For the Love of Handstitching by Jan Constantine, softback published by CT Publishing. ISBN 978-1607-05475-2, price 24.95 US dollars available from www.ctpub.com

Chic projects are divided into chapters: Love, Country, Flags, Seaside. Jan has gained a following for her designs. The felted projects mainly use blanket stitch. I like the Love section most of all with its throw, lips and Je t’aime pillows, heart notebook and rug and Love bag. The ideas are simple and translate well into felt. Templates are given for the projects. There is also a glossary of stitches. I think this book would be more fun if there were instructions on felting. It would also add a more unique angle to the projects.

Create With Transfer Artist Paper by Lesley Riley, softback published by CT Publishing. ISBN 978-1607-05267-8, price 19.95 US dollars available from www.ctpub.com

If you have been disappointed with transfer methods, TAP is the way forward. It is useful for transferring images onto so many materials, but for quilters and other fabric artists, it’s a dream. This book is the result of Lesley Riley’s experiments with TAP on different materials such as fabric, paper, canvas, copper mesh, wood and more. On fabric it produces sharper images than direct printing, is washable, eliminates the need for pre-treated fabrics, you can draw your own designs, photos and more. With TAP you can overprint, erase, stitch and more. Lesley’s excitement and enthusiasm for the product is evident.

This book takes you through techniques to enhance your photos before printing. The projects will suggest ideas to you and help consolidate the techniques.

The Quilter’s Color Club by Christine E Barnes, softback published by C&T Publishing in the USA. ISBN 978-1607-05009-4, price 27.95 US dollars from www.ctpub.com

If you need guidance on colour, and most of us do, you’ll find it in this book. Learn about value, intensity and also creating transparency in your work. Twelve exercises will help you to explore your new knowledge and see how it works in practice. There is also guidance on how to start a colour club. You can also work with the book as an individual on your own.

The samples of work are wonderful, encouraging and inspirational. The guidance is clear and easy to follow with exercises that anyone can try. The projects include a quilted sleeveless jacket. Instructions, projects, gallery score on all counts. This is a great book, recommended for any quilter with more than a passing interest in colour.

Fresh Fabric Treats, softback published by Stash Books, part of CT Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60705-351-4, price 21.99 US dollars available from www.ctpub.com

The Moda bakeshop brings you 16 projects from pre-cut fabrics. I loved the cover of this book. Fresh ideas are what we are all looking for and this book delivers. The designs are simple but effective and some are suitable for beginners. I loved the Paris Quilt, the Pack n Go Tote, the Jewelry Wallet, the Summer Sorbet Quilt, Wonky Nine Patch Quilt, the Rock Garden Quilt and the Baby Flag Quilt. It’s the bright sunshine colours that are so refreshing – it’s contemporary and bright. The supporting material on how to’s, finishing and what exactly are the quantities involved in pre-cut bundles is clear and concise. The instructions are easy to follow and there is something for everyone here.

Countryside Softies by Amy Adams, softback published by Stash Books, part of C&T Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60705-215-9, price 19.95 US dollars available from www.ctpub.com

This book really will appeal to your soft side with adorable handmade creatures to make and love. There’s all you need to know about sewing, making felt and fabric to make a softie. The instructions are very good and the photography is great too. The templates are easy to use. I really like the designs and there is plenty of choice. I love the owls and the dragonfly is superb – hang these from the ceiling. The patterns are graded for ease of use and so this book is useful for all stitchers. I think adults might want to keep one or two of these as well – they are not just for the children. The mix of wool and cotton fabric is good and you can use recycled fabrics.

Quilts From Textured Solids by Kim Schaefer, softback published by CT Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60705-198-5, price 24.95 US dollars available from www.ctpub.com

Solid colours have become the standby in quilting if you want to be elegant, sophisticated and chic. The designs in this book use solid colours enhanced by machine quilting, buttons and or applique. The instructions are easy to follow whatever level of quilting you are at. The designs are mainly wall quilts but could be adapted easily for other purposes. There is good use of colour, some of the designs remind me a little of folk art.

The Modern Quilting Bee Block Party by Alissa Haight Carlton & Kristen Lejnieks, softback published by Stash Books, part of CT Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60705-197-8, price 21.95 available from www.ctpub.com

here are fresh ideas, month by month to create blocks and quilts. This book is also about getting together with like-minded people and producing quilts from blocks made by each member of a ‘quilting bee’. Instead of cutting on the straight many pieces are cut wonky. The designs include log cabin, squares, triangles, strips, stripes and more. Contemporary fabrics have been used and both the ideas and projects have great wide appeal to a good age range and ability. This book includes clear instructions, good photography, tips and techniques on achieving a professional result.  I really liked this book.

Beautiful Botanicals by Deborah Kemball, softback published by CT Publishing. ISBN 978-1-57120-961-0, price 29.95 US dollars available from ctpub.com

Being a gardener, I am always on the lookout to use flowers and plants in my craft work. This applique book has sumptuous flower work. It gives all the applique and embroidery techniques you need to work the projects. The instructions are clear and the photographs are excellent making what looks like complex designs fairly easy to make using fussy cutting. Instructions and templates are given for the individual stylized flowers. I love the Pomegranate and Coneflower. In addition to the flowers, there’s a butterfly. The quilt, wallhanging and pillow projects are wonderful. Finishing ideas and borders are also given. The final flourish is a gallery with more ideas. This is a superb book on floral applique that I would recommend to anyone.

Quilter’s Academy Vol 3 – Junior Year by Harriet & Carrie Hargrave, softback published by C&T Publishing. ISBN 978-1-60705-170-1, price 21.99 US dollars available from www.ctpub.com

If you have got Vol 1 & 2, you’ll be welcoming Vol 3 with open arms. The lessons are arranged in classes. It introduces more tools, a review of what you have learned so far, cutting, design, foundation pieces and more. The projects are really good and help you to get to grips with the lessons. The whole book is based on triangles and the variety achieved in the projects is amazing. Think outside the triangle! The instructions are clear and are well illustrated with good photographs. There are professional sewing and cutting tips throughout the book and ideas for your workspace too. I would buy this just for the projects even if I did not need the tutorials. Highly recommended – it does what it says – it is a skill-building course.

Quilts Made Modern by Weeks Ringle & Bill Kerr, softback published by CT Pub. ISBN 978-1-60705-015-5, price 26.99 available from www.ctpub.com

The inside cover of this book just makes my mouth water. The quilting and the colour sense is tops. The designs are simple but extremely effective and uncluttered. The big question in quilting is – Are you contemporary or traditional? This book is not ultra modern as the title perhaps suggests, it’s more good design than anything else. Maybe ‘modern classics’ fits the bill better. Half the book is on design, but I don’t think the authors are giving too much away on that score. I like the size variations and colour variations. Templates are given. 9 out of 10 designs are based on a grid and are suitable mainly for beginners. I’m hooked, I’d like to make just about every one and some in more than one colourway. This is a beautiful book with beautiful, sophisticated and timeless quilt designs but it is over-priced particularly in the UK.