Weekend Review: Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts

Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts / Joelle Hoverson
NY: STC Craft, c2007.
160 p.

This is a book that really lives up to its title. Even if you started something today, you could finish it in time for gift giving, by using the time commitment ratios that this book is organized by.

And the quick gifts are NICE ones. Ones I'd be happy to give someone, or to have someone give to me! The book is organized into 3 sections: Intro, Basics (techniques, sources etc.) and the Projects. The project section is further organized into "Less than 2 Hour", "2-4 Hour", "4-8 Hour", "8-12 Hour", and "More than 12 Hour" gifts. (the last is mostly because they are hand quilted items; machine quilting would cut that down a lot). The estimates seem very realistic, not like the infamous "2 Hour Dress" sewing patterns we've all tried.

elegant pillows

Each section has pretty and useful ideas that would fit into the time slot suggested, from start to finish of a project. From very simple but lovely gifts like quilted coasters or the bird ornament on the front of the book, all the way to a fully hand quilted crib quilt, they cover a range of ideas. Pincushions, pillows, pencil rolls, napkins and/or table runners make way for a variety of quilt projects big and small. There is nothing totally unexpected or utterly unique about the projects, but they are all really nicely done, with special touches to make each one really nice -- for example, the pencil roll is colour matched with scraps to reflect the coloured pencils. A lovely touch.

The photos (by Anna Williams) are clear and engaging, giving lots of project detail as well as attractive staging. And the writing in the book is also readable for its stories as well as instructions. Overall a charming book that I'd recommend finding in your own library to experience the peaceful tone and pretty projects. If you like sewing little gifts and have lots of scraps, some of the shorter projects might be just what you are looking for.