May
20
Pennies From Heaven
Filed Under Books, Show & Tell | 2 Comments
Had a great time at the Delta Quilters Guild Show over the weekend! My favorite quilt in the show was Shirley Coble and Isabel Maya’s “Pennies From Heaven.”
So beautiful. The design is from Gretchen Gibbons‘ book Pennies From Heaven.
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Jan
1
It’s a New Year!
Filed Under Blanket stitch, Books, Prizes, Raw edge, Wool | 54 Comments
And we have a great book as our featured selection to start things off right!
Pennies From Heaven: Celebrated Quilt and Companion Projects by Gretchen Gibbons.
The title of the book and cover quilt comes from the old term “penny rug,” so called because of the circles, usually wool, that are blanket-stitched onto a base in decorative patterns. As Gretchen says, this style is “primitive, colorful, and funky all at the same time.”
Gretchen enjoys working with wool, and calls it the easiest appliqué technique, for several reasons:
• There are no edges to turn.
• There’s no right or wrong side, so you don’t have to reverse patterns.
• You don’t have to use fusible web (though you can if you want to).
• Cutting on the straight of grain or on the bias works equally well.
• The blanket stitching can be done by hand or machine.
• Hand-dyed wools come in yummy colors.
The book starts out with instructions for felting wool, which is the process that shrinks it, mats the fibers together, and eliminates raveling. Then there are complete instructions for wool appliqué, a color guide for the motifs used in the book’s projects, and information on needles, threads, and beads, and embroidery. There’s good advice on batting, mixing cottons and wools within a project, quilting considerations, and attaching a hanging sleeve.
Besides the cover quilt with its 10 beautiful blocks, there are instructions for eight more smaller projects, each one cuter than the last.
Enchanted Pennies
Joyful Pillow
Pennies Window Valance
Circle of Life Table Mat
I just love their primitive, folksy look. If you admire it too, and would like a chance to win this book, please leave a comment here on this post before 7:00 p.m. California time on Thursday, January 5. Contest open to U.S. and Canada mailing addresses only, and remember to click over to the blog itself instead of replying to your email feed.
Thank you, That Patchwork Place, for providing the book!
Until next time,
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Subscribe
