Product Description

More than half of the projects in this book can be completed in less than 8 hours

In an age of mass-produced, look-alike merchandise, there’s no greater pleasure than to receive—or to give—a handmade gift. To make gifts for family and friends testifies to your esteem for them and to your loving dedication of precious energy and time.

And there’s the rub. These days, few people have time to create elaborate hand-fashioned gifts. Understanding the demands on contemporary crafters’ schedules—but understanding, too, their wish to express their love and care in this very personal way—led Joelle Hoverson to write Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. Now, in the follow-up to that extremely successful 2004 volume—with nearly 80,000 copies in print—Hoverson and photographer Anna Williams present Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts.

The book—designed for use by both first-time and longtime quilters—features 30 patchwork and quilted projects organized according to the amount of time it takes to complete them: less than 2 hours, 2 to 4 hours, 4 to 8 hours, 8 to 12 hours, and 12 hours or more. The gifts are inspired by Amish, Appalachian, and Japanese quilting traditions, among others, and range from easy pillowcases and covered scrapbooks to simplified (but heirloom-worthy) log cabin and crazy quilts. Hoverson also shares an overview of her approach to color as well as the tools and techniques she used to complete the projects in the book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11204 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-02
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

About the Author
JOELLE HOVERSON is the author of Stewart, Tabori and Chang's Last-Minute Knitted Gifts and the owner of Purl (a yarn shop) and Purl Patchwork (a fabric shop) in New York City. Before opening Purl, she worked as a senior style editor at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and as a freelance stylist. She holds a master of fine arts degree from Yale University. Visit her website at www.purlsoho.com.

ANNA WILLIAMS is a freelance photographer based in New York City. Her work appears in Martha Stewart Living, O, The Oprah Magazine, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Real Simple, and other national publications. She is the photographer of Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson.

Customer Reviews

Great ideas, great photos...
Great gift ideas, beautiful colors, great photography. My only wish is that the instructions were a little more detailed. As a beginning sewer, it's a little intimidating. I'm sure for others with more experience, it's just the right amount. Good book overall.

A Breathe of Fresh Crafting Air
This book is without a doubt one of the most inspirational and beautiful crafting books I have come across. At first glance, the photographs and fabric choices are so compelling I almost forgot the book contained actual projects and instructions. With that said, once I sat down with the book and inspected the contents, I found the projects to be sweet not corny, simple not boring, and elegant not plain.

Too many crafting books waste pages in the beginning talking about the basics of needles, thread and other basic techniques. What I love is the brief section on Exploring Color. It is something often missed or overlooked and so important when dealing with any art. The author has an obvious strong grasp of color not using it as a sort of assault on the senses in a careless manner, but rather to enhance the projects and fabric choices letting all aspects of the projects speak for themselves.

I have been crafting for only a couple of years and while this doesn't give me the viewpoint of an experienced artist, I feel I have a fresh perspective. If you're new to the patchwork and quilting world, this book will be what you're looking for when needing some inspiration and manageable projects to tackle. If you're an old-hat at this, maybe it's time to branch out. This book will definitely breath some new life into your sewing and quilting.

Really Bad
Others have mentioned the cover of the book was the selling point. I must say that is what sold me on the book. After looking inside, I was a little disappointed. The instructions are the worse. "Cut one 38 inch deep piece." What on earth does that mean? Is that length or width? Don't waste your money. You will read the instructions a million times before you understand what the author wants you to do.