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"Hand Piecing with Jinny Beyer : A
One-on-One Tutorial with
Master Quilter Jinny Beyer" and "A
Patchwork Notebook"
Jinny Beyers's new CD is taken from her book Quiltmaking by hand: Simple
Stitches, Exquisite Quilts. For me, who prefers to do machine piecing , the
CD is the perfect version in which to look at the possibilities of hand piecing
and understand how it is done quickly with precision in mind.
There are several segments with short
videos that give you the verbal and visual experience of piecing by hand,
including threading a needle and making knots, piecing straight lines and
joining them together, forming stars, and joining angled segments to make a mariner's
compass. Jinny shares tips on how to get many stitches onto one needle that
keeps the stitching straight on the front and back. She is speed piecer to
be sure.
 The
CD also provides still photos from the book, with written instructions under
each photo on the same subjects. There are some templates included for a quilt
pattern of Jinny's that uses all of the various methods she taught, but not the
Mariner's compass.
This short CD is good idea for beginners,
a group, or an experienced quilter who has trouble keeping the stitches
straight, or perfectly matching the center points of 8 pointed stars. Jinny
believes it is easier to hand piece than machine and faster too because it is
portable. After watching this CD, I think it is possible she's right!
(Amazon lists this CD as not yet
available, but this is wrong, it is available now and can be ordered through
them for a quick delivery)
A Patchwork Notebook
There are alot of personal journals
for quilters on the market today, as well as books for recording the quilts one
makes. This journal or notebook is different from those in a few ways.
It is hardbound with a cover that reflects
Jinny's Far Eastern style of fabric in blues and dark and lime green. A clasp
closes it with an invisible magnet that flips up from the back. It feels more
like a diary, and we historians love diaries!
Inside the pages are a grey-blue
color, peaceful and calm, with lines and a space for the date. On every third or
fourth page Jinny provides sewing by hand in general, and quilting tips and guidelines,
in the personal and warm manner we associate with her teaching. Each thought is
complete and thorough in it's presentation, not just one line, but a paragraph.
In other words, these are useful!
On the opposite of each tip page
she has chosen an old quote or story and sometimes a picture. She quotes from
authors, such as Marie Webster and Ruby McKim, and lesser known authors. These
quotes tell us about how women thought to do their quilting and pattern marking,
the tools they used and why, making quilt frames, and designing their quilts.
Here's one of my favorites, written by Ruth Finley in 1929:
"Ninety nine percent of all pieced quilts represent the working out
of geometrical designs, often so intricate that their effective handling
reflects most creditably on the supposedly non-mathematical sex."
Old
Patchwork Quilts and the Women Who Made Them |
The last pages are graphed out into
1/4" segments, for those creative impulses that hit while you are writing.
Attached to the back inside cover is a pocket to hold notes, scraps, pictures
whatever reminders you need on your quilting path. It's a small enough journal
to keep in her purse at shows and on tours.
This is a lovely journal and fun to
read and own. For $15.95 or $10.85 from Amazon you can't go wrong
considering this book as a gift or thank you to your quilting friends.
 FLOWER DAYS: An Origami-Inspired
Creativity Journal
Breckling Press has published a
very similar journal, in style and format, by Kumiko Sudo that teaches the
writer about Origami folding for paper or fabric.
Instead of quotes, Kumiko put
illustrations on how to sew her various three dimensional origami style flowers.
The basic color is pink, rather than blue. Kumiko shares where her inspiration
comes from in nature. She has templates in the back that are the correct
size for the flower patterns and there are blank pages for drawings.
Kumiko suggests folding paper or
fabric to calm yourself before bed!
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