Word Play Quilts: Easy Techniques from the UnRuly Quilter (That Patchwork Place) [Paperback]

Tonya Ricucci (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 2010

Want your next quilt to send a special message? Now you can spell it out with no tracing, no templates, no paper-piecing, no applique, and no precise measuring! Inspired by renowned quiltmaker Gwen Marston (who wrote the foreword), Tonya presents a terrific technique for free-pieced letters. It's your chance to break rules, mismatch, go wonky, and enjoy yourself!

* Boost your ability to piece without a pattern--this easy technique is very forgiving

* Discover fabulous, whimsical ways to give letters and words a featured role in your quilts

* Find three practice projects and loads of quilt samples to instruct and inspire

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a great way to incorporate messages, names and words into your quilts. Tonya Ricucci has developed a brilliant free-form pieced alphabet which can be pieced without any templates, tracing or accurate measuring. She gives very detailed instructions for every possible angle you may need in a free-form alphabet and great advice about how to ensure your words have the required impact, how to choose your background and foreground fabrics wisely, and much more. There are three simple projects to start you off, but the main attraction here is the comprehensive alphabet piecing guide, and the hints on developing your own alphabet style. This technique is a fantastic addition to your wonky-piecing repertoire! --Popular Patchwork Magazine

This book is built around a totally original idea: sewing wonky letters and numbers without applique, patterns, templates, or pre-planned color schemes. The book is chock-full of inspiration and complete instructions for each alphabet letter, upper and lowercase, and each number. If you are ready for a book to "lighten up" from quilt rules, you will find this liberating. Tonya was inspired by Gwen Marston, author of Liberated Quiltmaking 1 & 2, who also wrote the forward. I can't wait to try this out. --Review from Stick Your Nose in a Book: Quilting Book Reviews by Jennifer Zoeterman

About the Author

Home: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Tonya Ricucci has been quilting for more than 20 years. Inspired by Gwen Marston's work in 1997, Tonya developed an innovative method for piecing letters without templates or measuring. A popular blogger, Tonya offers many online tutorials.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: That Patchwork Place (December 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1604680172
• ISBN-13: 978-1604680171
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.3 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding December 25, 2010

By Rosalyn Manesse

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Word Play Quilts is very well written and has excellent illustrations. I have followed the author's blog for a long time. It's [...] and I've made several of the type of quilts illustrated in this book. This type of quilt sewing is a great way for quilters to be free, and make original quilts. For instance, I made each of three granddaughters a quilt with her own name on the front. It is not necessary to make a big quilt, small wall hangings or pillows with pieced lettering are really fun to do, too.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great addition to your quilt library January 5, 2011

By grassrootsquilting

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've followed Tonya's blog and have been inspired to made a few words using Tonya's web based instructions. After reading this book, I have a better grasp of putting the letters together. The explanations and step by step directions are excellent. I am impressed that all the letters are shown in both small and capital versions. There are so many pictures for inspiration included in this book. Many of the projects are small enough to develop your "writing" skills and have finished projects to enjoy. I would highly recommend this book, it will help stretch your quilting skills!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Playing with Letters January 5, 2011

By Toni Macomb

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Word Play Quilts is a great book! Well written and well illustrated. And fun, fun, fun. I've quilted for years but never included words in my quilts as I didn't like to applique. Tonya's pieced techniques have made "Word Play" easy. I love her two important rules ~ "If it's too long, cut it off" and "If it's too short, add to it". I also like the way the letters are presented. Not alphabetically but moving from easiest to harder. I highly recommend this book if you like the idea of putting words on your quilts.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The most fun I've had in years! January 9, 2011

By Taniwa

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I absolutely love Tonya's way of playing with fabric. Liberated... Free... Hey, there is nothing that you can do wrong! Making quilts from kits is fine for learning. Making quilts from books and patterns adds a bit more of yourself. But making a completely FREE FORM quilt that is absolutely impossible for anyone to replicate makes the quilt YOURS! And Tonya's letters and words give you a chance to say what you feel. Wonky Words seem to draw people to the quilt.... I can think of no better way to give my friends and family a letter of love. Buy this book! The photos will inspire you! Make a quilt of your own! It's easy! Tonya is a genius!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So much inspiration! January 6, 2011

By Sue M. Isaacs

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have read the authors's blog for a long time and love her creativity with transferring the written word to quilts, so was delighted to find she had published a book and was sharing her work with a wider audience. Living on the other side of the world often means books published in the U.S.A. take a long time to hit our shelves and the anticipation for a new title can be unbearable, however Amazon did a supberb job in despatching "Word Play Quilts" and I received my copy today.

The book is a gorgeous expression of a form of quilting that beginners and experienced quilters will enjoy, though the unstructured forms may not appeal to all traditionalists. The instructions for her techniques are clear with ample diagrams. The quilt examples in the book are inspirational and the often playful combination of colours and shapes are joyful.

The author's "Basic Unruly Techniques" are "If it's too long, cut it off, if it's too short, add to it." These words should be the new quilting mantra!

I am happy to recommend this book to quilters and it will make a fine addition to any crafter's library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous book- a must for every quilter! January 5, 2011

By Kristin

Format:Paperback

Word Play Quilts takes off from Gwen Marston's Liberated Quiltmaking books and goes in a whole new direction. I've been a fan of Tonya's blog for a long time and have made many quilts with letters based on these techniques. What fun it is to cut strips and go- no stress or worry about things being just right. This book is ideal for the beginning quilter as well as the long time traditional quilter who needs to lighten up a little. The techniques are well described, the sample quilts are delightful and the project ideas are just right to get you started. Before you know it you'll be off and running, making your own word quilts! I highly recommend this book for yourself or your favorite quilter!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Piecing words in your quilts January 26, 2011

By Barbara Rhoades VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

This is not what I expected when I picked up this book. I was looking for applique techniques and using off the wall fonts. Rather the author shows you how to piece these letters. This takes some graphing skills and placement techniques.

Ms. Ricucci talks about contrast - so you can actually see the words you piece when sewn with background fabric. She walks you step-by-step through the process of creating the letters. Included are graphics to help you see where you should be. She also talks about how to set the letters into words so they are readable. Should be letters be in a line or like a roller coaster? Should they be put right next to each other or have spacing between them?

There are many quilts scattered throughout the book showing how words work in a quilt. There are only 3 projects. The end of the book has a chart showing how each letter is created. If you are into paper piecing, then this chart will be a joy for you.

It is not the book I was looking for but if you want words in your quilt and don't want to do applique, then this book will take you through the steps to make this happen.