If you cannot resist purchasing fat quarters whenever you are in a fabric store, then you will probably have more fabric then you know what to do with! Use up some of it by making these fifteen fun stash busting projects.
This book is also great for people like me who always buy more fabric than they need when making clothes so they can make accessories. There are several of those in here, from simple flowers for corsages and trims to various bags, a cosmetic purse and aprons. You will also find a baby play mat, draught excluder, door stop and more than one mat. This is a good book too for those who don't have a lot of sewing experience, as many of the techniques are explained in some detail in the second chapter. The first is devoted to introducing the tools and materials you are going to be using, so any beginners out there will get a good grounding in the contents of their sewing box. In here you can learn the basics of quilting and patchwork, but you can also learn how to put in a zip, make buttonholes, work with a twin needle, attach piping, trims and applique, and even use any fancy stitches your machine does. These lessons all come with staged photographs as do the projects, although here there are fewer (since you have already had the basics) and there is more print and less picture. Each project has a large photo of the finished item plus several diagrams in most cases. None of the projects are too large or ambitious, and all templates are given where necessary at actual size, always a good thing. Most projects don't use more than one fat quarter of each type, so if you have bought one of those mixed packs you can still use it. This is a great book for beginners and anybody else with too many smallish pieces of fabric!
-- Rachel Hyde - Myshelf.com
September 2015
Lovely projects that you can really spice up by choosing your own fabrics. Use fat quarters to make home projects such as a door stop, coasters, baby blanket, bags, placemats, draught excluder and cushion. There are 15 items to enjoy making. Templates are given where necessary and the instructions and photos are very clear. There's a great introduction and techniques section; something Wendy excels at. I like the mini flower tutorial, showing you how to make 3 different fabric flowers. Most of the projects take just two fat quarters. Useful little book.
* Karen Platt Yarnsandfabrics.co.uk/crafts *
August 2015
Wendy Gardiner has produced a great book for beginners in this lovely collection of 15 gorgeous projects for using up fat quarters from your stash or from a newly started fabric collection. Wendy is a very experienced quilter and writer who has combined these projects with an excellent how to start patchworking and quilting manual. The emphasis is on small easy to finish projects using fat quarters is great for novice sewers as it is certainly more productive and less overwhelming to make a cushion, pinny or bag rather than a full sampler quilt , but it is rare to find a book which combines such good basic instructions with pretty desirable projects. Each project introduces a new technique , such as piping applique or inserting a zip. This book would make a lovely present for a friend who would like to start sewing, but isn't sure where to start. Just add a bundle of fat quarters to a copy of the book and you'll make someone very happy.
* Popular Patchwork *
