I've “read” a lot of quilting books. Most provide beautiful inspiration, and that's really all I need out of them. I flip through, peruse the instructions, and enjoy the pictures.
That's all I was looking for when I bought Quilting Happiness. (Honestly, I bought it because I like Diane so much!) But it completely surprised me with several things that I haven't found in any other books, that are perfect for a new (ish) quilter:
1. The patterns don't just tell you how much fabric you need, but also how to cut it. This is one of the things that slows me down more than anything, so I really appreciated it!
2. Squaring up your fabric instructions! I've never found theses instructions any where else, and they've already changed my quilting life. (I feel kind of dense that I didn't know this before.)
3. “Squaring the block” instructions! Ok, I knew to do this, but the book gives a much better way of doing this than I was. Love it!
4. A clear explanation of sewing together curved pieces. I've been avoiding it for a long time because I couldn't wrap my head around it…but this book made it make sense!
5. Creativity exercises. Thanks to this book, I started a quilting journal, and now have a place to keep all my ideas and plans. I've already used it to buy fabric for my newest quilt!
6. A sense of humor!
(You just have to read any book that mentions hand quilting while watching Dr. Who – it's one of my favorite past times!)
What do you look for in a quilting book?
Not a quilter? For your dose of Diane-smartness, check out the workbook we co-created: Craft an Effective Blog (or get it free inside the Starship.)
(I'm trying something new with this listy review. I've wanted to review more books, for a long time, but I get stuck in writing about what I like. So I'm experimenting with a format that's easy and straightforward. Like it? Wish I said more (or less?) Let me know!)
See the usual Disclaimer here!
Christina
September 12, 2013 at 12:54 pm (11 years ago)Well you just put a huge smile on my face this morning! It makes me so happy to see the things that I love about the book and patterns are picked up on by others. Little details that get lost elsewhere, Diane and I worked hard to have a place for them in QH. I’m so glad they are noticed and appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to review the book and i’m so glad you liked it! (Most of the quilts were pieced during Doctor Who marathons, too!)
Jessica Cook
September 12, 2013 at 2:18 pm (11 years ago)That’s awesome!! I like the format, it gives me a quick but informational peek into the book, enough to know if I want to own it or not. It sounds like the kind of book I would DEFINITELY be into, too, which is awesome!! I may have just bought fabric for another new quilt project even though I already have at least 4 quilts in various stages of preparation/production … 😉
Kristy Daum
September 12, 2013 at 5:40 pm (11 years ago)Okay, the book was already on my list; but now that I know Diane is a Doctor Who fan and mentioned it in the book, I might have to buy it sooner rather then later. Hahaha
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
April 24, 2014 at 4:38 pm (10 years ago)I didn’t realize Diane was a co-author when I started searching for reviews on this book! And, for what it’s worth, I like this style of review (though I haven’t read any of your others to compare, if there are others) 🙂