Fons & Porter Kickin' Back Quilts

Fons & Porter Kickin' Back Quilts
Gifted By: Leisure Arts
www.leisurearts.com
Reviewed by Lisa Fulmer, Guest Reviewer

You know those glorious non-agenda days, where all you want to do is turn on the TV and kick back on the sofa? This book is filled with patterns for throw-size quilts that make your sofa-surfing soooo much nicer.

Marianne Fons and Liz Porter have put together their favorite lap quilts from top designers that include both easy and challenging designs. You’ll want to make one for everyone in the family – they’ll look so cute, all stacked together on a bench or rolled up in a large basket.

This book includes sweet-n-scrappy patterns to use up leftover bits of fabric, as well as more sophisticated designs to show off the best of your stash. I really love the Garden of Simple Delights strip quilt by Lynn Kraus (page 110). I love how easy continuous strip-piecing is, plus the piecing and quilting are done together in one step, which I think is pretty clever. The other cool thing about this quilt is the hand embellishing – use embroidery floss or rickrack to create some traveling vines across the quilt’s surface.

Marianne and Liz post lots of their helpful Sew Smart tips throughout the whole book, and they give you all the diagrams and templates you need. You’ll also learn some great techniques like making tilted blocks and set-in seams in the Sew Easy lessons section.

You know what the best part of making one of these quilts is? When you’re all done and you can relax underneath it with your favorite cup of tea and a good book…or your favorite cocktail and a streaming video on the tablet…your choice!