Sew Charming Review

If you’re a regular reader here you know I was, and still am, a big Country Threads fan.  I was so sad when they closed the shop.  I loved going there…as of yet, I have never found a shop that I’ve liked better.

Over the years, I became friends with Mary and Connie and admire them both so much.  I correspond regularly with Mary.  We share blogging woes, dog news, weather reports and the like.  Not too long ago I mentioned to her that I had seen that the two of them were having a new book published.  Mary told me not to buy one.  They were expecting to get a few promotional copies sent to them and she’d forward one of them on to me.  Wee-HAW!!  I was excited to see it.

Last week, the book came.  I love it!

Back when the shop was open, Mary did a monthly program called Charm School.  Each month she made a project using a charm pack.  The projects were always so different….table runners, wall hangings, baby quilts, and more.  Mary was a pro at taking a charm pack and creating awesome projects.

The fun thing about this book is they took 18 of those projects that Mary did and put them in this book…BUT they also made a scrappy version of the quilt from their scrap bucket.  For me, it’s often hard to pick which one I like better.

Here is an example.  This one, just a simple fun nine patch was made with a charm pack…

and this one, using the same pattern, was made with scraps.  See?

Often time one is a little more modern and one a little more traditional.

This one I really want to make…a simple churn dash, but if you look close up the backgrounds are all white prints with black.  I love it.  I would like enlarge it for a baby quilt.

This one is super simple….Split Square is the name.  Mary is hosting a sewing along on her blog so readers can sew along and make it in time for Christmas.  Read more about that here.  When Mary hosts things, it’s fun and informal, sewing at your own pace.  I love that.

Mary said that she’s making her project in reds and neutrals for Christmas.  I think I might sew along and follow her lead.  I think rather than a quilt I might make a table runner.

I am so happy about the new book.  Honestly there are several projects in there I’d like to make.  I have lots of charm packs and partial charm packs here that I’d love to get used up.  In many of the scrap boxes that blog readers send me are a half dozen charm square that they had left over from projects.  I’ve kept them all together in the basket shown in the first picture.  I think it will so fun to sort and organize them into piles that with go together, then sew them up.

Mary did write a note to me teasing that she thought I wouldn’t be able to make the projects in the book and keep them small…she might just be right!!!  I might try one or two though.

Thanks a million for the book Mary and Connie.  Congratulations on another awesome publication…even in retirement you two rock!!

If you’re looking for the book, Mary wrote this on her blog, “Mandy at Farm Chick Quilts can take your order for our new book Sew Charming.  It’s likely she will get it shipped quicker than Amazon.  Go online to Farm Chick Quilts or call her at the shop 641-430-6341.”

I’m off to sort some charm squares…