Hobo Quilts

Every now and then a book completely grabs you, unexpectedly. You aren't sure why you are drawn to it, or what holds the appeal when it seems to obviously not your taste. Regardless of whether you think you should like it or not, you do. And you can't stop thinking about it. So you buy it, even when you aren't supposed to be spending any money.

Hobo Quilts is the most recent addition to my personal library. It's a book filled with over 50 block patterns and 20 quilt patterns from those blocks. It's more than that though. It is also filled with stories from people who rode the rails, fed them, entertained them, policed them, and more. Part oral history, part quilt book.

The patterns are based on a symbol glossary common to people who rode the rails. And the stories are all from archived collections and the author's family.

Each of the block patterns is accompanied by a story. The patterns themselves are quite simple. A life-size line drawing of the block with cutting instructions. That's it. It's up to the reader to put the block together. Some other reviews do caution that the cutting instructions and finished block do not correlate. For an experienced quilter, however, none of the blocks are so difficult that you couldn't adapt it for your own taste and size. There is a pretty good split between applique and pieced blocks. Here are some of my favourites - for the design or simply the name.

On first glance, these blocks may not appeal to the modern quilter. The history attached and the fabric choices in the book are not likely to appeal to someone used to working with large scale brights. But the simplicity and graphic nature of many of the blocks should not be overlooked. Combined en masse many of these blocks would make a striking, modern quilt. Your fabric choice and scale of the block could radically change from what you see in the book. It just takes some imagination.

Hobo Quilts

Debra G. Henninger

2010

Krause Publications

Eye Candy

These books are feast for the eyes! Full of bright and very energetic quilts, the two Material Obsession books are some great eye candy for the modern quilter.

Actually, I think these books would be fantastic transitions to modern quilting. There are a lot of elements and inspirations from typically traditional quilts. The adaptations, designs, and fabric choices make them decidedly modern. They are bright, they utilize an array of popular, designer fabric, and many of them are updates on traditional inspirations.

Both of the books are essentially books of patterns, with a brief discussion on basic techniques. No extra text in there, but loads of pictures. To me, they are books I would pick up for some new ideas. I'm not one to go out and make THAT quilt specifically, but there is definitely a lot to inspire from construction techniques, colour choices, or block design.

If you did want to make THAT quilt from either of the books, know that these aren't beginner quilts. Some of the patterns are easier, but a neophyte would probably have a hard time getting through most of them. Confident beginner willing to try? Go for it.

The book runs the gamut of techniques as well. I really liked the applique quilts and was drawn to all the angles in some others. They advocate a number of speciality rulers. If I were to make one of these quilts I would hesitate before buying some of the rulers and probably want to paper piece instead. That's probably just me, though, as I don't like a lot of one-use items around.

The photos are stunning and literally peppered on every page. Tonnes of detailed shots and a plethora of quilts draped here and there kind of shots. I did not like that you didn't get a full on quilt shot until the end of the pattern in Material Obsession. Material Obsession 2 does have small images on the first page of the pattern, but then they would face that page with a draped quilt shot. I'm not a fan of the draped quilt shot, personally.

The books' authors, Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke, were owners of the drool worthy store Material Obsessions in Australia. Kathy still runs the store, but Sarah is on her own now as a designer and the creative director at Sewn.

You know me, I'm not a pattern follower. I will, however, be returning to these books every now and then for a little inspiration. So many details to take in.

Colouring Books

This week is all about colour. Perfectly appropriate with a fresh dusting of snow outside. Although, don't fool yourself, there is a lot of colour in a winter day.

Elle asked for my favourite colour books. Colour books are not all the same. Considering colour theory transcends the medium of the maker and is fairly standard, this is somewhat surprising.

When it comes to quilt books and colour, the variations seem to come in the communication of the theory. I think this is great because people learn differently and one book may sing to you and fall flat for another reader. Okay, that may be personality, but when it comes to colour, it is probably more about how the message hits you. It isn't any fault of the writer either. It is all about what you, the reader and quilter, respond to in a book.

At the top of the list for me is Fun Quilts Quiltmaker's Color Workshop. They do provide a few short pages on colour theory, then launch into concrete examples of 15 different palettes. They aren't grouped according to analogous, complementary, split complementary, etc., like so many other books. Rather they talk about a concept, mood, or inspiration. Each palette includes a real quilt, illustrations of the colours used - including demonstrations of the proportions used - and where they fit on the colour wheel. Then they include illustrations of what happens when you change proportions or vary the colour choices. Finally, they suggest exercises or workshop ideas for the individual or group. And this is for each of the 15 palettes.

I think the way the book is written can appeal to many different types of quilters and learning styles. It is incredibly detailed in discussion and in visual illustrations. It isn't a book you are going to pull out to see if this green goes with that purple on the colour wheel. It is, however, a great book for pushing you to examine your colour use and to encourage you to play with fabric and colour before you even bring out a needle and thread.

Another great book to push you through some challenges is Color and Composition for the Creative Quilter by Katie Pasquini Masopust and Brett Barker. This one isn't just about colour, they also cover layout, balance, and composition. Moving the reader through a whole bunch of exercises, they really encourage the personal adaptation of the concepts. It does follow the typical colour theory discussions, but with discussions on composition it is set apart from other books.

This book is also full, really full, of examples. Student work, quilts, photos, and drawings. even if you didn't do a single exercise, it too is also a good reference book. It is also full of tips and detailed explanations/inspirations for expanding your concepts of colour and composition.

Another book that takes the lesson approach is Color for the Terrified Quilter by Ionne McCauley and Sharon Pederson. This book is full of photos, illustrations, and basic lessons to get you playing with colour. There are examples and 11 quilt projects also included. Keep in mind that the projects are all pieced and would likely be considered traditional quilts by many. But they are quite striking in their simplicity and easily adapted to your own fabric sensibility and design preferences.

There is a big difference between this book and the Pasquini Masopust/Barker book. McCauley and Pederson's book is probably going to feel more familiar to the average quilter. That is, the ones who are happy making lots of quilts, complex and simple, modern and traditional. The Pasquini Masopust/Barker book is probably going to appeal to the art school grad or art quilter. They are both doing very similar things, but the layout, visuals, and communication provide a different tone to the books. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other in the material content of the book. Grab them both from the library and see what I mean.

Finally, there is always Joen Wolfrom. I used to steal her Color Play book from a quilting friend until I felt pretty confident in my understanding of colour. Visual Coloring is great for people who don't want to worry about colour theory though. Take a picture, an image, some graphics and pull the colours from that. Nature or the designers are both pretty good at making sure what is there works together.

Wolfrom features heaps of examples and a few patterns to illustrate her point. In all honesty, though, the discussion on what she means by visual coloring is short. What else could she say, though?

So, which is the right book for you? That's hard to say. I do think many beginners, and even us experienced folks would benefit from a good resource book. I own the first two books and do pull them out regularly. I fully admit that there is still a lot to learn.

A modern quilter who is ready to take steps into design and moving beyond single fabric line quilts would probably like Quiltmaker's Color Workshop the best. The quilts themselves are probably more appealing to a modern quilter.

Don't, however, discount a book just because the quilts in it aren't your style. Take cues from the presentations, lessons, and whether you actually learn something from the book. Colour books aren't necessarily meant for inspiration. Think of them as textbooks or reference materials.

Have I missed a favourite of yours? Have I thoroughly confused you with my insistence on using the letter U in colour?

Personality

Let's talk books.

I've reviewed a few books here and plan to review a lot more in the coming months. Before I go any further I wanted to bring up a conversation here.

There was a comment on last week's post by Weeks Ringle, one of the authors of The Modern Quilt Workshop, among others. Her comment led to a series of emails between she and I about the writing in quilt books.

I'm a fan of good writing. Just like I'm a fan of a cup of strong tea, colour, and the Edmonton Oilers. I also enjoy entertaining writing, or a piece that challenges or motivates me. While I've only read a couple dozen or so quilt books in my time I can say that it isn't always the writing that attracts me to the book.

Too often, a quilt book is a section outlining the concepts of the book - what makes this book different from all the rest of the books out there - followed by a basics quilting section. After that it is a bunch of patterns. The vast majority of books are glorified packages of patterns.

To be clear, I don't actually see anything wrong with that. I don't own many of this type of book, but they serve a purpose and can be quite motivating. What makes a book buyable and frequently browsed - to me - will be the good writing.

If I flip through a book and the patterns are interesting or exciting to me the first thing I do is read the Introduction. Bad or boring writing usually causes me to set the book down. I'll probably take a mental note of what I liked from the patterns and file it away for later inspiration. If the writing is engaging or grabs me with a challenging concept I am far more likely to take the book.

Of course, I'm also a sucker for pretty and clean layouts.

This leads me to what Weeks Ringle and I were chatting about - what is the appropriate level of personality in a book? The visuals, aside from the quilts themselves, are a strong part of the personality of the author. Compare Simplify with Camille Roskelly with The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman, for example. Same publisher, same book format. But visually they are very different.

The writing is also part of the personality. And making the writing personal is about more than adding a whole pile of exclamation points or silly jokes. Being able to write in a voice that sounds like you when you are talking doesn't come to everyone. More importantly, being able to do so well and still be engaging is a big challenge. Even if you can do it well, it is hard to be great at it all the time.

In a book that is outlining specific concepts or technical design information, is there a place for personality? That was the question Weeks and I were debating. Or it is better to be succinct and specific?

This, of course also leads to the inherent links between blogging and books. Are they separate? Should they be? If you blog and write a book, how much of one should make it to the other - marketing aside?

I'm going to turn it back to you now. You've read the questions above. You've probably read a million books on your own. What are your thoughts? Oh, one more question. What is your experience as a quilter and what type of books do you like to read?