Martingale Publishing sent me THIRTEEN book to review. I never have to review all of them…just the ones I like. Here’s the first review I’m writing.
This isn’t really a quilt book but it’s crafty and fabric and really, really good so I’m leaving it in the Quilt Book Review section. The book is Bowl Me Over and the author is Debbie Busby.
Since I’ve been cross stitching I’ve been wanting to do a little more decorating. I’m not a decorator at all and I’m not a cleaner. For some reason I always put decorating and cleaning in the same mode so I just haven’t decorated.
There have been so many things that have tempted me though. Things like three tiered trays…big bread bowls, baskets. All of those sort of things have really been on my want list lately. Making some of the things in this book would be PERFECT for them.
Many of the projects use wool scraps but many don’t too. All of these could be made as pincushions as well as cute decorative pieces. Check some of them out….
I like these that are done of the black.
…but I like these even more….
The one that says “Be Brave” is calling “make me Jo, Make Me!!”
I’m not a cabin girl so these don’t excite me.
I am a homebody and these ones I do really like.
These bee themed ones I like as well.
If you are a person who does gift exchanges with your friends, these would be so perfect. They are small, and would be quick to stitch. In many cases I think the prepping would take as much time as the stitching.
The photography is good in the book…the directions look easy to follow. The author give great tips on transferring the embroidered words too. I love this book and if I hadn’t already gotten a review copy, I would be rushing to Amazon to order it.
While I was writing the review I realized I have another book in my library by this author. This book… Sew Many Notions. I’ve been itching to make some of these and haven’t yet.
If you’d like a copy of Bowl Me Over you can find it on Martingale’s site HERE or Amazon HERE.
On a side note. I’m particularly interested in making the ones that are black and stitched. The book suggests using a fabric from Marcus Brothers called Basecloth. I had trouble finding it when I searched. I finally found it HERE. They also suggest using this pen Uni-Ball Signo Broad Gel Pen. You can find that HERE.
So cute! I love the green house one. The black are nice, too. It’s easy to decorate with quilts. Hang them on the wall or use a quilt ladder. I have them everywhere. :) And no dusting!
I love these, Jo! I have always loved pincushions for some reason, and I see more of them in my future. A basket full of pincushions just speaks to me! I have a couple of empty baskets that I was trying to decide how to use, and I think you have answered that question for me…fill one with pincushions!!
Thanks for sharing this book!
Living a life 1/8 of an inch off is a great description, and I like it. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to improv quilting-there are no mistakes, only happy accidents. I started quilting 15 years ago just before my father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. He passed in 2013 and 2 years ago I lost my mom to dementia.
Hand piecing patchwork and quilting during this time was a gentle distraction that I was able to enjoy while caring for my parents. It was very calming at the most chaotic and unpredictable time of my life. I’m a fudger too. I try for perfection, and I am tickled when everything comes together perfectly but I have learned how to match intersecting seams (or at least making them appear to match) by pressing seam allowances to the wrong side occasionally. Yep, I am a fudger but I have never had a complaint from the recipients of my quilts, nor do I think they even noticed.
Fudging is definitely a quilt-making skill! I’ve told my students, and hesitant quilters, that it’s a good skill to have, especially when I’ve watched someone unpick a block several times, until the fabric has frayed past that 1/8”. Then fudging skills shine, or a new piece has to be cut.
I think perhaps that your approach is why I enjoy reading your blog so much. And when life throws major challenges at you, you learn “don’t sweat the small stuff!” ….after all, it’s barely 1/8”!!
Pauline in Australia
Interesting book – I’ve considered decorating with little pillows and bowls at time but wondered about the dusting and cleaning part – yeah, how practical can I get? LOL! They sure would make cute little ornaments if you had a small tree you kept up year round though.
Love and prayers
I have the sewing notion.book. I will have to think about the new book. I am working on a pattern with a few small pin cushions similar to the Christmas ones you showed. Happy Creating
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