Several years ago, I was lucky enough to make friends with Annie Smith. Some of you know Annie for her wonderful Quilting Stash podcast. Annie is just a delight -- she's fun and funny and she has a lovely enthusiasm for all things Quilty. She also has the perfect voice for a podcast host, so listening to Annie makes you feel like you've had a chat with a dear friend about what she saw at the latest quilt shop or show.
Annie has a lot of quilting talents, but her love of applique is highlighted in her brand new book, The Ultimate Applique Guidebook (C&T Publishing 2010). I was lucky enough to get a pre-release copy when I ran into Annie at PIQF, and I've been savoring it since.
I'm the first one to admit that I don't do a lot of applique, unless you call Wonder Under an applique method. But I have to confess that this makes me feel like it's do-able. Annie covers both machine and hand techniques, all of which are illustrated with charming abstract flowers designed by Annie. I really like reading through this book -- it has Annie's voice throughout, giving you tips and tricks on both machine and hand applique to make things go more smoothly.
You can listen to Annie's podcast on how she wrote the book, her submission process with C&T Publishing, and more here.
This book seems most appropriate to me for a beginner to intermediate quilter who hasn't done much applique. Or someone like me who has quilted a lot but is reluctant and/or mildly intimidated about getting into that much handwork. Annie's book will make you want to give it a try.
I always admire stitchers who do applique well. I'm not one of them! So, I look forward to seeing how you do with this new tutorial book. I luv Annie's soothing you can do it too voice and attitude.
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