Fresh Quilting is Malka Dubrawsky's new book, published by Interweave Press. Welcome, to those of you who are hopping across the country following Malka's blog tour. I'm so happy to be a part of her tour and have the opportunity to share this fabulous book with you.
Malka is a fiber Artist from Austin, Texas and was one of the first blogs I discovered when I started quilting. Her blog, Stitch in Dye is instant eye candy for those of use who love modern, striking work. Let's take a peek inside.
The book is divided into two sections, Projects for Home, Family and Friends and Fresh Quilts for Wall, Bed and Baby. Even thought the first section is non quilt projects, just about all of them could be easily adapted into quilts. I love that about her book.
This sewing machine cover will be my first project. What a great way to cover and take care of my precious machine. She'll be looking fancy soon!
I adore the quilts in the second section. Nate's quilt has always been one of my favorites. Malka describes her style as "looking at the traditional through a different lens." Nate's quilt is a perfect example of taking a traditional block and modernizing it with a bit of improvisation.
The honeycomb hexagon quilt is another classic block reinterpreted. I need to make this quilt.
I was thrilled to see Malka's explains how to piece hexagons by machine. You'll want to learn to do this!
And look at Strips and Stripes.....oooooh. I'm swooning over this quilt.
I wish I could show you everything in this book. Reading Malka's story is inspiring, looking at her projects makes me want to drop everything, grab some fabric and head to the sewing machine. Isn't that what a book should do for us? This one does for sure!In the book, Malka shares her style, her quilting knowledge, tips and techniques, but most importantly she encourages all of us to learn a little and then head out on our own. I'll leave you with some advice from Malka after a crafter friend encouraged her to "wing it."
Malka said, "She was emancipating me from a slavish devotion to patterns, allowing me take what I wanted or needed and leave the rest behind. Now I hope the same for you. Recreate the projects as they are pictured or adapt the elements for different purposes. Either way, you'll join in the magic of handmade by putting your stamp on something fresh and contemporary."
Making magic...Malka's book is one step in that inspiring journey.
If you'd like to win a copy of Malka's book, leave a comment telling why you make things. I'll announce the winner on Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED. I'LL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER SOON!
Be sure to continue the tour
12/13 with Blair of Wisecraft
12/14 with Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio
271 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 271 of 271I make things because it is a great creative outlet and way to destress.
I make things because it's just in me to create and to give my creations away. I love making something for a friend or family member and thinking of them as I make it. It is a prayer in action.
I live a long way from family and don't get to see them often enough, so I make quilts for them. It's kind of my way of spending time... FOR them, since I can't spend it with them.
I make things because I enjoy having something to do with my hands - It's not as bad spending the afternoon in front of the TV if I'm knitting or sewing at the same time.
I love how I feel about myself when I complete a creative project and I love being able to show it off and say that I made that.
I make things to satisfy my need to create - I can't go more than a few days without feeling a desire to sew or draw or design or do something creative. Thanks for the chance to win Malka's beautiful book!
I make things because it's fun.
I was born a crafter and it is very meditative for me. There is nothing more satisfying than putting something into the universe made of your own ideas and anything from nice new wool to old paper maps!
In my day job I spend all my time thinking about how to build things. It's so satisfying to complete a project with my own hands!
I make because I enjoy it....whether it be making a quilt, making a garden or making dinner! Ut's relaxing and it's my ME time.
Me too, me too, me too on the hexie quilt! I just love them in that scale.
The time and concentration I put into my sewing and other crafts makes me love them and use them more. They are mine in a way something bought never can be. :-)
I make things because I can - and because I feel good when I do.
When I make things I get the joy of an authentic challenge and a unique and tangible result.
Just looking at the pictures is so inspiring! Thanks for the peek inside.
I find creating does so much for me. It relaxes me; it keeps my mind working on new plans; it uses up my stash; it allows me to give to others; it connects me to other women. . . I create because it is just part of who I am and I can't stop.
Why? Creating is so good for the soul, like good music.
Happy Holidays.....
I make not just because I want to but because I HAVE to. It's part of who I am. I need to make in order to feel grounded. It's a meditation for me.
Sounds like a wonderful book!
I think I make things because it is so satisfying to start with an idea in your mind and follow all the way through to a finished product. I deeply enjoy the process of sewing and adjusting the original plan as I want or need.
I make things because a mama needs to do something that a little one right behind her, won't undo. Making anything relieves a great deal of stress...thanks for the chance at this great book.
I make things because it brings me joy ~ and satisfaction, relaxation, sometimes frustration, challenge, adventure, discovery, and a connection to some spiritual creative part of me that needs to be expressed.
What a great question, and one that I almost never ask myself because I can't remember NOT making things--it seems like so much a part of who I am. Some answers: because producing something is so satisfying; because it is fun to learn how something is made; because working with my hands gives me so much pleasure; because a project has a beginning, middle and end; because handmade is so often better quality than purchased; because it's a way to give the best of myself to someone else.
I recently saw this on a welcome quilt at our quild show: "It is not a woman's desire to be forgotten... and thus she signed her name in cloth." I also craft because its in there, in me, a part of me.
I make things for so many reasons. As a teacher, I feel like I spend so much of my time encouraging creativity in my students that I feel like if I don't also practice what I preach, I am a hypocrite. But more than that, making something helps me feel like I am bringing beauty into the world and is energizing, especially after a day where all I hear is how much my students don't like what they have to do.
I am getting hungry listening to all the delicious comments about Malka's book. As to your request of why we create, I can't help but be creative. I look around me at the beauty, unusal, and the "ugly" and I am inspired. I imagine how it will look pieced in a quilt. I even take pictures of algae on trees and stonework just to see how the camera lens views it. I wake up thinking about quilting designs and go to bed thinking about them, too. I love my life, with all its exciting stimuli. don't you?
I like to make practical things - knitted socks, quilts, kids' clothes for so many reasons - to wrap the people I love in a handmade tokens of my love, to live more lightly on the earth, to bring some awareness and even reverence for our possessions and all that they encompass. And I make less practical things to bring a bit of whimsy and creativity to my life.
Thanks for the great giveaway.
Like many I make things for many reasons, to see if I can do it, to save money, to give my hands something to do and on and on.
Thanks for the giveaway. Sure would be fun to look through this book.
I make things because I'm pretty sure it's genetic. Both my grandma's and my mom were/are sewists and/or quilters. I tried to give it up for a while but I just couldn't do it.
steeplechaser29 (at) yahoo (dot) com
I've always loved handmade things and I knit and sew because of the joy it brings to me. I could never sit idle in a chair without something in my hands that I'm creating. Each new project is such an adventure filled with the excitement of either learning something new or perfecting something not-so-new!
Often I make things for the sake of quality. I know I'll take the time to make sure that what I'm making is well-constructed and will last a long time, and I can't always say that about store-bought items. That book looks terrific...i love the aesthetic!
I make things because my brain wants to problem solve all the time. When I create it's busy making art and it doesn't want to solve people's problems. It's just much nicer for all involved that way. I love Malka's colors, techniques and fresh approach. My brain really needs this book!
Why? Creating is good for the soul. Like music!
Happy Holidays...
Why do I make things? I absolutely love to sew/ create. I especially like to sew to give away to someone. This is a beautiful book. Would love to have a copy.
I make things because it is who I am. I need a creative outlet and for the most part I choose quilting but I also paint and have dabbled in stained glass.
making stuff is therapy for my life as a momma. The kiddos can't ruin a quilt like they can destroy a clean room. . .
Making things is deeply satisfying and feeds my soul. When something is finally finished that I have been working on for a long time, I am so proud of what I have done, it makes me happy every time I look at it. It is such a feeling of accomplishment. For me, to create is to be.
I have always been drawn to cloth. It's that "tactile thing". Not to mention the visual stimulation. I love to make pretty things and I love to make useful things. When the two merge it is even more satisfying.
I love the projects in this book and would love to win a copy!
hmmm...why i make things...that's a more difficult question than it seems. i make things to express love for others, to bring joy into the world, for my own enjoyment... i guess i think creating = joy!
Thank you for this great giveaway! It looks like a great book and you're right, books should make us feel inspired. I create because it gives me that sense of accomplishment and confidence that I can make beautiful things. Mostly I create to give away and I love that I have put thought and effort into a gift. Merry Christmas!
I make things because I start to die a little inside when I don't. I make things because my job is full of intangibles and I need to make something tangible. I make things because creating for me is a form of worship of the Creator. I make things because I'm too cheap to buy something I could make myself :)
Why do I make things? I guess I do it because I like the creative process, it often relaxes me, and I love to give and receive handmade gifts.
I make things because.....hmmmm...I just have to !
It's part of my life...just like breathing. It's just part
of who I am & my life.
I made things for the creative outlet. Sometimes they work and sometimes, I can gift them.
I am dying for this book! The colour is SO inspiring!
I make things because it makes me happy. I used to paint and draw and was never happy, but quilting is an art form you can snuggle when it's done.
I make things because I have a need for a creative outlet otherwise my mind fills up and would most likely explode. =) Fabulous, right?!? =)
Inquisitive...I like to try and know that I can achieve what inspire me. I also like to make and give away as gifts. I often end up not having lots of things that I made for myself.
What an excellent question--I make things to satisfy my creative urges. It's my limited way of making a difference in my immediate world. After having and raising my two daughters, it's a way to add beauty to the world.
Very nice review, Jacquie. I make things because I'm just wired to make things! I love to create. It's the best therapy. Thanks for counting me in for the giveaway.
I make things because I enjoy it, find it relaxing, find it stimulating, find it intersting. Because it is part of who I am.
I make things to give as gifts. I love to make baby quilts and small items that go fast.
I make things to show love, I think there is no better way to show someone how much you love them by giving them something your hands made. The time you spend on a project and the thought show just how much I love those that recieve them.
I never thought I could make things. I didn't want to practice, I just wanted them to be done. I hated sewing as a child, always ripping out stitches...then knitting where mistakes cannot hide. Now I have found my home: spinning fiber where every yarn finds a home. I have finally learned that every practice does make something. And sometimes it is really good!
I love the entire process of making something "from scratch", whether it is painted, or crafted, sewn, or quilted. I love to give gifts I have thought about and made for especially for someone. It comes from my own heart, with my love, and through the talents God blessed me with. It is a very peaceful process, one that relaxes me and pulls me in all the way. There just isn't anything like it and it is so hard to explain, it is almost sacred.
I always have loved fabric. It is my way of being creative and my sewing has progressed as my life has changed. Now I quilt because it gives me so much pleasure and I feel rewarded when I can gift my quilting to family and friends. Thanks for the giveway.
I make things because I can't not do it. I love the idea of making, the making itself, and the satisfaction that comes from "making it" myself. It's just fun and sometimes even thrilling!
Great question. I think I create because it fulfills me, and also offers a tangible way to show my love.
I feel the greatest peace when I'm creating something. I have enough projects to last to age 99! And I am really eyeing this book!
I create because I must. I learned to sew at 10 and I have never stopped. First, I made all my own clothes. It was very satisfying. Somewhere along the way I wanted to quilt. Don't know why, there are no quilters in my family. Since then, I have quilted almost every day.
I love this book!!! Thank you for a wonderful give away!
SheilaC
I make things because it is therapeutic for me. It is cheaper than counseling session..........well, maybe not!! I do have a stash!!!!!!! But I love the process and the finished projects.
I make things because it satisfies a need I think we all have to be creative.
Making things keeps me sane. It brings me back to center. It's a very important part of my life. Plus you can actually SEE some results for your time.
I love working with my hands and seeing what I can create. I love giving away something that I have made to someone who will appreciate my creation! This book looks fantastic - would love to own it!
i make almost anything or fix anything since i was a little girl.... wish there was someone who would help me! :-)
Can't imagine life without making 'things'! and then - to give them away to friends!
Do we have a choice? I think if I stopped making things I might explode unpleasantness all over my family. It's a compultion for me. Everyone needs an outlet and cutting up fabric into tiny unmanagable pieces and sewing it all back together seems to be what does it for me!
I love the calming effect of sitting down in the evening and making stuff. It is so soothing.
Genevieve
jenny(at)ykwc(dot)net
Oh, so many reasons...I like to make things because I feel like I give things that aren't just commercial, but from my heart with thought and time. I love to make things because it is a great feeling of womanliness or something...maybe a throwback to how my mom made things for us because it wasn't so easy to buy things. On and on...
I make things simply because I enjoy it.
I make things for many reasons...usually because I love 'something' and decide that instead of buying it - I determine I can easily make it - ha, what a fool I am. But then comes the finished product and the 'story' that goes along with my original inspiration and the investment in time, learning and tools that make it for me!
I make things because I have to. I get really grumpy if I can't be creative!
Post a Comment