Book Review and A Giveaway: A Quilter's Mixology

About a month ago I received an email from Interweave offering me a review copy of Angela Pingel's new book, A Quilter's Mixology. Since this book was already on my Amazon wish list, I was certainly excited to receive a review copy.

Honestly, when I first heard about Angela's book concept, I was skeptical. A whole book of quilts created only from Drunkard's Path blocks? I wasn't sold. That being said, I'm now completely sold on this book. I really enjoyed reading through it. I think Angela has done a great job coming up with extremely creative uses for just one simple block. 

A Quilter's Mixology has a good mix of large and small projects. This Loosely Curved Wall Hanging is one of my favorites in the book. It would be a great place to start if you are unsure about sewing very many curved blocks. I love the use of solids in this quilt. Another great benefit of this quilt--it is created using the Drunkard's Path Die and Go! Cutter. 

Photo Source: Interweave Publishing

The Flower Power Quilt is one of my favorites as well. This quilt also happens to utilize the Go! Cutter and dies (both sizes of this die). I think this quilt would be fantastic in all solids!

Photo Source: Interweave Publishing

I asked Angela a few questions about her book:

Blue Chair: What drove you to write your book?
Cut to Pieces: I have always loved quilting books. I taught myself to quilt in high school by following a pattern from a book, and my very first job was working in a library. (The second was in a fabric store). So writing a book has been a dream of mine for well over a decade.
I went through a number of ideas for topics before I settled on curved piecing. I felt I had something unique enough to say to warrant a book on the topic.

Blue Chair: Do you have a favorite quilt in the book and why is it your favorite?
Cut to Pieces: I really love them all. That's ridiculously generic but true. But there are a couple of patterns that I've either already made again or want to make again. Nine patch curves is a favorite because I love how well it combines traditional blocks in a new way. I could make that a hundred times and still want to make more.

Blue Chair: What would you tell others who are scared of sewing all those curves?
Cut to Pieces: Like anything else, it takes a bit of practice. Also, it is really not that difficult. If you are really scared don't start with an all curved pattern. I have plenty that just use curves in small doses, such as Butterflies or Teleport. Also, the Ombré Drunkards Path Pillow is great because there are no seams to match!! And it is a little project. Perfect for dangling your toes in the world of curved piecing.

Photo Source: Interweave Publishing

I decided to dive in and start a project of my own from A Quilter's Mixology. I opted for the Arabian Nights Quilt shown above. As usual for me, I can't leave things alone and follow the directions exactly. I am thinking about mixing it up and arranging the design as shown on my design wall. I used the True Colors line by Anna Maria Horner. I'm loving it in these blocks. The original pattern calls for templates or the Sizzix 4" die, but I opted to use my Go! 3 1/2" die rather than use the templates. This will give me a smaller design, but I'll keep rearranging things until it's just right.

Pros of the book:

• Great photography with full photos of each quilt. 
• Easy to read text with tips scattered throughout the book. 
• Angela's creative approach to this block is truly impressive. I am amazed at how many different ideas she came up with using one simple block. The designs range from traditional to modern.

Cons:

• Every quilt pattern (obviously) requires curved piecing. This may not be for everyone, but as Angela said, start with a pattern that requires a minimal amount of curved piecing. Also consider making a mini to begin and go from there.
• The templates (which are a necessary evil for quilting). I'm still debating on how to approach this. I hate template plastic and as such am not looking forward to cutting out many curved pieces using a template. I'm considering having acrylic templates professionally cut to make the process easier when I'm ready to start a new quilt. If any of you have gone this route before, I'd love to hear how it went and what company you used to cut your templates for a project. 

In case you don't follow Angela's blog, check out Cut to Pieces for full images of each quilt included in her book:

A Quilter's Mixology in Review: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

The Giveaway! Closed

One winner will receive their own copy of A Quilter's Mixology courtesy of  Interweave Publishing. Please leave one comment on this post to enter the giveaway. To make it more interesting, include your current favorite fabric line that you might use for one of the quilts in the book or a tip on sewing curves! If your email is not linked to your account, please also include your email in the comment so I can contact you if you win.

If the selected winner is from the US, he/she will receive a hard copy of A Quilter's Mixology from Interweave. If the winner is from any other country, a PDF copy of the book will be provided by Interweave.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from Interweave Publishing to review, although I have provided my honest opinion regarding the book contents.