Book Review

The internet is a fantastic resource for design inspiration and I particularly love Pinterest. A day rarely goes by without me checking to see what new ideas are out there and saving them to inspire my own projects.

That said you can't beat a good craft book, packed full of beautiful colour images and imaginative projects. I've had this book A Passion for Patchwork for a while, it is well-used and full of my scribbles as I have taken and adapted many of its ideas to suit my own style.

Here are just a few of the things I have made using inspiration form this lovely book.

I thought the combination of these pretty hearts and stripes on this tea cosy would work well on some quilted place mats. I have made these mats several times now and each set has sold straight away. I think the actual tea cosy might be one to make soon as I have had a couple of enquiries. I love a cup of tea and proper tea from a pot has definitely come back into fashion! I must get cracking on some cosies soon!

I knew I had to make these cute little purses as soon as I saw them. They are so unusual and fun to make. I love choosing pretty fabrics that go together and they only need scraps. The best bit is when you turn the finished purse to its right side and it suddenly becomes three dimensional.

I have adapted this little draw string bag and it goes really well with the cube purse above to make a pretty matching set. I have made lots of these in all sorts of colours and sizes. I can make a whole set of matching purses from three or four co-ordinating fat quarters.

As well as small projects like the purses and the tea cosy, the book also has quite a few quilts of different styles. I particularly liked this chequer board design and thought it would work well for a jelly roll of batik fabrics I'd had for a while. I didn't use quilt batting for this one but lined it with a bright orange fleece fabric which along with the black border, brings out the bright colours in the fabrics.

I hope you have enjoyed my review of what is definitely my favourite and most used craft book.  Books can be so expensive so it's great to have a recommendation so you are sure you will get lots of use from it. I would love to hear about your favourite book whether it is about patchwork, sewing, crochet or any other craft. Please do leave a comment.

I look forward to investigating some new books and possibly learning some new crafts.