Simply Modern Christmas - book review and giveaway

*giveaway closed - Mindy was the winner! Congratulations Mindy!*

My favorite thing about blogging, by far, is the window to meeting wonderful new people it has given. One of those ladies, to be added to my ever growing "would love to meet in real life" list is Cindy from Hiyacinth Quilt Designs. I tease her that I want to be her when I "grow up" (which really just means that I love her style and fabric combos, and I'm pretty sure we could happily share stashes). When she asked if I would like to review her new book, Simply Modern Christmas, I was very happy to do so.



Pros of the book -

• The styling is Christmas, but most of the patterns are universal and lend themselves easily to multiple fabric combinations. Cindy uses really fresh and pretty color groupings throughout, and it was easy for me to envision the designs with various combinations. Cindy blogged about all or most of her patterns, if you want to see some other examples!
• The patterns are thoroughly explained with words AND diagrams (which is nice for multiple learners!)
• In my opinion, the projects in this book are perfect for gifts -- there are some great, beginning to intermediate designs that are easily customized to your gift-giving needs.
• Designs lend themselves to using scraps.
• Some really cute seasonal patterns (stockings, and tree skirt for example).

Con of the book - 

• This is kind of a forced con, but there are not really any advanced patterns in here... so if you're looking for "advanced" designs, then this isn't really for you.

A few of the patterns that caught my eye in particular:

I am really drawn to this "Peppermint Float" star-in-star-in-frame motif. 

Love this tree skirt, "Skirted" (love it).

And this "Hanging Around" pattern I loved so much, I wanted to stitch one up for myself (and did so last weekend on a retreat).

This is my rainbow version of "Hanging Around."

This is going to my lovely friend Kelly, because well... she's lovely. Funny too. And she likes rainbows. And she made me a bag (I don't like making bags).

I used black and white background fabrics and the new Joel Dewberry and Anna Maria Horner True Colors fabrics. See what I mean about how the designs look great with non-Christmas combos?

Giveaway!

Leave a comment here letting me know what kind of quilt is next on your to-make list, or a project you need a pattern for and I'll pick a winner Sept. 29 to win an e-book of Simply Modern Christmas. 

Or, you can save yourself the wait and get the book on amazon, Simply Modern Christmas: Fresh Quilting Patterns for the Holidays, or Martingale.

Good luck!

Linking to Lee's!

books + 1st trimester = good friends

I got a nookcolor with my Christmas money.

It has been a good companion while navigating the first trimester. :)

I thought I'd pass on my thoughts --

Heather recommended this series a while back, and I was not disappointed.

I read all of them in just a few days.  I love having a series already published when I start it.  It's such a nice escape.  This one deals with a girl who goes to Dublin, Ireland to investigate the mysterious murder of her sister. It winds up being that she has secret abilities to see the parallel Fae universe, which is attempting to take over ours... if you're a reader who likes to stay grounded in reality, this is not the series for you... but if you'd like to follow the would-be-impossible-if-not-for-some-unrealized-powers-and-unmatchable-allies quest of our young twenty-something heroine (who, like the heroine of another book I know, draws the attention of a much-older and completely inappropriately matched man for her), then it is a fun read.  It's got a  touch of gratuitousness to it, but not so much that I felt like I needed to skip entire chapters... and it's definitely a bit dark... enough so that I'd feel nervous reading late at night, and glad Jay was there. :)

This weekend I also finished the "Study Series" by Maria V. Snyder.  Poison Study is April's read for the "Quilty Girls Book Club," but since I had already read March's book, and I'm not doing much sewing these days, I got started on this one early.

- has the tragic, larger than life heroine who discovers unique, hidden talents

- she, of course, captures the love and attention of an unlikely suitor

- it's not a perfect ending, but the good guys still (mostly) make it.

A fun read.  There are three in this series... the first one is the best, in my opinion, but they're all really enjoyable.  Again -- it's got a bit of fantasy, which I like... I don't want anything too serious when I'm reading to escape the queasies.

I went two days in a row this week of no nap while Steiger was napping (I had errands to run -- don't worry... Daddy or Grandma was with Steiger), so I'm hoping I'll get some energy back soon!  I really do miss my machine.

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One more series -- if you haven't read the Hunger Games yet, it's also right up there in a good series to read.  I finished it over Christmas-time... but I thought I'd give in a mention in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about it yet.  The main character is living in a Dystopia, and must use her -- yet again -- unrealized potential and handsome suitors to save the day (I'm noticing a theme in my literature here). ;)

If you've got any recommendations for either a good series, or a good boy's name (I have a strong inkling the next one will be a boy, and while I was wrong with Steiger, I don't think so... but I have no idea how we'll name another boy after the name "Steiger!"), please leave it in the comments!  And I hope to be joining you in sewing land again soon!