Customer Reviews

Paradise Stitched--Sashiko & Applique Quilts

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not a quilting professional, so this book was a revelation. I'd never seen Sashiko before, and Pippen's use of it is as fluent and naturalistic as if she were a Japanese brush painter. But the joy of this book is the exuberant naturalism of the flowers, birds and fish -- page after page after page of tropical extravagance, of wayside flowers exalted, of California poppies caught with the sheen of their living petals, of a swirl of silver dolphins and yellow tang against ocean blue or the cardinal red of a i'iwi caught just before flight. When I think of quilts, I think formal and geometric, but these quilts have the vividness of oil painting.

The Pippens, it turns out, have been quilting masters for at least two generations. Pippen's mom, Kitty, is a legend in the quilting world, a pioneer in the use of exotic Japanese fabrics in this traditional North American craft. At 90, she's still quilting and teaching alongside her daughter.

I don't know whether the techniques laid out in this book are its most important feature -- meticulous, detailed instructions that do everything but feel as if they'll guide your hand through the movements -- or whether you'll buy this book simply because it's exquisite art. It has a lifetime of brilliant ideas for quilting.

Another discovery that finding this book on Amazon led me to: Pippen's website, [...]. Go there to see an amazing display of her work. It'll give you a richer sense of the superb art and rich traditions that lie between the covers of this dazzling book.

As an applique instructor, I always appreciate a good applique book. This book contains beautiful ideas and wonderful bold fabrics to excite the creative juices. The Sashiko stitching adds great dimension to an applique project, and making some of the flower parts sashiko, instead of applique, is unique. A very nice book - I drool over it daily.

Glenda

This book is great. Ideal for the beginner or the experienced sewer. The instructions are very clear and the photos are beautiful. There is a pull out pattern section, so that the pattern can be traced out ready for the applique and the sashiko stitching.
Just looking at the gallery photos is inspiration enough for me to get me started.

Sylvia did a wonderful job with this book. Wonderful pictures, very clear instructions, and full size patterns. I hope this is just the beginning of many more to come from her.

Thank you Sylvia Pippen for all the work you did putting this book together for us.

I've never been disappointed in books by this mother-daughter team and, once again, they've come up with beautiful and unusual designs with very clear instructions. Their combinations of sashiko and applique is wonderful! This book's a keeper!

Sylvia's new book solves a mystery for those of us who wonder "What fabric did the author use for that piece?" She includes photos of the actual fabrics so we can see how she selected a small piece out of a fabric we might have passed up -- or never dreamed it would serve as a small leaf or fish or whatever. Thank you, Sylvia, for that gift alone!

The projects are beautiful, with Sylvia stretching her talents in many directions to present new ideas for us in the way of applique and background sashiko motifs. I recommend it for every quilter's library.

Sylvia has taken her applique and sashiko ideas further in this new book. Her directions and visuals are exactly what you need to make these beautiful quilts. The book is a great backup for anyone using one of her kits.

Learn how to hand stitch six quilts inspired by tropical designs in Sylvia Pippen's Paradise Stitched: Sashiko & Applique Quilts, a fine quilting guide that covers both turn-under and fusible applique. Even more valuable - create designs from your own photos: a skill that can transfer beyond the tropical theme. With its collection of full-page patterns and tips on hand embroidery embellishments, this teaches how to choose applique fabrics to create Sashiko designs. Quilters looking for something different will relish this approach.

The designs in this book are exquisite. The directions are very easy to understand and the colours, designs and sashiko are inspirational. It is great eye candy as well as providing very useable ideas.

This book is written very well. Directions are easy to follow and very thorough. Examples are inspiring. There is a great variety of design included.