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Art & Craft, DIY ideas and Tutorials – Craftbuds
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Book Review: Little Bits Quilting Bee

  • Lindsay
  • September 22, 2011
Cloud Song Quilt
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Little Bits Quilting Bee

You probably known Aussie crafter and blogger Kathreen Ricketson as the founder of Whipup.net. You might have also seen her book Whip Up Mini Quilts, with 20 smart designs for patchwork wall quilts.

Her newest book is also for quilt lovers, and it’s all about sewing with pre-cut fabrics. Little Bits Quilting Bee (Chronicle Books) includes 20 quilt designs from Kathreen’s studio, 5 each from the represented types of pre-cuts (charm squares, jelly roll strips, layer cakes and fat quarters).

The book’s 20 designs range from traditional (with modern fabrics) to whimsical/inventive, with standouts like “Cloud Song,” a bright solids quilt from charm squares with raindrop applique and cloud-shaped quilting.

Cloud Song Quilt

“Constructivist” is Kathreen’s answer to sophisticated boy decor, and it has an adult appeal, especially with her woodgrain quilting technique.

Constructivist Quilt

“Electric Spectrum” is a take on the classic log cabin, and “Rhombus” uses a strip-piecing technique. The cover quilt, “Dress Circle” is suitable for layer cakes, but isn’t an incredibly new idea. Essentially, it’s a drunkard’s path quilt using appliqued circles instead of set-in circles. Although many designs are takes on classic quilt designs, the projects in this book are beautiful and are likely to inspire new to intermediate quilters.

Modern quilters who enjoy creating their own designs or stray toward improvisational piecing are likely to become frustrated by this type of book, which is perfect for those who like to quilt from patterns. A pattern pocket in the front of the book includes enlargeable applique patterns for the quilts that require it. The book includes full-color photographs and illustrations. The matte pages give it a bit of a “green” feel.

5 Flavors

The book shows off a variety of fabrics, including solids and prints in recent and older lines, like Lush by Erin Michael for Moda. Kathreen also makes up many of her own fabric combos from Japanese prints, polka dots and stripes, which adds a nice variety to the charm pack and fat quarter quilts. The final quilts of the book show off some really innovative designs, including “5 Flavors” (channeling Life Savers candy) and “Summer Sundae,” a delicious take on a quilt for a little girl’s room.

Community Quilting

My favorite aspect of this book was Kathreen’s introduction to “Community Quilting,” in which she shares her expertise on virtual quilting bees, quilt swaps, guilds and sewing circles and charity or fundraising quilts. There are resources in the book for quilters who are looking to get more connected with others in their craft, which is a valuable aspect of the online crafting community.

Little Bits Quilting Bee

Quilters: Do you prefer to create quilts from pre-cuts or from yardage? Do you use pattern books like Little Bits Quilting Bee or create your own quilt designs?

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  • book
  • charm packs
  • charm squares
  • chronicle books
  • craft book
  • fat quarters
  • jelly rolls
  • kathreen ricketson
  • kathreen whip up
  • layer cakes
  • little bits quilting bee
  • mini quilts
  • precut fabric
  • precuts
  • quilting
  • quilting book
  • sewing book
  • sewing with precuts
  • whipup whip up
  • whipup.net
Lindsay

Hi, I’m Lindsay Conner, an author, modern quilter, editor, and founder of the Lindsay Sews blog. I’m a Baby Lock ambassador and Stash Books author who loves writing modern sewing and quilt patterns for beginners and weekend sewists! I live in Indianapolis, Indiana with my husband, son, and two loveable cats, Murph and Chloe. I’ve been crafting for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I saved my dollar bills for trips with my mom to Jo-Ann Fabrics, where I’d find new floss for friendship bracelets or mini cross-stitch kits. Because my mom has always shared my love for crafting, she bought me my first sewing machine, a Hello Kitty Janome.

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6 comments
  1. Marcia K says:
    September 22, 2011 at 8:33 am

    I love scrappy quilts that allow for use of ANY fabric you might have. I have fabric in my stash, not so much pre-cuts.

    Reply
  2. Gill says:
    September 22, 2011 at 10:22 am

    This looks a great book! I love pre cuts and I like to see ways of using them but not necessarily quilts!

    Reply
  3. Mary says:
    September 22, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I like the idea of quilting with pre cuts but I’ve never done it! I do have a jelly roll I was gifted that I need to use…so maybe I’ll have a go.

    Reply
  4. Melissa @ Sew BitterSweet Designs says:
    September 22, 2011 at 2:41 pm

    I go back and forth between yardage and pre cuts – sometimes combining both. I have quilted out of books, off store bought patterns, and out of my own head. It all depends on the project and the recipient. This book looks like a wonderful resource – I just joined two virtual bees and I think a lot could be learned from this book 🙂

    Reply
  5. Debra Lee says:
    September 23, 2011 at 10:22 pm

    I’m a fat quarter kind of girl. I like having scraps lef over!

    Reply
  6. kathreen ricketson says:
    November 6, 2011 at 3:46 am

    Thanks so much for the thoughtful review of my new book.
    Hope you get to make a quilt or two.

    best regards
    kathreen

    Reply

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