Inspired by Tradition, by Kay Mackenzie (Book-A-Round blog hop & giveaway)

Welcome to my stop in the "Book-A-Round" blog hop & giveaway that is introducing a wonderful new book by Kay Mackenzie, published by Martingale & Company, home of That Patchwork Place.  There are ten blogs participating in this event, each sharing their insights on Kay's new book, as well as hosting a giveaway where you could win your own copy.

I've been an admirer of Kay Mackenzie for quite some time.  She is a great quilter, designer and author who specializes in beautiful applique for quilters of all skill levels.  Her new book "Inspired by Tradition: 50 Applique' Blocks in 5 sizes" is a follow-up to her previous book "Easy Applique' Blocks.  I think this is a wonderful book and am very happy to share my insights on it with you.

Kay has created 50 all new designs with a traditional appeal, with a bonus CD that is included with the book that allows you to easily print each design in five sizes, ranging from 6" to 12".  No need to go to an office supply store and have designs enlarged!  I really liked how easy it was to use the bonus CD. Every design has a color block of the design, plus a line drawing for tracing, and easy to follow steps to print in any of the five sizes.  Much, much easier than trying to copy a design pattern within a book, or tracing from a physical book. 

The book is well organized, with a block library that shows a color photo and a line drawing for each of the 50 blocks.  All of these designs are just delightful.

Of course, I fell in love with the cute puppy dog,

The cheerful kitten,

the Distelfink.

And all of the other blocks too.   So many choices to create your own unique quilt!

There is a section that provide insights on fabric selection, preparation, tools, and suggestions for fine detail sewing for such items as the whiskers on the kitten that  is well written and has great visuals. Other sections are  included for hand stitching your applique', Raw-Edge machine applique', Fusible-web applique', and Applique' Questions and Answers.

I also really liked the "Little Gallery of Ideas" where beautiful quilts are shared that provide inspiration for various ways you can combine these blocks to create beautiful quilts, wallhanging, table runners and more.

"Inspired by Tradition" is an excellent book, perfect for anyone that loves to do applique' quilting.  I also believe this is an excellent book for someone that is wanting to learn applique.  I hope you have a chance to check it out at your local quilt store, or check it out at the online store at Martingale & Company.

Did you catch that I mentioned earlier that I have a copy of this book to giveaway?  This copy is being given away as courtesy of the publisher, That Patchwork Place.  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and let me know that you'd like to win a copy and be sure I have a way to contact you.  If you do not have a google account, I recommend that you review tips that I have listed on the page of this blog labeled "giveaways" as the odds are your comments might appear as a no-reply blogger and I won't be able to contact you if you win unless you are aware of these tips.  If you are in doubt and in a hurry, consider leaving your email address embedded in your comment.

Deadline to enter this giveaway:  April lst noon.  I'll announce the winner that evening.

If you would like to learn more about this book and/or have more chances to win a copy, you may want to visit the other blogs that are participating in Kay's Book-A-Round blog hop.  To clarify, each blog has a copy of this book to giveaway but the rules and deadlines can vary by blog.  Here is a list of the participating blogs and the dates they will be posting about "Inspired by Tradition".

March 22 Maria Peagler, Willow Ridge Media, Quilts and Creativity
March 23 Darcy Ashton, Ashton Publications
March 24 Erin Russek, One Piece at a Time
March 25 SewCalGal (where you are now)
March 26 Holly Mabutas, Eat Cake Graphics, Sprinkles of Thought
March 27, Kathy Mack, Pink Chalk Fabrics, Pink Chalk Studio
March 28 Kim Jamieson-Hirst, Chatterbox Quilts Chitchat
March 29 Sarah Vanderburgh aka Sarah Vee, Sew Joy
March 30 Maria Hrabovsky, Maria Michaels Designs, Maria's Quilt Scraps
March 31 Susan Brubaker Knapp, Blue Moon River



I also hope you will visit Kay's website and blog.  During the Book-a-Round/blog hop, she'll also be directing readers to the appropriate blogs every day.

By Kay Mackenzie
http://www.kaymackenzie.com Books, patterns, & etc. for the quilter
http://www.allaboutapplique.net Appliqué blog