Spectacular + bonus for lefties

I read this book cover to cover--Wonderful, spectacular, easy to follow, great information on all points of crazy quilting. I'm just getting started on crazy quilting and now after reading this wonderful book I can't wait to get started. An added perk to this book are stitches for lefties as well as the other handies ;-)

Now I'm going back and check on all the other J.Marsha Michler books. Great author!

Crazy Quilting the Complete Guide

I LOVE this book. It is beautifully illustrated, has great embroidery detail illustrations, and wonderful suggestions. It has just gotten my creative juices flowing. It's wonderful "eye candy" for the embroidery crowd. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys embroidery and/or crazy quilting who is looking to expand their skills and creative ideas - or just wants a beautiful book in their collection. The spiral bound format is perfect.

Very DISSAPOINTED in the shipper however. They have duplicated my order and it is almost impossible to get in touch with them. Try to avoid dealing with Super Book Deals, Fulfillment Center in South Bend, Indiana.

Kathleen in Glenside.

It IS the complete guide!

I've been crazy quilting (or is it quilting crazy) for many years now and have a very good crazy patchwork library to prove it! Crazy Quilting is all about embellioshment ideas. And there's endless ideas out there on how you can embellish a simple piece of cloth into a wonderous extravaganza and feast for the eyes. To that end I like to have a lot of resources at my fingertips to delve into and get inspirations. This publication, Crazy Quilting, The Complete Guide, is one of the very best in it's genre, and J. Marsha Michler must be congratulated on a publication that simply "says it all" and in such an organised manner.

For me, the most valuable thing about this book is that it is spirally bound, which means it will lay flat on my lap, or on my desk, or on my car seat, where ever I may be stitching. That's really important to me! Next, I have found it very easy to navigate my way through this book as it is compiled in an order that even a crazy quilter can follow!! (Pun intended!). After the usual introduction and basics, J.Marsha has investigated ten ways to patch a crazy quilt. There are options to crazy patch a landscape, using strip piecing, a collage method and stained glass just a few. From there you head into a wonderful gallery of achievements, some truly beyond belief. Then Embroidery by Hand is discussed, particularly mentioned are very useful embroidery tips.

From here there is a wonderful large section on Stitch combinations and variations and I think this book stands alone in it's presentation of stitches and how they can be used in a crazy quilting setting. From Back Stitches to Straight stitches (A-Z) and everything in between, each stitch technique is illustrated, and then variations are explored, creating very new and different patterns to inspire.

Embellishments are dealt with in depth, investigating beads, buttons, cordings, motifs, ribbonwork and so forth. Every possible embellishment technique is discussed and developed. J. Marsha also introduces the new techniques of surface work, such as painting fabrics, foiling, stencils, rubbings and lots, lots more.

This is a book that will be in use all the time, with timeless ideas and new patterns for the avid crazy quilter. I thoroughly recommend this gorgeous resource to new and more advanced "crazies" alike.

A great start to Crazy Quilting

Michler's Crazy Quilting, the Complete Guide, offers a nice overview of crazy quilt techniques. Quite a bit of the book is dedicated to the finishing stitches which was somewhat disappointing to me - I wanted just the crazy quilting techniques. I turn to Judith Montano's Elegant Stitches for stitchwork. That said, having both books will give you a complete library for this form of quilting. By the way - I love spiral-bound hard-back books!

Information galore!

I didn't expect so much information on crazy quilting, from learning how to make silk rosebuds to almost every embroidery stitch there is. It is for those who want to take time to create a treasure that will last for lifetimes. Incredibly creative and beautiful illustrations.