My new book Hoop Quilts for Beginners looks at mini quilts with a slightly different eye. Quick, inexpensive, different, ROUND and super fun.
I wanted to give you a bird’s eye view of the book. This glance inside shows you better just what you’ll see inside the pages of this primer on round mini quilts.
Tools, Hoops and Materials
The title of this book includes the word “Beginners”. That means this book starts at Square One when it comes to making the projects. The beginning of the book describes “How to Use this Book”, suggesting browsing through the selection of projects and picking and choosing according to your favorites. I detail tools needed for sewing patchwork, embroidery, types and sizes of hoops, and other miscellaneous supplies. If you are not familiar with either sewing or embroidery, the details discussed here will get you on your way.
Techniques This chapter contains the “meat” of the book. For each hoop quilt you make, you will continue to come back to Chapter 2 again and again. This is where the project instructions walk you step by step through putting together the hoop quilt. There are detailed instructions, cutting charts according to hoop sizes, full-color photos and diagrams. We walk through patchwork block basics, like sewing 1/4” seams, squaring up and nesting seams while sewing blocks together, curved piecing, and adding borders. Once the patchwork top is done, you can reference the embroidery stitch library for details on hand embroidery stitches, along with several detailed step outs with embellishment techniques like applique and tassel making. The chapter wraps up with making binding to wrap around the wooden hoop and finishing the project on the back. So much good stuff here!
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Hoop Quilts are marketed as "quick and easy". We must remember that is a relative term when it comes to quilting. lol Full size quilts often take many hours and months of work to complete. True beginners should plan to spend time reading this primer thoroughly and practicing some skills. Each project only makes one quilt block, but there are many new concepts here for beginners. Experienced quilters are able to complete a hoop quilt in about 6-8 hours. In this Amazon world of instantaneous satisfaction, I just thought I’d mention that these hoops are not 30-minute projects. ;)
The Projects 15 hoop quilts to choose from. All with cutting charts, detailed instructions, and full-color diagrams. Each one mixes and matches different embroidery and embellishment techniques. My hope is that you take your favorite pieces of each one and make something completely you! I’ll be showing you soon all 15 hoop quilts included in the book…
If you are a true beginner, I suggest starting with the Bonus Checkerboard Block (shown in the upper right above). Then you can focus only on sewing rows of squares together. Add a border and hoop it up! This minimizes how many patchwork techniques you tackle in that first project.
Seasoned quilters most likely have several unused orphan quilt blocks floating around their sewing rooms. Give one of those abandoned blocks new life by turning it into a hoop quilt. The Bonus section shows you how.
One more thing I want to note is that the book comes with full size templates included in the book. That includes both templates needed for curved piecing, and all embroidery patterns.
Hoop Quilts are sweet round minis, made with love and a little spunk. And they want to be displayed pretty much anywhere you can possibly think of. Several sizes for each design are offered in the book. You can use them for wall art, keepsakes, gifts and home decor.
Can’t wait to see your ideas!
FUN TO MAKE FUN TO GIFT FUN TO SWAP
AnneMarie Chany is an author and pattern designer who teeters on both sides of the modern and traditional quilting line. She loves using bright colors and solid fabrics while nodding to traditional blocks. On the website, you'll find many resources to inspire and get you sewing right away like free quilt patterns, the Quilt Block Library with links to 350+ free quilt block tutorials, Block of the Month Clubs, and the Quilt Pattern Shop with clear detailed instructions to make your quilting easy and fun.
"all I need is fabric and coffee. let's create!"
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