Yay! today I am the last stop on Elizabeth Hartman’s Practical Guide to Patchwork Blog Tour. Have you been following along? Every day there is a chance to win a pack of fabrics handpicked by Elizabeth + a copy of her book – so leave a comment here telling us about the first quilt you ever made – or the one you are about to make! – quick you have 48 hours to enter.
The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quiltmaker (Stash Books)
Elizabeth Hartman is a talented quiltmaker and seems to have a wonderful ability to share her knowledge. She has been sharing her love of quilting and offering tips and advice and tutorials via her blog for a little while now – who could forget her quilt alongs – the mod sampler and the paintbox quilts and she has quite an archive of quilting advice available on her blog.
I am seriously glad that Elizabeth has written a book, and has been able to share her love of quilting with new quilters. This book is aimed at beginner quilters – there is a lot of quilting basics all gathered here in one place – its perfect for newbies but also for those wanting a good solid and fun project for the weekend.
I asked Elizabeth a few questions about the book and about her love of colour
ME: Many of your quilt patterns involve geometric design (both in the book and on your blog) what is it about this sort of structured quilt layout that attracts you – what is your favourite kind of design to work with? Have you ever tried your hand at traditional quilting designs? or crazy quilting?
Elizabeth: I’ve always been someone who arranges her M&Ms by color before eating them. Structure and organization just appeal to me! I feel like I use traditional block motifs rather often, as in the Planetarium (hourglass) and Superstar quilts in the book, but I’m usually not looking to use them to create a traditional look. I haven’t really done any crazy quilting, but I have done improvisational piecing which, I think, is similar in concept, if not in looks.
ME: You have a very modern aesthetic – whites mixed with brights and I also have always loved your use of solid fabrics mixed with patterns – what fabrics do you have in your stash right now. You discuss colour quite a bit in the book, and on your blog – and you do really have a great sense of mixing and matching colours - what colours do you love working with the most (ie. your favourite palette) and do you have a fave fabric designer?
Elizabeth: Thank you! I adore color, and I tend to favor strong color. Most of the fabric in my stash (both print and solid) is saturated brights, but I also have a lot of deeper neutrals like grays and chocolate browns. My favorite color, in general, is red, but I’m not sure that I work with red any more than I work with other colors. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite fabric designer. I think that, more than anything, I just like prints in interesting colors and combinations of colors.
ME: This book is fantastic in how it covers the basics – great for beginners – are you planning another book that follows on from this? What is next for you?
Elizabeth: I’m not sure I can talk about future plans just yet. Honestly, I’m kind of overwhelmed by the response to the first book, and I’m trying to let that sink in before I make a lot of elaborate plans!
Check out the rest of the blog tour and to enter to win a copy of the book and this pack of handpicked fabrics leave a comment here telling us about the first quilt you ever made – or the one you are about to make! – quick you have 48 hours to enter. Wow you guys are great – a winner will be chosen and notified via email. Congratulations Ashley – you have been contacted via email
‘My first quilt was made from an Urban Chicks 1970 layer cake and was a total novice attempt, but I finished it and was so proud of myself for actually making a quilt from start to finish!’
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Mini Quilt books.
