Spectacular Scraps: A simple approach to stunning quilts, written by Judy Hooworth and Margaret Rolfe, published by Sally Milner Publishing, distributed by Sterling Publishing.

Judy Hooworth is a leading Australian contemporary quilt artist (more of her work can be found here), her main thing is making use of small scraps and has a wonderful way with colour. Margaret Rolfe is a quilt Historian and specialises in animal and bird designs (see one of her quilts here). Together these women have a vast knowledge of using colour and making use of scraps to create masterpieces. This book is how to make use of all those little bits of leftovers that never quite fitted in anywhere, you will never throw out another scrap of fabric again. The method described in the book is very specific and utilises just one shape - triangles, showing the vast amount of patterns and colour effects that can be achieved with simple piecing and colour choice. The quilt gallery in back of the book showcases some marvelous quilts and some really quite ugly ones too. But overall this a really excellent resource to add to your quilting library.

Cool Crocheted Hats: 40 Contemporary designs, written by Linda Kopp and published by Lark Books - an imprint of Sterling Publishing.

I wish I could say that the book lived up to the title, that the hats in this book are actually cool and contemporary; they are interesting and some are unusual and I am sure many people will like them, but cool? First the book is beautifully done, well designed with luscious glossy photos and beautiful people modeling the creations, sort of an 80’s vogue feel about the styling. The introduction includes the usual yarn and tools recommendations and also has a brief how-to read the instructions which is useful. But what of the patterns and the hats? There are some gorgeous designs in here, I liked the hounds-tooth ‘lid cap’, which is a sort of Tibetan style hat, quite masculine with a flat top. I loved the felted bucket hat and the kitty hat with ear flaps is very cute too. But as for the others … let me give you a couple of examples, there is a jazz beret in black and white sparkly yarn, a square top hat in a chunky black and white stripe with tassels on the corners, a pillbox hat in chunky orange yarn with a huge tassel on top, a beanie in velvet chenille yarn with a satin ribbon around the edge. I must admit there are a few middle range patterns, cloche and beret and beanies, crocheted up in ribbon yarns and sparkly bobbly yarns, the patterns of which are probably fine, but the choice of yarns a little over the top. There are also a few crazy designer hats that can be twisted this way or that way to do different things. I think this book is trying to be too cool, the hats don’t fit with the styling, the yarns don’t agree with the hats and altogether it is too too much.

The Braided Rug Book: Creating your own American folk art, written by Norma M. Sturges and Elizabeth J. Sturges, published by by Lark Books - an imprint of Sterling Publishing, distributed in Australia through Capricorn Link.

This book is obviously written with a lot of love and enthusiasm for the art of rug braiding. The books begins with a lovely history of rug braiding in America with some beautiful old images and drawing. The women who wrote this book have a vast collection of rugs and have collected images of this old tradition over the past many years, some of which are shared here in this book. The main part of the book is technical, how to braid, tricks and tools and fabrics to use. How to actually do it - pictures and illustrations showing techniques are very good. How to achieve certain results regarding size, shape, colour and patterning are all discussed. The book finishes off with a section on artist rugs with ornate designs woven into them. I am really in awe of the women who make these rugs and who are keeping the folk art tradition alive by passing on the skills and techniques. Its not really my thing though, I wish there was a contemporary edge to some of the designs showcased in the book, or that the images were more colourful and bright. But as with any art, once you learn the skill you can do anything with it. If you are interested in learning to braid rugs (and having one of these on the floor would be a wonderful addition to a traditional home) then I recommend this book.

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