Staff Favorites: Books That Inspire Us at Home
Feb 11th 2022
The C&T Publishing community comes together around books — inspiring makers and exploring our own creativity unites us. See our recent staff favorites...
Stitching Stolen Lives
By Sara Trail and Teresa Duryea Wong
"I loved working on this book. It was completely different from any of my previous design work, and I really wanted to honor the quilts and the stories from the book. As with any challenge, sometimes you're not sure you can do it until it's done, and I'm really proud of how it all came together."
- April Mostek, Senior Graphic Designer
Brave New Quilts
By Kathreen Ricketson
"First off, the cover is absolutely yummy. I wish I would have designed it myself! The photography and layout is stunning, and the projects super innovative. This book got me to dive back into my upcycled fabrics stash!"
- Julie Creus, Sales and Marketing Designer, Product Development
Piecing Makeover
By Patty Murphy
"I am constantly referring to back to this book. In fact, I owned it before I even worked at C&T Publishing! When I get a new quilt pattern, I usually make my blocks the way the pattern writer recommends, but if I ever run into an issue where my block ends up a little off, my points don't match up, or it's just not quite right. I always leaf through to see if Patty has a recommendation. Nine times out of ten, if I do it the "Patty Murphy" way - all my inconsistencies or troubles go away."
- Betsy Friedrich, Administrative Assistant/Customer Service Rep
Addicted to Scraps
By Bonnie K. Hunter
"Addicted to Scraps is packed full of Bonnie's ideas to use scraps in many different blocks and quilt patterns. I seriously want to make every quilt in this book. I've been planning my Wild & Goosey for a while and hope to get to it this summer."
- Debbie Rodgers, Technical Editor
Ombré Quilts
By Jennifer Sampou
"I love the projects in the book. Start with a very simple table runner and Jennifer takes you through several quilts culminating in the gorgeous Dawn Star quilt. The fabric used and design effect of the quilts are inspiring and I think anyone who is a beginner or experienced maker would be successful making a project they'd enjoy for years. Jennifer provides so much color advice to help make successful fabric choices. Also I think April did an amazing job on the design! Lastly, I took some of the photos so I finally got my photo credit!"
- Todd Hensley, CEO
The Practical Guide to Patchwork
By Elizabeth Hartman
"Asking which is my favorite book is totally a "favorite child" question and kind of impossible to answer, but here goes. The most helpful book when I was starting to quilt was The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman. It's a great foundation and I liked the modern projects. The Little Spark is my favorite creative, inspirational book. Carrie Bloomston's practical but compassionate guide for exploring your creativity is a must-have. Ombre Quilts by Jen Sampou is my "goals" project book. Someday I'd love to make a quilt half as amazing as hers! And last but not least, the All-In-One Quilter's Reference Tool is ALWAYS at hand to answer all my quilting questions. Because I have to look up how to do quilt binding Every. Single. Time."
- Betsy La Honta, Product Development & Manufacturing Manager
The Better Bag Maker
By Nicole Mallalieu
"While I often learn some tips or tricks or new techniques from our books, Nikki's book was a revelation from begging to end. It truly elevated my bag making in particular but also my sewing overall. She introduced me to the joys of glue (the serious permanent kind and not just basting glue) and made me comfortable with zipper installation. She taught me how to add structure to totes and polished details to the nicest clutches. Even my top stitching is better because of this book. I love it (and own two copies just in case)!"
- Gailen Runge, Creative Director
Intuitive Color & Design, Updated 2nd Edition
By Jean Wells
"The first time I saw this book in the submission form I couldn’t stop reading it and was blown away by Jean's photography, her design aesthetic, and the way she put it all together to just make amazing quilts."
- Amy Barrett-Daffin, Publisher
