Piecing Makeover

Piecing, automatically, I think quilting, and for me, quilting is new territory that I am just starting to get my feet wet.  But, I am so excited to share my thoughts and experiences with this fantastic book by Patty Murphy! Piecing Makeover, Simple Tricks to Fine-Tune Your Patchwork published by C&T Publishing.

When I was contacted to review the book and give one copy to a lucky reader, I was beyond giddy! So, this book came in the nick of time for me; I have taught myself to quilt for a few months now, learn new tricks, and read up on different techniques.

Full disclosure, I did receive a copy of this book free of charge. However, my review is my personal feelings on this book.

Ok, now that is out-of-the-way, let’s talk about Piecing Makeover!’

Quick Summary of Piecing Makeover

First, when I get a book, I tend to flip through and look at the photography and get a general idea of what I can expect to see. When I flipped through this one, I immediately found myself stopping and reading the pages (which is a good thing). I wanted to know more, which piqued my interest in getting excited to learn!

What I Found Most Useful

For the first read-through, I worked on a few simple squares. Like I said before, I am super new to quilting (except Tee shirts and Rag Quilts), and I have done some improved quilting too!

I have a few little 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ charm packs from Quilt Market that are perfect for me to start practicing with, so I opened up to the first quilt block section and followed the techniques and tips.

• 

• 

• 

The first square that I worked on was a simple four-patch block with a 1/4″ seam allowance or scant. I am familiar with; however, to get those points to match up, I would either “get lucky” they didn’t match up at all. So, I followed the instructions on how to press my seams, and with the advice from Piecing Makeover, I was able to make a perfect square quickly!

So diving into the first few techniques, I feel like I have accomplished some great squares with little effort!

• 

• 

• 

• 

I tell my students that never stop learning, always practice, and failures are just learning experiences!

Why Do You Want a Copy of this Book?

What you will gain from this book is a reference; there are so many blocks that you will work through in this book; it will be almost impossible not to find a block that you will want to try! The instructions and tutorials are well thought out and worded, so the novice quilter will easily understand and follow along without being detoured. You will find a book that will always be next to you when starting that new quilt, so you can make sure you are piecing like a pro!

Like I stated before, I am very new to quilting and was always worried about things lining up and looking right. This book starts with simple strip piecing (the tips given to explain why my salvage edge piecing looks so wonky!). Now, I know how to piece them together in the futurewithout having the piecing start to curve.

 Giveaway Time!

Guess what! I am giving away a copy to give to one of you!!!

To enter to win a copy of this book:

Comment below and tell me one thing about quilting that has kept you from taking your blocks to the next level!

I will use random.org to choose the winner! The Giveaway will run through Monday, October 30th at 11:59 PM. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 31st!

This is open to the US only (lower 48 states)

Good Luck and Happy Quilting! Don’t forget if you don’t win you can always order a copy of this fantastic book, trust me, you want a copy!

Follow Patty on Facebook or Instagram for more quilting help and inspiration!