Machine Quilting -- 2 Books to Help You--A Crafty Sundays Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a digital copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. The links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

This week it has been about quilting--machine quilting. Today I am going to share two books that will help you with machine quilting skills. The first book is for beginners as well as anyone who wants to learn some new skills and designs. It is Walk, Jog, Run: A Free-Motion Quilting Workout by Dara Tomasson. 

Fun Facts about Quilting with Quilt Book Round-Up

 

Disclosure: I sent digital copies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I will receive a small percentage of purchases made through the links provided at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share. 

I love making quilts. However I do it rather slowly most of the time. I have had four quilt books that I haven't shared with you sitting in my review folder and to be honest I haven't been motivated to start any of the quilts. I picked out quilts to make in each one but didn't have a bed or person to make them for and just didn't have the time to do them without the motivation of a reason. I also have had a lot of family things going on and am hoping to start making a classic double wedding ring for my own bed. So with all of that I thought I would do a quilt book round-up with fun facts about quilting first.

Fun Facts about Quilting

1. The word quilt comes from the Latin word culcita which means mattress or cushion. The English word was first used around 1250.
2. Quilting as we know it, where stuffing goes between two layers of fabric, started in France.
3. Rudimentary quilting dates back to China around 3000 B.C. Their ancient warriors quilted chest protectors together.
4. Ancient Egyptians quilted clothing.
5. The world’s oldest quilt in existence is the Tristan Quilt. It is in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is believed it was made between 1360 and 1400.



Tristan Quilt by Unknown 1395, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons




6. Early American quilts were made by the English and Dutch settlers. They used them to keep warm at night while sleeping but also to keep out drafts from doors and windows.
7. The world’s largest quilt is the AIDS Memorial Quilt. It weighs 54 tons and spans 1.2 million square feet. In 1987 it contained 1,920 panels commemorating people who died of AIDS. Now there are 48,000 panels. Most blocks are rectangles measuring 6 feet by 3 feet or roughly the size of a grave.



AIDS Memorial Quilt Photo by National Institutes of Health, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons




8. The largest patchwork quilt measures 270,174 square feet. It is called Manta da Cultura (Patchwork for Culture) and was made in 2000 by Realizar Eventors Especialis in Portugal.
9. The world’s largest historical quilt is in Antler, North Dakota. It depicts the state as a colorful map. It is 11,390 square feet.
10. In 2020 the U.S. had approximately 21 million quilters. They had an average age of 63.
11. Paducah, Kentucky calls itself the quilting capital of the world. It is home to The National Quilt Museum.
12. A summer quilt is a quilt that does not have the stuffing.
13. During the 1800s there was a custom for a girl to make a baker’s dozen of quilt tops before she engaged. 12 were utility quilts and one was a masterpiece for her bridal bed. After her engagement she would complete the tops into quilts.
14. A mother would often make several quilts for her children for when they left their childhood home and became adults.
15. In the mid 1800s the introduction of the sewing machine changed how quilt tops were pieced. However even with the invention of a separate quilting attachment hand quilting was still favored for another century.
16. The US postal service has featured quilts from Gee’s Bend, Amish and folk art on its stamps.
17. It is said the most famous quilts in America are the Gee’s Bend Quilts. 



Gee's Bend Quilting Bee photo by Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons




18. Quilting bees originated in the Midwest US during the 1800s . There was a need for socializing due to lack of neighbors. It drew women together to finish quilts and make new friends.
19. The most expensive quilt ever sold was a Civil War-era piece purchased for $254,000 in 1991.
20. Dedicated quilters are defined as those who spend more than $500/year on quilting buy on average 99 yards of fabric a year which is almost enough for an entire football field. Dedicated quilters usually spend $3,363 on quilting supplies each year. They spend almost 8 hours a week on-line visiting quilting sites and groups centered on quilting techniques, supplies and news.
21. Beginner quilters spend 6.9 hours quilting a week on average. Advanced quilters spend around 17.6 hours.
22. The average quilter in 2020 is a retired woman in her 60s and she owns four different sewing machines.
23. Quilters answering a survey say they quilt to relax, relieve stress, be creative, and connect with family and friends through gift-giving.

Sources:

• 24 Blocks. “Fun Facts About the Wide and Wonderful World of Quilting.” https://24blocks.com/cs-quilting-facts/
• Glassenberg, Abby. Craft Industry Alliance. “Quilting Trends Survey Results 2020.” (19 Jun 2020) https://craftindustryalliance.org/quilting-trends-survey-results-2020/
• Guinness World Records. “Largest Patchwork Quilt.” https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-patchwork-quilt
• Mathew, Kathy. Chicago Now. “12 Fun Facts About Quilting.” (26 Mar 2014) https://www.chicagonow.com/quilting-sewing-creating/2014/03/12-fun-facts-about-quilting/
• Quilting in America. “History of Quilts.” https://www.quilting-in-america.com/History-of-Quilts.html
• Smithsonian Magazine. “You Can Now Explore All 48,000 Panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt Online.” https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/aids-memorial-quilt-now-online-180975370/

Now onto our books. Since my mother gave me many different size strips, I wanted to look at various strip quilts including jelly roll ones. A jelly roll is usually 40 2.5-inch strips of coordinating fabrics. Three out of the four books I am sharing involve strips. The first is Love of Jelly Roll Quilts by Love Patchwork & Quilting. 

From the Publisher: 

Tantalizing, tasty, sweet . . . sew up something good enough to eat!

From the pages of Love Patchwork & Quilting and Today’s Quilter comes a delicious collection of 13 bright, bold quilts that feature the perennially popular jelly roll strips. Strip piecing, basketweave, pinwheels, appliqué, and more—use 2 1/2-inch pre-cut fabric strips in exciting and unexpected ways. Whip up quilts in a range of project sizes and complexity, including a suite of baby projects, a pillow, wall hangings, and bed quilts. Top designers like Susan Briscoe and Jo Avery are featured. Finally, get the best from the pages of the UK’s most popular quilting magazines!

• Jelly rock-’n’-roll! This project-stuffed book is an easy and affordable way to own stylish patterns from the best-selling modern quilting magazines in the United Kingdom.
• Piece thirteen projects from 2 ½” precut strips, ranging from bed-size beauties to quick-sew projects
• Take strip-piecing a step further with innovative techniques and tons of variety

From Me:

This book gives thirteen different projects that range from bed quilts to nursery quilts and accessories. Some are twists on more traditional patterns and others are a bit more modern. Of course any can be made more modern depending on the fabric one chooses. 

I love that the quilt has many strip quilts as well as ones where the jelly roll strips are cut into squares or triangles to make more complex designs. I also love that there are the baby quilt, matching pillow, and a comforter (which Hazel would have loved as a baby). There are some fun projects in this book.

Our next book is String Frenzy by Bonnie K Hunter. 

From the Publisher:

Once you go scrappy, there’s no turning back!

Are you buried in scraps—big pieces, small pieces, hunks, chunks, strips, and parts? Bonnie K. Hunter fans will love her newest book of playful string-quilt projects! Sew a dozen vibrant quilt patterns using the small leftovers from other projects that seem too tiny to save, yet too big to toss. Learn Bonnie’s basics for foundation piecing narrow fabric pieces 3/4” to 2” wide, turning them into dazzling scrappy blocks and one-of-a-kind quilts.

• Have a string piecing party with a best-selling author, the great Bonnie K. Hunter
• Love your leftovers! Become a scrap quilt addict, sewing fabric strings and crumbs into brand new blocks
• Hunter fans will love this offering of twelve “use it all” patterns in her signature style

From Me:

This book has twelve quilts to make. Bonnie uses foundation paper when piecing the blocks. This will make points more clear but also take longer. The creativity in the styles however is amazing. There is even a pumpkin patch one. Most of the quilts use random sizes of strips and not the 2.5-inches of a jelly roll, so these are good patterns to use on scraps or some of the strips my mother gave me. She gave me ones that range from about 1-inch to 6-inches. 

There is a huge variety of styles of quilts in this book and the instructions are easy to follow. Bonnie is very creative with the quilt patterns combining a bit of modern and traditional styles. 

Our next book is Strip Quilt Secrets by Diane D. Knott.

From the Publisher:

Transform fabric strips into unique and interesting quilts

Get ready for some of the best-kept secrets in strip quilting! You’ll start with the basics of cutting, storing, and piecing fabric strips from 1½” to 3½” wide. Explore five techniques to make strip-pieced rows, triangles, and more advanced blocks. Then make the most of your stash by turning precut strips, sliced yardage, and even selvages into fifteen innovative strip-quilt projects. Customize the look of each quilt with blank coloring pages, laying the foundation to design your own strip quilts.

• Sew fifteen quilt projects from fabric strips, in every look from planned to scrap-tastic
• Bust your stash and your scraps! Use extra-wide strips, skinny selvages, precuts, and yardage to sew innovative designs
• Start with easy strip sets, advancing to triangles and interesting layouts that might surprise you

From Me: 

This book has different techniques and is divided up by those techniques. There are strip sets, triangles from strips, resewing strips, individual strips and more. There are a total of fifteen projects in this book, and there is a lot of variety from traditional to modern quilts. She uses different size strips and even has some with the selvages. In the beginning of the book Diane shares about her strip collection and how she creates the strips. 

The quilts in this book range for scrap quilts to well planned color wise quilts. Some of the quilts use a fabric foundation piece but others are just piecing the strips. The instructions are very clear and there are great pictures also to help.

Our final book is a nod to my former life as a geometry teacher. I a tend to love to check out books about optical illusion quilts and 3-D quilts. I believe it is because I taught about them in geometry classes for so many years. It is Stunning 3-D Quilts Simplified by Ruth Ann Berry.

From the Publisher:

Sew three-dimensional quilt illusions

Create a stunning quilt that will have your friends asking, “How did you do that?” Believe it or not, these attention-grabbing projects come together with straight rows of simple shapes. You’ll learn how to sew 12 visually arresting quilts each in 4 colorways giving you dozens of dynamic options. Build your confidence in bias piecing, as you pair light, medium, and dark fabrics for heavenly hexes. Don’t be intimidated—just follow the easy assembly diagrams and watch your quilt come together one row at a time with no inset seams. These 3-D illusions are so impressive, you won’t know whether to keep them on the bed or hang them on the wall.

• Sew 3-D illusion quilts that have your friends asking how you did it
• Arrange 60-degree triangles in rows for easy piecing with no inset seams
• Build your confidence in bias piecing, mixing color values for dimensional effects

From Me:

Most of the patterns in this book offer different sizes however almost all of them are at least a twin size. They are big. I wasn't sure I was ready to make such a big 3-D quilt design which is why I haven't made one of them yet. The book provides the pattern in one set of colors however shows color alternatives at the end of each quilt instruction. Again there is a huge variety with the quilts. They all tend to be pretty modern but some are busier than others. Most of these quilts are made with more solid-ish fabrics and the designs on the fabric help with the shading and thus giving the 3-D look.

The patterns are fun and the color choices really make the quilts pop. I love that they give some color inspiration for each quilt. There is also a table runner which I may play with soon. The book provides a "graph" of each quilt as well so color can be explored a bit. 

So I hope you will get quilting and check out these books. Did you know September is National Sewing Month? It is the perfect time to start a new quilt project! Will you join me? Be sure to check all of my quilt posts for even more inspiration!

Quilting with a Modern Slant Book Review

Disclosure: Storey Publishing gave me a copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Now if you have been reading Crafty Moms Share for a bit of time you know I am a quilter. I tend to be a traditional quilter--using more traditional patterns. My mother has been experimenting with more modern patterns lately and it has intrigued me.  When I saw Quilting with a Modern Slant by Rachel May I decided I wanted to check it out and really see what modern quilting is really about. 

 

Crafty Sundays -- Quilt Art Chinese Style Review and My First Attempts at Paper Quilling

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This week I have been focusing on organizing my craft room. I'm about half way there! However last night I felt a strong urge to make something. I pulled out a cheap paper quilling kit I bought awhile ago (maybe at AC Moore before it closed). The kit taught how to make three different style flowers. I decided to give it a try. Here is my first one.

Quilt Projects & New Books -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent me copies or ecopies of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some of the links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

This week I have been focusing on quilting. I have six quilt books to share with you and two of them are kid-oriented! The first is Get Quilting with Angela and Cloe by Angela Walters and Cloe Walters. 

My Mother's Quilts -- First Look Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Worthy Ideals. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Quilting has taken on its own art form, but originally started out of necessity. They have been used as gifts, as signs and communications, to record stories and as maps. They have held a very special place in my heart. My mother started quilting when I was in elementary school. Her first quilt was a sampler--where the blocks are all different. There was a square with three sun bonnet sues in different sizes to represent me and my older sisters. There was a square with a man using a transit to represent my father. This quilt was on my parents bed for years. My sisters and I all want to inherit it though my mother says it is threadbare. 

Dreaming of Hawaii -- Luka's Quilt

With snowflakes flying again today and the arctic cold coming back, it is time to dream of Hawaii again. Last week I posted our first Dreaming of Hawaii and introduced pu'ili. Today I am going to share another wonderful book and look at Hawaiian quilts.

Little Quilts and Gifts from Jelly Roll Scraps Book Review

Disclosure: Search Press gave me a copy of these books free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

This has been another one of those weeks where life is getting in my way of what I want to do, but it has been a good week. Hazel has one week of school left so all the end of the school year craziness is happening. Yesterday we enjoyed a field trip to Drumlin Farm. Hazel was the only child who had previously been there so it was fun to see it with new eyes. I have been trying to find time to make a few of the items in this beautiful book, Little Quilts & Gifts from Jelly Roll Scraps by Carolyn Forster. 

Sew It! a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: I was sent an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Do you have a tween or teen who sews or quilts or wants to learn how? Tonight's book is perfect for him or her. It is Sew It! by Allison Nicoll. 

Quilting with Precuts Handy Pocket Guide--a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure: C&T Publishing sent me this ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own! I will receive a small stipend for purchases made through the links in this post. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

I am happy to report my sewing machine is working again. I'm not sure what was wrong last week, but with a quick clean and reinstalling the bobbin it worked fine today so I can share with you the Handy Pocket Guide: Quilting with Precuts compiled by Gailen Runge.

Little Quilts -- Book Review

Disclosure: Ryland, Peters and Small gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

Today I get to share a wonderful quilt book, Little Quilts by Sarah Fielke and Amy Lobsiger. Two things interested me with this book. First the idea of little quilts will mean easier (smaller and quicker) projects so it will not take me months to make one and second little quilts are often doll size. With Hazel being so focused on her dolls she wants doll quilts, so I figured this book would help me get creative!!

Craft Books Galore! Review and Round-Up of Craft Books--Quilting, Embroidery, Paper Quilling, Origami, Knitting and more!

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books and kits in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of products that you purchase through them. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

As I have been doing the last few weeks I am trying to share all my books with you before Christmas. Although it is getting late now to order you can still get some by Christmas. So today I am sharing three craft books with you and then a round-up of the craft books I have to review still. We are going to start with our craft space and organizing it! 

Japanese Crafts -- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Disclosure: We were sent these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This year I thought I would focus on Japanese crafts. I have written a few posts about Japan and Japanese culture over the years. If you want a general overview of the country and its culture you should check out my review here. When I looked at my shelf of books to review I saw a bit of a pattern and realized I had a collection of books about crafts in Japan. Part of what I love about these books is most of them also teach a bit about the culture.

Jennifer Chiaverini's New Quilt Book to go with Elm Creek Quilters Series -- Mommy Time Review

 

Disclosure: I was given a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Some of the links in this post will give me a small percentage of anything purchased through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

Who are your favorite authors? Do you have a favorite book series? I have a few but the truth is I don't always pick up my favorite reads since I'm so busy reading children's books. I want to get back to my favorites. I was sad to hear my favorite author, Mary Higgins Clark, passed away in 2020. I use to read her books as soon as they came out but stopped doing that when I became a mom. I didn't have the time to always read as much as I use to and I tend to get into her books and not be able to put them down and stay up half the night to finish. I can't exactly do that anymore. I also love Jennifer Chiaverini. I fell in love with her Elm Creek Quilters series. It tied my love of reading with my love for quilting. I will admit as I spent time remembering the book from which today's quilting book is inspired, I saw she has written more books in the series than I have read. I have some reading to do for me. She also has historical novels. Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker was very popular when it first came out. Today's book however is about making the sampler quilt that is discovered in the ninth novel of Elm Creek Quilters, Circle of Quilters, by Maggie Flynn. Maggie finds an old quilt at a yard sale and is able to purchase it for $5. As she begins to research the quilt she discovers the story behind it. Today's book helps you make a replica of the quilt which Maggie does in the book herself so she can return the quilt to the descendants of the quilter. 

Today's book is Harriet's Journey from Elm Creek Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini. Maggie found this beautiful sampler that had embroidered on it "Harriet Findley Birch. Lowell, Mass. to Salem Ore. 1854." She wants to find out about Harriet and her life and researches her. The quilt itself is 100 six-inch blocks in colors of the time. Of course the quilt is filthy when she purchases it and needs to be cared for but she is able to do this. Since her journey takes her to find Harriet's descendants she realizes she needs to give them the quilt but wants to keep a replica of it for herself. She makes the replica and now you can too with today's book.

The book shares a bit of the story of Maggie and the quilt in case the reader has not read Circle of Quilters. Then it has the 100 blocks and instructions on how to make each one. Jennifer even codes the block so the reader can put the blocks in the order of the "original" quilt. The code is easy to understand--a letter for the row and number for the column. After the block instructions there are general instructions for sashing and quilt assembly. Then there is a gallery of quilts made by different quilters using these blocks. 

The one above was done as a Christmas quilt. The one below only uses a few of the squares. As you can see the patterns can be used however the quilter wants to use them and it does not need to be a replica of the original quilt. 

The blocks are traditional blocks from the time period of the 1850's. They are beautiful blocks and can give a quilter some basics to work with and create their own masterpiece. I hope you will check out this fun book (as well as Jennifer Chiaverini's novels) and her other quilt books to go with the novels. Plus share with me your favorite authors and book series. I am hoping to take more time for myself and doing some self care during these crazy times. 

Mommy Time Review -- 3 Books

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Today I am going to share three books that fall in my Mommy Time review or are for adults. The first is a non-fiction book where singer/songwriter Lisa Gungor shares her own experience dealing with love, loss and raising a child with special needs. It is The Most Beautiful Thing I've Seen. 

Where to Shop This Holiday Season

Disclosure: Some of these links will pay me a small percentage of any purchase made when clicking them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

Can you believe it is already Black Friday? Do you know why today is called Black Friday? Traditionally this is the day stores would finally show a profit for the year or they would be in the black instead of the red (loss). Can you imaging running a store for almost the entire year in a loss? In honor of Black Friday I thought I would give you some suggestions as places to shop or at least some of our favorite places to shop. A few of these are affiliate links and will provide me with a small payment if you shop there, but most are just places I find amazing and want to let you know about them. Next week I will do a post on our favorite things from our reviews this year with gift suggestions for people of all ages!!

A Merry Christmas with Kim Schaefer -- a Crafty Weekends Review & Link Party

Disclosure:C&T Publishing sent me an e-version of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The links are affiliate links where I will receive a small percentage of any purchases made through them at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Crafty Moms Share!

Last week I had the pleasure of sharing Sew Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and this week we are looking at another sewing and quilting Christmas book. This week it is A Merry Christmas with Kim Schaefer. I had big plans this week to make one or two of the projects in it, but Hazel's cold got passed to me, so I struggled to stay awake and do anything extra than what was needed. Sorry!! However I will be able to share some of the amazing projects and give you my planning of projects and reading instructions review. 

A Look at Korea with Bojagi and Food

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This week I thought we would look at Korea through a craft and food. So far this month we have looked at China and Vietnam. We will also begin looking a Japan but I will continue the Japan resources into June with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo coming up in July! So today we look at Korea. Now over the years we have explored Korea with books, stories, crafts and food. We even have looked at the Korean language. Now I have had Korean Patchwork Quilting by Choi Yangsook sitting on my shelf for awhile. I have been meaning to share it for Crafty Sundays but haven't gotten around to it because I am fascinated with discovering bojagi. I have not tried any of the projects yet but plan to. Then when I was looking for something to make for dinner tonight with ground beef, I found this recipe for Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls. I figured it was the day to share the book and look at Korea! First here is our Korean Ground Beef and Rice dinner. My family LOVED it!! I only used half the red pepper because we don't like too much heat. 

Blogger Tag

I've been tagged by Stephanie over at Toastie Studio Sewing Blog. To play when you are tagged your tagger sends you 11 questions to answer and then you tag 11 blogger friends and send them 11 questions.

RULES 
**You must post the rules {?!}
**Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you & then create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged
**Tag 11 people and link them in your post
**Let them know you have tagged them

My questions from Stephanie:

1. How did you get into crafting?
My mother. She always was doing crafts with us as well as always sewing clothes for us and eventually quilting. I am no where near her level of skill, but have fun with it.

One of my completed dollhouses--I saved this one for Hazel!

2. Fabric, felt, card, wood? What is your favourite material?
Depends on my mood and my project. I love sewing and quilting and buying fabric (this is a big storage problem). I love paper/card crafts as well. I have recently starting really working with felt and love the ease of it. And my dollhouses are wood, but I don't really have the correct tools or skills to work with wood much besides the dollhouse kits.

One of my first quilt projects

3. What do you aspire to be?
A wonderful mom.

4. What is the nicest fabric you own/want to own?
My daughter plays with silks I finished for her so I guess that is it.

5. Buttons or ribbon?
Ribbon.

6. On the weekend when you are not sewing etc, what do you like to do?
Time with my family. Getting outside, playing oh, and go to church.

7. Does your boyfriend/husband/partner get your crafting?
Not completely.

8. What is your greatest crafting dream?
To build a dollhouse from scratch.

9. Have you ever received a handmade gift and been disappointed with it?
Well, not really. My mother showed me a purse she was making me for my birthday, but I never received it. She is a perfectionist and it wasn't coming out correctly so she didn't finish it.

10. How many crafty friends do you have?
On-line friends or meet in life friends. On-line many!! Meet in life friends that I hang out with all the time probably 4 or 5.

11. What do you prefer? Working from a pattern, or just doing it as you go?
  Depends on what I'm doing. Usually I like working from a pattern, but if I want to feel creative I just go along.

The bloggers I am going to tag:
Toys In The Dryer
One Artsy Mama
Happy Whimsical Hearts
I HEART CRAFTY THINGS
Mama Mia's Heart2Heart
La-La's Home Daycare
April's Homemaking
Mom On Timeout
Sew Happy Geek
Reading Confetti
Tot Treasures

My questions for these bloggers:
1) What got you into blogging?
2) What got you into crafting?
3) What is your favorite media for crafting (fabric, paper, wood, etc.)?
4) What books are you reading?
5) If applicable what children's books are favorites in your house right now?
6) What is your most accomplished craft?
7) What is your greatest craft dream?
8) What do you aspire to be?
9) Do you own or plan to won an e-reader (Kindle, Nook, etc.)?
10) What recent craft trend are you excited to try out?
11) What's the best gift you have ever received?

Books for Black History Month

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me a copy of these books free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

One of Hazel's favorite things is to learn about history and people. This month we have been enjoying four books from Candlewick Press that are perfect for Black History Month. They have also donated some of the amazing prizes for the Black History Month Series & Giveaway. (Have you entered yet?) One of the books in the prize pack includes Voice of Freedom illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Ekua illustrated a poetry book, Out of Wonder, by Kwame Alexander coming out in March. The books I am reviewing today I will in order of time for the history timeline. We will start with The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom by Bettye Stroud and illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett.