Andrea Zuill’s Blog

 On my trip to Texas I was able to spend some little time exploring the town of Las Cruce, NM.  I stopped by a cool quilt shop called Organ Mountain Quilt Shop.  I bought a bunch of fabric and a book called,  Tile Quilt Revival: Reinventing a Forgotten Form, by Carol Gilham Jones and Bobbi Finley.  The beautiful quilt on the cover is what caught my eye.  

   Tile Quilt Revival book gives a nice history of this rare type of quilt.  The instructions on how to create your own tile quilt is very clear and quite easy.  And, to my extreme excitement, this quilt is best done by hand!  EEEEEkkkkkk!

So, to sum up this book,  wonderful and easy techique,  interesting history, beautiful patterns included, hand work prefered. 

   Thanks for the great response to my last blog regarding a possible book in my future.  You all have made it clear what you would like the book to be about.  Basically a book about the creation of art with a lean toward art quilts and a sprinkling of embroidery.  Also, included in the book should be tricks and cheats on color, design and composition.  Did I get it right?

  Also, there is a cry for more Badbird embroidery patterns, in book form.  Your thirst for designs is insatiable, you greedy, greedy stitchers.

I have contacted a few crafters, that have books, to ask them what steps they took to get their books published.  If you guys have any tips PLEASE let me know.

And, finally, for those who offered to be guinea pigs and be my stitchers if need be.  I will keep you names and very well will take you up on your offer.  I only have two hands, which I guess is pretty normal, but I can only do so much stitching myself.

     I love history.  For the last few years I have been studying the History of North American.  Because I get bored easily I prefer books that not only have great information but their writers are good storytellers.  Here is a list of my 4 favorite history books and why I like them.

I   Albions Seed by David hackett Fischer.  Ever wonder why your Grandma is the way she is?  Well this book might help.  This book covers 4 british cultural types and explains their customs, clothing, relationships, religion and what societies they created when they became Americans.  This is a big thick book, but I wish is was bigger because I was intrigued by all the information.

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Alabama Stitch Book: Projects and Stories Celebrating Hand-Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery for Contemporary Sustainable Style

Primitive Elegance is what I think as I go through the book Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin, with Stacie Stukin, photograph by Robert Rausch.   Here are the 4 things I like about this book, 1) Great story about how Natalie started this style, her business and how she tapped a community for talent. 2)  Using traditional sewing methods in a very contemporary way. 3) Easy method! 4) Sustainable crafting.

Her work is beautiful and has given me ideas for many new projects.  Her use of Cotton Jersey will release the hand stitcher in all of us.

Henry Darger: Art and Selected Writings
One thing that I haven’t talked about much in my blog is my love for outsider art.  I love it because under the title of outsider you find the mentally ill, eccentric,  and people that don’t quite fit in with “normal” society creating in a entirely unfiltered manner.  As many of you know, the urge to create is pretty much a complusion for many of us.  Consider then, what if you where an outsider - and for the most part unconcerned or even unaware of the happenings of the world, outside of your own?

Such is the case of Henry Darger.  Darger was born in 1892 . In the 1930’s Darger moved into a apartment that for the next 40 years he would create The Realms of the Unreal and the Vivian Girls.  The book, Henry Darger, Art and Selected Writings by Michael Bonesteel, contains Dargers biography and the discovery of his life’s work, and of course, his artwork and writings. I won’t go into to much detail about everything in this book, but the artwork is weird, beautiful and unsettling.   

p.s. - One disturbing thing in this book is that the little girls have penises.  It is thought that he had no knowledge of the female anatomy.

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Sweet Needle Felts: 25 Projects to Wear, Give & Hug

For the first time I am recommending a book I don’t have yet.  It will be out real soon and you can preorder it from Amazon at a discount.  But, here’s the deal, Jenn Docherty makes the absolute cutest felted animals ever and any book that helps you to create these little fuzzy creatures is okay by me.   All of her animals, of her creation, have sold out, but at her website, http://www.jenndocherty.com/, you can see all the little critters that have found a home. 

Please, for the sake of all the is cute, visit her site and if you feel so inclined, check out her booK!

CRAFT: Transforming Traditional Crafts
If you haven’t already heard about Craft Magazine then let me tell you what’s up.  This is the magazine for the modern craft person.  Every issue has great articles regarding craft, craft makers, the arts, sciences, materials, and more. Best of all are the step by step instructions for some very unusual and fantastic new crafts.  Whether your into making monsters or hula hoops that light up this is the mag for you!

Hip to Stitch: 20 Contemporary Projects Embellished with Thread (Hip to . . . Series)

I love this book by Melinda A. Barta.  I bought it when I first started to do embroidery.  It gave me inspiration.  I love the designs and colors.  In particular, I really like the thimbles designs.  I like soft thimbles (I am allergic to nickel/metal) and they have designs which are almost too pretty to use!  The chicken and egg napkin rings are very fun.  The projects are easy, colorful, and playful.  Hip to Stitch has great detail regarding embroidery stitches, materials and tools.  You should really check this book out!

Artist, craftperson and illustrator Aimee Ray has a wonderful new book out called Doodle Stitching: Fresh & Fun Embroidery for Beginners.  Since I became aware of Aimee, aka Merwing,  I have been impressed with her unique artistic style that she has been able to translate into fantastic embroidery art.  Embroidery is such a versatile  medium, yet so many craftsters stick to images that are steroetypical to the craft of embroidery.  Aimee presents her unique embroidered images but also  demonstraits and encourages  artists to  create their own embroidered visions.

Artist, craftperson and illustrator Aimee Ray has a wonderful new book out called Doodle Stitching.  Since I became aware of Aimee, aka Merwing,  I have been impressed with her unique artistic style that she has been able to translate into fantastic embroidery art.  Embroidery is such a versatile  medium, yet so many craftsters stick to images that are steroetypical to the craft of embroidery.  Aimee presents her unique embroidered images but also  demonstraits and encourages  artist to  create their own embroidered visions.

Check out Aimee’s book and other items at: www.littledear.etsy.com