Kansas Troubles Quilters Cozy Quilts and Comforts: Easy to Stitch, Easy to Love

~ ~ ~Note on Kindle vs. Print Version: Please see end of review.~ ~ ~Do you become incensed over inset seams? Or balk at stretchy bias? Fed up with all those folded corner?Get out - or buy - your favorite glue baster and a pinking rotary blade for the seam-saving “layered piecing” techniques in Cozy Quilts and Comforts by Lynne Hagmeier.She has a unique predilection for Moda’s Kansas Troubles fabric lines that represent a dark part of American history. Quite literally, in fact. Ardent fans can be challenged by the deeply saturated color palettes, low contrast prints, and neutrals that are more yellow than white. Finished products can tend toward the primitive more than the polished. (NOT that there’s anything wrong with that.)Ms. Hagmeier has designed 11 patchwork projects that overcome all this by showing off these fabrics in richly traditional designs. Best of all, almost every project features a secondary project, such as a mini-quilt or a pillow.But most importantly, the author outlines her time-saving techniques, making every project in Cozy Quilts and Comforts ideal for beginners and anyone – admittedly like herself - who loves to break all the rules.So what exactly is “layered patchwork”?First, Hagmeier uses pinked pre-cuts and/or a rotary cutter with a pinked-edge cutting blade. Templates are also used occasionally. Then, instead of joining a block’s pieces by sewing them together, 1 piece - sometimes pinked, sometimes not - gets glue-basted atop a background piece. Refillable Sewline-brand glue pens are recommended. Next, the pinked piece gets topstitched 1/8th of an inch along the sides, using a 70/10 needle and 2.5 millimeter stitch length.And yes, that teeny edge is left free to do whatever time, usage, and washing will throw at it. Clearly, this technique does not create heirloom quality masterpieces. But the designs are lovely. Clever quilting lines can further enhance the pieced but not really pieced quilts. Ironically, there are STILL many folded corners and half-square triangles in the patterns. You know, just to keep your skills from getting rusty.Sizes range from a king-sized bed quilt to pillow coverings. A wide variety of scrappy block patterns are made using simple layouts: 9-patch, Snowball, and Split Rail. My favorite block is the “Prairie Pinwheel” which creates a quilt (56.5” x 64.5”) with so much visual movement it seems blown around by a mid-west wind. Its companion piece is a mini version at 32.5” x 32.5”. Another favorite is “Kaleidoscope” (57.5” x 70.5”) which I would have adored but ignored because of (cue suspenseful music) … inset seams.But effort, basic sewing skills, and old-fashioned piecing are not entirely eliminated. You still will need to join many, many blocks and rows together with (gasp) actual seams. Templates are required for some projects, meaning lots of hand/shears cutting and proper alignment regarding bias versus straight of grain. No small feat for the aforementioned “Kaleidoscope” quilt which require 110 such cuts. This, plus the general nature of the layered approach, can incur some fabric waste.So, despite some minor fabric waste, the occasional template, layouts with lots of repeated blocks, not entirely eliminating folded corners and half-square triangles, and a few frayed edges, I highly recommend Cozy Quilts and Comforts. It will inspire the Civil War era fabric fan and spare many frayed nerves at a sewing machine near you.~ ~ ~Kindle versus Paperback:~ ~ ~I purchased both, and I use the Kindle for Samsung app. (Your app could be different.) The paperback is much richer in presentation. The colors are the same, but the paperback includes a beautiful "sidebar photo strip" - I am not an editor/publisher and have no idea what this should be called - for each project. Plus, quilting lines are far more prominent in the paperback. Fans of Moda or other darkish Civil War era fabric lines might prefer the paperback over the Kindle. I do.

Large assortment of quilts to make

Best, most innovative book I have read in a long time. Quilts are different and beautifully illustrated. Already made two of the patterns. However, I cannot figure why the author offers two cutting lists. I.E, she describes cutting five 5.5 strips of darks but then she tells you to cut these same strips into 4.5 squares. Why am I cutting the same fabric twice?

I love these quilt designs and the new technique adds more dimensions to my quilts. I’ve already made a few of the quilts, am working on another one, and plan to make two more of these great designs. The directions are clear and easy to follow. This is a great book!

Wonderful pictures and great instructions lead you through this book. Lynne Hagmeier's directions on her layering technique introduce a new skill that I can't wait to try. Next year will see quilts on everyone's gift list! Can't wait to get started.

Kansas Troubles fabric is absolutely my favorite fabric!! Even though I don’t need fabric, if I see this fabric on sale, I buy it! I plan on making several of the patterns in the book.

My wife is really involved with patchwork and qilting, she is very satisfied with that book. We don't have the équivalent in our country and I do my best to translate. The delivery was fast even for international .

I ordered it for a friend who loves Kansas Troubles. I was disappointed in the methods used to create the quilts. I should have read the description. It explained how the projects are created.

Nice book, but damaged cover... it cost 36.88, I was expecting it to be in perfect condition.

Adorei a nova ideia e todos os projetos são lindos! Boas explicações e detalhadas. Vale a pena o investimento .

Did not like the fact that the quilter, embellished the quilts with extra pieces of fabric and then sewed them on top of the quilt in places and left raw edges, supposed to give an extra dimension not impressed, not my cup of tea. Patterns are good and I can make some nice quilts, but will not embellish them.

Lovely book, very easy to follow patterns with all the information you need on fabric quantities to produce fantastic quilts. Beautiful pictures