Reviewed by Judith Wilson
David & Charles £15.99
ISBN: 978-0-7153-3525-3
(s/b, 144 pages)
This book arrived five minutes
before I set off on my annual
journey to QuiltsUK at Malvern. I
gave it a quick read that evening
and realised then that the title
doesn’t fully convey what this
book is about. Sunday morning I
was an early bird at the Show and
there I saw a lovely quilt by Pauline
Ineson and met the author herself.
I was also lucky enough to watch
her demonstrating some of the techniques in this book. If you love
using your sewing machine, but
only use it for basics and you are
not sure what else it can do, this
book will help you explore possible
uses of all those decorative
stitches. There are over 35
well-explained machine techniques
and whether you choose to
make a quilt or a smaller projects,
there are lots of exciting ideas. Try
trapunto, adding tucks to your
fabric, appliqué, cording and
pulled thread work as well as twin
or wing needle with decorative
stitches. I would not have believed
it so easy to sew in circles with the
help of only a drawing pin and a
piece of sticky tape; you can even
make your own lace. If you do
want to make a bed quilt, Pauline
suggests you make individual
blocks and join them using the
‘quilt as you go‘ method. This
book will help you get to know
more about what your sewing
machine can do and to create
work that you will treasure for
many years to come. Pauline’s
wonderful quilt at the Show won
the Bed Quilt and Visitor’s Choice
awards. I am looking forward to
her next book!