"Pretty Little" Books Giveaway!

Amanda Carestio from Lark Crafts contacted us about these cute little books -- and a possible giveaway. 'Giveaway?' Our ears perked up at that lovely word. Pretty Little Mini Quilts and Pretty Little Pillows give you an array of hip, modern mini quilts and pillows re-imagined into fun and experimental home dec projects. Amanda (whose projects you will also find in these gems!) gives us a little peek inside, and one of each of these books is up for grabs -- leave a comment with which book you'd like to win, and we will select two random winners next Friday! Thanks to Amanda and the Lark folks for the generous giveaways!

Greetings from sunny Asheville, North Carolina! The kind folks at the Jolly Jabber invited me to share some info about two recent books: Pretty Little Mini Quilts and Pretty Little Pillows. I am so proud to have worked on these books (Lark is my day job!) and to have a handful of designs in them.

Chances are your spring sewing to-do list is a mile long already (I know mine is!), but you’re going to want to add a few more projects to that list after thumbing through these collections.

I personally wish my home was more pillow friendly; most everything cushion-like ends up encrusted in dog slobber. But that doesn’t mean I love them any less. They’re such a wonderful canvas for us busy crafters: small, quick to make, and both useful and pretty. Plus, they’re the perfect way to bring your favorite fabrics into other rooms of the house: love that!

However, if I had to pick a poison, it would most definitely mini quilts. Oh, lovely quick things that don’t require commitment! Actually, since making the projects for this book, my obsession has only grown, along with my affinity for fusible web (good stuff!).

Both books take their greatest strength from the quality of designers represented. You’ll probably recognize some of your blog and Flickr faves, and maybe you’ll discover a few new favorites. Of course, I have a few favorites of my own. It was so hard to choose, but today I find myself really drawn to Candace Todd’s "Drop Everything" mini quilt (shown here). It’s just a simple mini—balanced and quiet—and I love the combination of linen and fabric bits.

My other current fave is Malka Dubrawsky’s "Spot On" pillow (okay, I admit it: I adore everything she makes!). Her fabrics are, of course, awesome, and the pairing of grid lines and curvy appliqué shapes is really inspiring. I love the simplicity of both projects, the focus on the stitch lines, and the use of low volume fabrics (to borrow Malka’s terminology). (See more of Candace at candacetodd.blogspot.com; find Malka at stitchindye.blogspot.com) You can see more of my creations—and photos of my rapscallion dogs—at digsandbean.blogspot.com.

Amanda Carestio
Digs and Bean blog

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