The blog tour for my book Little Bits Quilting Bee (published by Chronicle books) is now over – there were lots of giveaways, peaks at the books, reviews, interviews, some block sewing too and even a tour of my home – hope you had a fun time.

This week I also launched my book locally [at the very lovely Paperchain independent bookstore] – thanks everyone for coming along – here are some pics of the night.

Thank you to all the bloggers and readers who participated in the tour, commented and congratulations if you won a book – thanks so much to my publisher for giving away all those books too!

Here is the blog tour round up.

• The colorful photographs, vibrant fabrics, and charming vintage-modern styling give this book a warm and inviting feel:  - The Long Thread (Ellen makes a quilt block)
• Before starting this blog I wrote for Whipup for about a year and a half. I became a huge fan of Kathreen’s and admire both her eye and her heart: - Craft Nectar (interview)
• The is a sublime dessert of a book, beautifully written and charmingly hand illustrated…. What I really like about the quilts in this book is that they don’t have that obvious ‘precut look’. … Instead, they are fresh, fun, modern and inspiring.  Put together but not too put together if you know what I mean. - Comfort Stitching  (book review)
• I adore that [Kathreen] designed quilts around “small sparks” of ideas like lollipop tress and her children’s drawings.  All of the quilts in the books are lovingly designed and quilted and have that fantastic aesthetic of kathreen’s that we all enjoy. -  luvinthemommyhood (book review)
• The book is beautiful, the designs are young and graphic, and the directions are thorough.  Elsie Marley (discussion on fabric choices)
• Little Bits Quilting Bee is fresh on the shelves, and several of its patterns are going straight onto my wish list. – True Up (My five fave fabrics)
• I especially love how [Kathreen] uses solids, together with prints and shining on their own. She also doesn’t stick to the simple square and rectangle shapes that pre-cuts come in. There are patterns with curves and appliques, projects that are easy for beginners and some that offer a little more challenge.  – House on Hill Road (Review)
• I think the assembly directions for each quilt design are well-illustrated, covering block assembly where needed, and showing a full-quilt diagram. The foundational techniques that are part of any quilt project, like backing, sandwiching, quilting and binding, are covered in an earlier “Anatomy of a Quilt” chapter. Each project refers you to the pages you’ll need for those steps, so the whole thing is easy and logical to follow. Craftypod (review)
• Along with being super informative, if I had to use one adjective for the book, it would be cozy. There’s just something about the photography and the great hand drawn illustrations that make reading the book a comfy way to spend some time! – Handmade by Alissa (Review)
• My favorites of Kathreen’s designs involve circles. She has a play quilt that looks like a scrappy, colorful sun and another that reminds me of the Spirograph I received for my 6th birthday, with interlacing swooshes and circles. The photography is fresh and clean– and there’s a pattern pack included! That’s the best. Hello My Name Is Heather 
• I love craft books that offer more than great projects – that tell a story or share history or resources we can all enjoy. Kathreen includes an engaging section at the front on the history and culture of community quilting, from traditional bees to online swaps and groups – I loved reading this part. – West Coast Crafty (Review)
• I only dabble at quilting and don’t really consider myself a quilter but her book about using pre-cut fabric packs–which is also good for your pocket book—is full of ideas and step-by-step instructions making it a great book for crafters like me. Foxy Art Studio (Review)
• When I buy a quilty type book, I usually just peruse the pictures for inspiration rather than reading the ‘how-to’ bits … so I really LOVE a book with fabulous photographs. And this book doesn’t disappoint in the photography department. – Patch Andi 
• What I usually don’t like about pre-cut books is that they all use the same size squares, rectangles and triangles – but Kathreen manages to avoid that and has produced a book full of original, interesting and diverse designs that don’t look like pre-cuts at all. -  The Last Piece (Interview)
• Let me tell you, compared to my last attempt at curves, this went 1000 times better. No gathers, no puckers, I only lost a a few points on the edges to the binding. And let me tell you, every seam in this block has curves! And I did it! :) … The directions were really easy to follow and the templates were great. The little notched corners made it super simple to match up the edges, even for a curves dummy like me! – In Color Order (Jeni makes a quilt block)
• Little Bits Quilting Bee is a lovely book with colorful images and great ideas for using pre-cuts that many of us have in our stash or could easily create from our scrap bins. It’s sure to inspire your use of these small bits of fabrics in new and creative ways. - Pink Chalk Studio (Review)
• [The Crimson Cross] is a quilt I would love to make. I could see it being used by everyone in my household. I love the simplicity of the design and it would be a fabulous beginner or just really quick quilt. – Camp Follower Bags & Quilts (Review)
• From the moment I opened the envelope, I knew this book was special. … The quilt I am most likely to make — and soon! — is Squadron. The main block of this quilt — an improvised strip-pieced block — is designed to resemble an airplane, but I was struck by the secondary patterns that emerge when many of these blocks are sewn together. I’m a big fan. – Quilt Dad (Review)
• First let me tell you that Kathreen and I have one Giant thing in common.. big shapes .. holey moley look at those adorable big popcicles! And I love the tabs on the border too! – Pat Sloan (peak inside my house and interview)
• If the quilts, patterns, and colorful photos hadn’t already sold me on the book, her dedication at the back cinched the deal. The book is dedicated to her female ancestors… - Pleasant Home 
• The book is rich with color and detail for using pre-cut fabric to make modern, vibrant quilts. … If you’re inspired to orgainze a quilting bee with your local or online friends, the book has information on different ways to share the work, as well as so many beautiful projects to choose from. - Duofiberworks (discussion on quilting bees)
  

So many folks had a different favourite from the book (from Crimson Cross, Squadron, Constructivist, Cloud Song …) did you follow along on the tour – did you win a book? which is your favourite quilt that you spied?

{ 6 comments }