Modern Designs for Classic Quilts ~Book Review & Giveaway

Today I am very excited to introduce a brand new quilting book that you are sure to want to add to your Christmas wishlist. Modern Designs for Classic Quilts is written by Kelly Biscopink and Andrea Johnson and is complete quilting eye candy. I met Kelly as an Editor through my publisher and was absolutely thrilled when I found out she had written a book of her own!

At quilt market in Houston, TX last month, my mom (aka Grandma Jane) and I went out dinner with Kelly and Andrea and we. had. a. ball. We laughed so hard we cried. I'm telling you, these are my kind of girls. So I'm going to try hard to write an un-biased review, but it always helps to know that the authors behind a book are truly wonderful people. And it helps when they've written a truly fabulous book!

I absolutely adore the concept of this book as I feel it is very similar to how I view sewing children's clothing. The book has some of the most traditional, classic quilt styles, yet they are taken to a whole new level through the use of modern patterned fabrics and bold solids.

This Spider Web Quilt, called Effie's Web, might be my favorite in the book. I love how much color and movement you can see throughout the quilt. Look at it one way and you see one thing, look at it another and you see something else. Also, it's a great way to use up scraps of fabric and with all the clothing I sew, you know I have a lot of scraps.

Although, I love Effie's Web, it's a pretty close call between that one and the cover quilt called the Urban Cabin. First of all, how cute is that name? It is a traditional log cabin style quilt, but the way in which the fabrics are placed is so totally modern. Brilliant!

Check out some of these quilt patterns included in the book that use beautiful solids incorporated into their designs. As much as I love patterned quilting cotton, sometimes I think solids can bring the beauty out in a quilt design like nothing else.

The overall tone of Modern Designs for Classic Quilts is very friendly and welcoming, just like Kelly and Andrea. The techniques section is beautiful with very clear photographed instructions. They include everything from cutting, sewing and pressing to how to match seams, sewing curved seams and paper piecing. There are also non-quilting techniques included such as installing a zipper, ruffling and raw edge applique that are used for some of the smaller projects included in the book.

Kelly and Andrea have done such a wonderful job bringing together two worlds of quilting together in one book; modern and traditional. Who says you have to be defined as a modern quilter or a traditional quilter? No one. And these ladies show that you can have it all......a little modern, a little classic and a whole lot of beautiful.

So guess what? Not only did Kelly and Andrea send me my very own copy of this book for this review, they sent a copy for one of you! 

Would you like to win a copy of Modern Designs for Classic Quilts?

Well, this one is easy, just leave a comment on this post telling us why you would like this book. 

One entry per person. Giveaway will be open until Monday, November 19, 2012 at midnight (CST).

To check out more reviews of Modern Designs for Classic Quilts, please visit some of these other wonderful blogs on the book tour:

Tuesday, Nov. 6             (Lindsay, CraftBuds)

Wed., Nov. 7                 (Jill, Darling Jill Quilts)

Thursday, Nov. 8           (Faith, Fresh Lemons)

Friday, Nov. 9               (Generation Q)

Saturday, Nov. 10         (Angela, Quilting is my Therapy)

Sunday, Nov. 11            (Shannon, Stitch Craft Create)

Monday, Nov. 12           (Laurie, Scarlet Fig)

Tuesday, Nov. 13          (Kaysie, KZJo’s Studio)  

Wed., Nov. 14               (Jessica, A Little Gray)

Thursday, Nov. 15         (Mary, The Tulip Patch)

Friday, Nov. 16             (Deborah, Whipstitch)

Saturday, Nov. 17         (Lindsay, The Cottage Mama)

Sunday, Nov. 18           (Jenny, Sew Kind of Wonderful)

Monday, Nov. 19          (Carla, LollyQuiltz)

Tuesday, Nov. 20         (Thomas, Thomas Knauer Sews)

Wed., Nov. 21              (Brenda, Pink Castle Fabrics)

Thursday, Nov. 22        (Lindsay & Liz Rea, CraftBuds, Inspire Me Grey)

Friday, Nov. 23             (Sarah, The Last Piece)
Saturday, Nov. 24         (Cara: Cara Quilts, Andie: AndieJohnsonSews, Kelly: Stitchy Quilt Stuff)

Also, you can keep up to date with these lovely ladies over on their blogs: 

Kelly at Stitchy Quilt Stuff and Andrea at Andie Johnson Sews.

A french bedroom to re-do

What do you think about this room?  The photo is from Art et Decoration,  the bedroom of a Paris flat.  I think it makes an interesting exercise in interior design.

A difficult space to furnish as the room is fairly long and narrow with all the light at one end.

I like the mouldings on the ceilings and the walls,  and the old writing desk with the pink inside, and I'm sort of intrigued by the black upholstered wall ....   but I'm not convinced by the overall effect.

I would change the drapes, and alter the colour of the floor and ........ and ......

but first of all you tell me -

 if you were given this room as a clean palette, what you would you do with it?

  ~ oOo ~


and on another note ...

new in the store this beautiful white ironstone tureen, a century old!

the basket bouquet

With the garden practically bare of flowers, this is the time of year when I use more plants to decorate the home.  And sometimes to gift to friends.

If you have a pretty basket, then a few inexpensive bedding plants are all you need to make a lovely composition..

Simply line the basket with a sturdy plastic bag, and place your bedding plants in, being careful to position them so the basket is pretty seen from all sides.

I put a couple of white roses in the centre, and some tiny white pansies all around the edges.

I like to add some moss to fill any gaps, and the moss makes it look more finished and professional.  Moss can often be bought at florists, personally I know a country lane, bordered by high moss covered banks!

And if you find yourself with a plant left over, then a little moss and a tureen works well too!

DIY Cabochon Jewelry

As much as I love sewing, sometimes I get the urge to do something a little different. I've been planning some of my DIY Christmas gifts this year and I thought it would be really fun to make some pretty jewelry for friends and family.

Flower cabochons have always had sort of a vintage feel to me and I find them to be really beautiful. You can buy them from many different sources online (here are a ton sold on Etsy) and they are really reasonably priced. Basically they are just molded resin and are really lightweight and easy to work with when crafting. You can attach them to just about anything, but this year I decided to make rings, earrings and hair pins.

If you get these going in assembly line style, you will have plenty of jewelry in no time!

DIY Cabochon Jewelry

by Lindsay Wilkes from The Cottage Mama

Supplies:

Flower cabochons (found here)

Blank bobby pins, rings or earrings

E6000 or other industrial strength glue

Instructions:

Gather up all of your supplies for this project.

Like I said above, you can purchase some really gorgeous cabochons via Etsy.com. I ordered all different shapes and sizes so I would have a wide variety of different styles and colors.

As far as the blanks go for bobby pins, rings or earrings, I purchased the earrings and bobby pins online and found the rings at our local Joann super-store. You will have more of a selection if you order online, but you should be able to find all of these at your local craft store. Our lovely blog sponsor, Crafter's Vision carries some different blanks as well.

I bought adjustable rings because I'm not sure of everyone's ring size. Just make sure the blank portion of the ring is smaller than your cabochon (or at least the same size). The square rings (that came in this variety pack) didn't really work for this project since the blank was too big.

E6000 is a great glue to have in your stash of craft supplies. It's super strong and dries clear. You can find this at your local craft supply store. If for some reason you can't find this, then just look for another industrial strength glue. Jewelry gets a lot of wear and tear, so you don't want it falling apart.

So this project is really simple. Take a dab of glue and place it onto the blank jewelry, then press your cabochon on top. Leave them upside down to dry for at least 24 hours.

For the smaller pieces, like the earrings, I just put a dab of glue on some paper and dipped the top of the blank part of the earrings and pressed them to the cabochons.

These make great gifts for girlfriends, teenage girls and teachers.

Package these pretties up and you are good to go! 

I Already Loved Sue...Then There Was A Lion

Do you watch the show The Middle?  If not you should, it is good.  Just when I thought I could not like these two any more, Sue goes and finds a lion door knocker.

I have to tell you, there are few things I love more for a house than a good knocker and if you have been reading this blog for a while you know I love a lion.  A few years ago I started working with a new client and when I walked up to her door and spied this, I knew we would get along just fine.

She moved, the lion moved with her, I was relieved.  So where is my lion knocker?  That is an excellent question.  I have looked and looked at Scott's, antique stores, etc. but I have never pulled the trigger.  It is time that changed and I think the answer comes from Ebay.  Two I am eying...

 Above / Below

 First image ABC, Episode Here

{ DIY Tips & Tricks For Thanksgiving }

Today I had the chance to share some tips and tricks for getting your house "Holiday Ready".
Jenn Fredrick from Good Day Philadelphia came to my home to chat a little about things you can do that have big impact and little money to prepare for the upcoming entertainment season.

So, if you didn't catch the show I thought I'd share a little here...
my fav. The rustic table setting.

with fresh cut black walnut chargers

I added stripes of black striped burlap webbing from burlapfabric.com

I tied the silverware up with a black toile napkin, and some springs of pine nestled in a paper cone.

The place cards are made of vintage book paper and logs. I drilled a tiny hole into small logs and inserted a twisted wire to hold the name card.

I added these paper ornaments to the back of the chairs for an extra little pop.

In the center of the table I placed glittered and paper wrapped candles on a silver tray with pine cones and logs sprinkled around about.

Another centerpiece I showed was this one made from mostly vintage Christmas balls.

An easy trick to add some interest to your food display is to add different heights.

we ate all the cheeses while filming.

We added a drink station for kids too.

So easy, which by the way, I need to stop saying.

Gallons of cider poured into a glass container.

Piles of country fabric.

Apples and pears galore.

A simple hand written sign.

And mason jars with brown and white striped paper straws.

The mantel needed to be spruced up a little.So I added a few things.

like these mason jars filled with green lentils.

See anything you'll try for turkey day?

See where I get LOT's of inspiration - my pinterest page

Also, if your an upcycler, don't forget the contest we have going on...

sharing at