Apr 06
Fed up with wondering how and where to quilt - this wonderful book is the answer. All the stitches are explained with photographs and easy to follow diagrams. There are ideas for hand-worked and machine stitches. The book is suitable for beginners and experts. One of the parts I loved was Quilt Edge Finishing - how often does a pattern say bind edges without instructions. This part gives help for those tricky shapes.
* THE QUILTING WEB *
Issue 41
This practical guide explains all the stitches you need, from plain quilting to trapunto and crazy patchwork, allowing you to try out new techniques. Nikki includes more than 200 stitches in her Stitch Bible and beautifully illustrated designs are featured for both hand and machine sewing. The stitches include structural ones and also those used for decoration and are illustrated with photographed samples. This is a handy reference guide to keep on your bookshelf and dip into now and again when you fancy trying something different within your projects.
* Fabrications *
Jun 06
The Quilter's & Patchworker's Stitch book gives photos and diagrams of stitches useful to the quilter. After an introduction describing materials, tools, fabrics and so on, the book divides into filling stitches, surface embellishment and insertion both by hand and machine. Good diagrams and instructions combine with reasonably sized photographs of the worked stitches. It isn't going to set the world on fire but this is a jolly good, basic stitch book.
* Workshop On The Web *
Issue 150, July 2006
For any student or practitioner of needlework, whether embroidery or patchwork and quilting, a stitch reference book is invaluable. Talented quilter and author Nikki Tinkler has collected together and organised a wealth of information about stitches, both hand and machine, which is specifically aimed at quilt makers. The book begins by outlining tools, equipment, hand and machine-sewn techniques, fabrics and threads. The selection of materials, fabric preparation, quilt construction and marking the quilting pattern is also explained. The comprehensive stitch collection follows and contains stitches for hand quilting, filling areas and surface embellishment plus it expands the more usual running stitch into dozens of ideas: chain stitch, feather stitch and blanket stitch to name but a few. Machine quilting stitches are also explained and will help you to get the best out of your machine. Step by step pictures and a finished sample of each stitch technique show both the front and the back, making each stitch description very clear. Suggestions for quilt edge finishing, cleaning, storage and display complete the overall picture making this a worthy choice for our Reviewer's Choice this month.
* Patchwork & Quilting *
August 2006
Even the most prolific quilter should find plenty of ideas in this little goldmine. Over 200 stitches and designs are featured for both machine and hand quilting. These range from simple running stitches to using both utility and decorative stitches on a sewing machine achieving a great variety of effects. The book is divided into sections showing stitches that are designed for quilting fabric, those that are purely for embellishment purposes, and others that are used for constructing and joining. This spiral bound book is well laid out and fully illustrated, making it a handy reference book to sit by the work table or sewing machine. More advanced techniques such as couching and applique are also included so it is also ideal for all levels of expertise. The general guide to quilting techniques, glossary of terms and handy suppliers list complet the 'bible'.
* SEWING WORLD *
August 2006
This useful primer has a subtitle that reads the essential illustrated reference to over 200 stitches, and frankly I never knew there were so many. As usual with Search Press books in general, and the Bible series in particular you can expect some very clear instructions, helpful diagrams and plenty of examples to practice. This is not a book of projects, but you will learn enough to be able to tackle the stitches in many projects which is the true aim of the book.
What sorts of subjects are covered in this book? There is a first chapter on choosing tools and what you need and several short chapters on fabrics, threads, hand or machine work, construction and types of quilting which was also a revelation. These are discussed and illustrated briefly and if you want to go into this in more detail of course there are plenty of separate books on offer. The main part of the book covers the stitches themselves, and I loved the stitch selector which is an illustrated index of all the stitches covered (hand and machine) on six pages. Some books on stitches give them in more stages, and although they gave me no problems a novice stitcher might find some of the more complex ones are not in quite as many stages as they might wish, but this book is not really aimed at them. The diagrams are clear and you can learn some more unusual techniques such as attaching shisha glass, or using a twin needle on a machine. I particularly like the way it is spiral bound, and lies flat on table or lap for convenient working. This would make a grand gift for any patchworker - if you can bear to part with it!
* Myshelf.com *
