Bella Bella Sampler Quilts Review - Part 1

About a month ago, I enjoyed a conversation on Twitter's Talkin' Tuesday quilt chat about craft books. Specifically we had a dialogue about what makes for a useful book review. The discussion was sponsored by C&T Publishing. It was, perhaps, my favorite #talknt chat to date.  The resounding call was for book tours and reviews to have more substance. Blog readers wanted to see finished projects. They wanted to understand why the book might be good or bad for them. As someone who keeps a small craft library, this is precisely the kind of information that I was after.

Shortly after the conversation, Allison asked me if I would like to review a book for C&T. She was well aware of the forthright nature of my reviews, so it was a bit of a gamble on their part. I jumped at the opportunity. I was allowed to pick which book I'd be reviewing. I think I surprised Allison with my choice of Bella Bella Sampler Quilts by Norah McMeeking. From the outward appearances, the book does not appear to be my style at all in terms of color and fabric choice, but I felt there was a lot of potential in the book.  Additionally, I'm reviewing the companion book Bella Bella Sampler Quilts Foundation Papers.

I'm going to do this review in two parts. This first part of my review gives my initial impressions of the books. At this stage, I've read the book and instructions. I've pored over the included pattern templates and foundation papers. I've worked out what is included, but I haven't put things to use in a project yet. In the second part of my review, in a few weeks, I'll show projects that I've made from the book. 

Initially, I planned to withhold this post until the projects were made; but I was so darn excited about the books that I wanted to make sure you got preorders in early to Amazon to take advantage of the preorder sale price. 

This is not my first time using Bella Bella quilt patterns. I stumbled on the foundation paper supplement for one of Norah's other books and have a long-going circle of geese project. From that, I was familiar with the quality of the supplemental papers, but I have not read any of Norah's books before. To make sure the review was accurate, I wanted to carefully pore over her instructions to find out how the patterns and foundation papers were intended to be used. I wanted to assess if the books would be useful for beginners or experts. I also wanted to see what added value came with the book and the foundation papers. 

Instructions and Audience

Norah's writing style is both clear and engaging.  I had laughed at the opening instruction.  "I know quilters hate to read directions, but General Instructions (pages 17-27) includes some good ideas and techniques you might not have come across."  I found this to be true. Although, I've been foundation paper piecing for some time, I believe I will be more efficient with the help of Norah's tips. The instructions include handy information about fabric patch size and quantity for each project.  The templates are well marked. Complex designs include tips for colors as well as basic numbering. The instructions appear thorough and are supported by full color reference photos and diagrams.

My initial impression is that both beginners and experienced quilters could benefit from this book. I've already taken advantage of a few tips, but I don't give up all the goods. I'll simply say I've found the general instructions worthwhile.

Content

The subject matter of the book are quilts inspired by Italian floor tiles. The book contains nine projects, but each of those projects shows alternatives and variations meaning there are hundreds of possibilities all from one book. Norah McMeeking encourages quilters to make the projects their own using the interchangeable designs elements contained on the included pattern pages. Some of the designs are basic and could be achieved by rotary cutting, but others are more complex and interesting. I find there is enough meat in the book to keep me interested on days when I crave complex and days when I'm longing for simple.

The foundations papers are a supplement rather than a standalone. You would need the instructions in the book to make the quilts shown. They provide templates for only three of the nine projects. In that regard, the papers are a bit limiting, particularly if you plan to work on another project. That said, there are a number of ways that you could use the foundation papers outside of quilts with a bit of clever thinking.  For example, with the project shown below I've thought of using the five unique 15" square designs in cushions.  Another idea would be to use the templates to create panels for patchwork bags. I think the foundation papers are quite handy and could see myself ordering spare sets for other types of projects.  I haven't used these specifically yet, but have had good success with prior Bella Bella foundation templates. An additional value comes on the foundation papers as many of the blocks used in the book quilts are provided in bonus sizes of 3", 4", 5" and 6". This addition means you have plenty of room for further creativity.  I am currently working on a sampler quilt and will undoubtedly use these blocks and templates to help fill in gaps.

Style and Inspiration

Obviously this book does not use the style of fabrics that I typically work with, and in many regards it seems a bit traditional compared to the things I normally make. That's where I'd suggest that this book needs to be approached with a bit of creativity. Rather than get hung up on things and said "ohhhhh... it uses batiks", I'd encourage you to think about what the projects might look like in fabrics from your own stash. I think infusing a playful dotty background and some text prints would make many of these designs pop.

For me, this isn't an eye candy book. I think of it as practical and functional. I won't take it to bed with me to drool over, but I'm happy it is on my shelf.  I remember an awkward moment at a steak restaurant last year just after the Darling Harbour quilt show closed for a night. Two women thought I was the maitre d', and asked if they could take photos of the tiles for quilting reference. This happens to me quite a bit. I guess I am approachable and often help strangers in shops and cafes. As fellow creatives, I was more than happy to point them in the right direction. When I was first thinking about this book, they immediately came to mind. They would love this book. It is functional for me, but would be eye candy for them. Quilters are a big diverse audience, and I think this book can straddle the gaps that artificially divide us.

My initial impressions are very good and I'm excited to spend the next couple of weeks trying projects and blocks. I'll show you those in part 2. My gut feeling is that I'd  recommend both them as a set and feel they would be great for anyone wanting to learn to foundation paper piece or for the experienced fpper who is looking for more templates and borders which can be interchanged and used in multiple projects. Additionally, these designs would be great for freezer paper piecing.

The books aren't released yet, but Amazon has the main book and foundation papers available for preorder. You can also find out more about the books and other C+T Publications at their website and blog.

Stay tuned for example projects in Part 2!