Book Review - Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe

With designs from truly wonky to fairly familiar, Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe showcases a variety of designs and approaches to modern quilting.

Some of the quilts featured use traditional blocks, incorporating bright colors with solid white or gray to give them a modern update. For example, "Juicy" by Monica Solorio-Snow (thehappyzombie.com) alternates square and quarter-square triangle blocks using Monica's own colorful line of fabric, Happy Mochi Yum Yum, on a white background. Jeni Baker (incolororder.com) takes a similar approach with her "Mini Claw Throw." It features the very traditional Bear Claw block, but she gives it that modern flair with a teal, gray, and school-bus-yellow color scheme.

Perhaps the most modern of the quilts is "Improv Color Blocks" by designer Kati Spencer (fromthebluechair.com). If wonkiness makes you nervous (even spell check doesn't like that word!), the 12 four-sided but irregularly shaped blocks, surrounded by more than three yards of solid gray fabric, will ease you into unfamiliar territory without a huge time commitment.

Fun features of the book include the Designer Bios and the tips and techniques for adding your personal touch to the quilts. No quilt police here! It's a treat to see so many of our favorite quilting bloggers together in one publication. The photos of each project are large enough to see detail, including the quilting in most cases, and the instructions are clear and well-diagrammed.

Retail price on this book is $26.99, which may be a bit pricey for some budgets. However, the publisher, Martingale, is sponsoring a giveaway of 19 eBooks (one from each designer plus the publisher). Go to http://blog.shopmartingale.com/quilting-sewing/beautiful-quilts-from-top-bloggers/. The giveaway closes one week from today, on January 29. Best of luck!

Laura Haywood
BMQG Vice President