com
Thursday, March 31: Tierney Hogan, tierneycreates.wordpress.com
Friday, April 1: Gina at BOLT Fabric Boutique, boltneighborhood.com
Monday, April 4: Yvonne Fuchs, quiltingjetgirl.com
Tuesday, April 5: Kristin Shields, kristinshieldsart.com/blog
Wednesday, April 6: Paula Mariedaughter, paulamariedaughter.com
Thursday, April 7: Teri Lucas, generationqmagazine.com
Friday, April 8: Wendy Hill, wendyhill.net/blog
PS- Don't forget your email address in your comment. I can't reach you without it!
Update on 4/11/16: The winner of the contest is Mary Furber. Congratulations!