Simple Start Stunning Finish

Valori Wells's new book Simple Start Stunning Finish arrived yesterday.  Valori is the designer of Sole fabric that came out a couple of months ago.  She also designed Fleurish, Estrella and Eclectic if you are a fabric stasher.  She and her mother are quilters and own The Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon.

Anyway, I've already told you I'm not a quilter, so why this book, you say?  One, I'm a book-aholic and am scared to death a book will go out of print and what if I don't have it at my disposal when I need that information to save the world?  I also wanted the book because I really like Valori Wells's work on fabrics and her quilts.  She is a very contemporary, artistic quilter and the quilts in the book are stunning.  She provides patterns and instructions for 15 different quilt designs, as well as basic applique and piecing techniques.  My favorite quilt in the book is the Circle Around Quilt, which is pieced and appliqued entirely with solid fabrics.

I would recommend this book to:

• a quilter wanting to make some fantastic artistic quilts
• a fabric admirer who loves looking at how fabrics are used together
• a sewer interested in piecing and applique techniques (I can see these concepts translated to placemats, table runners, curtains, handbags)
• a sewer or fabric artist interested in how another artist puts fabric designs and colors together

There is only one quilt in the book that is quilted with a longarm quilter (the Circle Around Quilt shown), while all the others Valori does with her standard sewing machine. I would love to see that in action, because I don't know how you handle a big quilt with a regular machine and how you handle intricate shapes.  And this book may well make me a quilter... at least once.

Comments

[ms moniker]

Yes, you should try at least one quilt...I recently made my first and it's alot of work! I never realized that before I did it myself. Gives you a new appreciation for them. Love your blog!