I'm always looking for quilting books with a modern esthetic so I was very pleased to come across
The Modern Quilt Workshop: Patterns, Techniques, and Designs from the Funquilts Studio
by
Bill Kerr and Weeks Ringle. In addition to a nice collection of patterns, the discussions of techniques and design concepts are very worthwhile reading, especially for anyone looking to expand their quilting horizons beyond a grid of blocks with sashing and borders.
First, a look at two of my favorite patterns in the book. The "
Once Upon a Time" pattern for a children's quilt. This pattern is so great in that invites children to interact with the quilt and use their creativity to build their own story as they work their way through the maze of fabrics. And of course this quilt would be a great outlet for all those adorable novelty prints that draw you in at the fabric store. This one is definitely on my project list.
My other favorite pattern is the "
Gamelan" kaleidoscope quilt. I've seen a number of these fussy cut projects and although the block was appealing to me, I never seem to like the finished quilts because they get very busy. The minimal layout of their quilt showcases these blocks in an elegant way. Because it uses only a few of the blocks, it looks like a great way to try out the technique without going into overload.
If I had to choose a least favorite pattern it was their "Confetti" quilt. The color choices on this one seemed "contemporary" not "modern". When I think "contemporary" I think, "1980". It just doesn't have the "modern" element of cool that the rest of their quilts offer. The other issue I had with this quilt is I looked at it and my first thought was, "pizza". Something about the all triangle shapes. Oh well, to each his own.
Now let's talk about the section on techniques. Some of the ideas they put forth in this book will have traditional quilters rolling in their proverbial graves. For instance the suggestion that all seams be pressed open. I had to think about that one for a while. I'm of the "do what works for the application" school when it comes to pressing seams. When I looked back at their selection of quilts, I can see that pressing seams open will work well for these designs. However, putting together more regular patchwork with points and multiple seams coming together, I still like things pressed to one side so you can use that bulk to your advantage to get things lined up and butted together.The other eyebrow raiser was the suggestion that you shouldn't bother "stitching in the ditch" quilting as it doesn't add to your quilt design and it's hard to do well. There's some truth to that. But I'd have to counter with a few things - if you're
pressing open your seams, then stitching in the ditch is going to be hard, it works much better with a seam that's pressed to one side so you can stitch just a hair to the side with less bulk. As to not adding anything to the quilt, sometimes you don't want another design element.
And bindings. If Bill and Weeks lived in 18th century Salem, Massachusetts, they'd be burned at the stake for such heresy. Make your binding with a Clover binding maker and machine stitch it on? That's like serving caviar on Wonderbread -it's just not done. But, I'm keeping an open mind. Honestly hand-sewing a binding on a big quilt can be a bit tedious. I decided to give their shortcut method a try on a cheater cloth I Spy Baby Quilt (pictured at left) and I really liked how it came out. I didn't use the Clover binding maker, but did the regular double-thickness binding technique but sewed it to the back of the quilt. Brought it around to the front and stitched it down with a blanket stitch in a contrasting color. Really cute on this baby quilt, and practical too because it's got to survive washing and chewing and who knows what.
Sometimes you do need a kick in the butt to question why you do things the way you do. I'm always looking for better ways of doing things and tidbits of useful information, which is why I read as many books as I do. In quilting there is definitely more than one right way for any given job. I can think of at least five different ways to make and piece half-square triangles. You just need to find the methods that work best for you.
A suggestion of theirs that I completely agree with is to use a walking foot for your piecing. This makes sense, especially for working with bias cut edges and bulky seams. Also loved this nugget of information, "The majority of misfeeds happen in the first seven stitches of a seam." I could have hit myself in the forehead when I read that. Yes! I will remember that sage bit of advise whenever I start a seam. They recommend holding your thread ends to prevent tangles. Alternatively you could start on a piece of scrap fabric, which is what I do.
The instructions for each of the projects look good. They are clear yet not overly fussy, which leaves an open door for experimentation. They also give measurements on making each of the quilts in a variety of sizes which is awesome. Overall this is a great addition to my library. I know I will draw on a number of the patterns, and I enjoyed the discussions on design elements and techniques in the book.
