Book reviews: Little Gems

Many of you are probably like me and enjoy quilting as well as beading.  In fact, I'm sure all of the quilters out there already know about how much fun it is to combining beading with your quilts, but for those who haven't tried it yet, I've chosen one of the newest Martingale books to share with you that I think would lend itself well to the addition of beads.

Little Gems: 15 Paper-Pieced Miniature Quilts by Connie Kauffman

Photography: Martingale photographer, Brent Kane

The finished quilts in this project book are only 12 x 12, so you can make them entirely from scraps if you'd like.  Even the backing fabrics (14 x 14) could be pieced together from scraps.

Little Gems is a great way to learn paper-piecing, if you've ever wanted to try it.  There are scale patterns for you to use as you're learning.  It also covers quilting, binding, and creating a hanging sleeve.

The small size of these quilts would make them an excellent short-term project for adding beads if you've never combined the two before.  I especially like the designs for "Forest Fire" (above), and "Tranquility" (below).    

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