I am deeply honored to have been asked to be a part of Kathreen Ricketson's Brave New Quilts Legacy Tour. This is not just about her beautiful new book, but about the indefatigable spirit of Kathreen herself.
When I first received Brave New Quilts, saw the gorgeous cover and flipped through the pages; a fresh grief washed over me for a moment. Her tragic death earlier this year was such a shock to me and it was unthinkable that this bright light in our community was now gone. After a brief moment, I shook off the sadness and dove into the book with a sense of celebration and wonder!
I know that this book was a deeply personal project for Kathreen and that she was excited about it. It is a corker too! It's not just a fresh and cool new quilting book, but a really good read as well. Kathreen's voice is clear and engaging, and as with everything she put her energies into, it is so inspiring.
In Brave New Quilts, Kathreen has created quilts inspired by 12 different 20th century art movements. I love this! The information she provides is fascinating and accessible, the design principles engaging and inspiring. She really has a wonderful way of discussing color, design, and the rules of creating the quilts in the book. All the while she encourages us to go our own way and discover our own path; even providing alternate colorways for each project.
The arrival of Kathreen's book turns out to be quite fortuitous for me personally. I have recently renewed my love of quilting and have been experimenting with modern and art quilt design, this book is a great resource to add to my collection and just the nudge I needed to get cracking!
I can hear Kathreen's voice telling me, "You can do it! Go for it!"
Kathreen's legacy is huge and far reaching. From my first introduction to her via her trailblazing website WhipUp, to her brilliant kid's magazine ActionPack, through her books and all of her endeavors; I have admired her talent, her love for her family, her intelligence and her amazingly generous spirit. She encouraged me greatly when I was working on my own book. She treated me with great respect and made me laugh. She is one of the people through whom I have made friends from all over the art/crafting/making community and have been more inspired and courageous than I ever could have imagined.
As I wrote in a post on WhipUp earlier this year:
"Though I never met her in person, I considered Kathreen a friend, a kindred spirit and a supporter of the utmost kind. Through her hard work and gorgeous spirit, she brought together a community; fostered art and craft, endlessly inspired and encouraged so many wonderful people. She made such a tremendous impact on me and I know so many others. She created an amazing legacy and I truly believe she made this world a better place. She reminds us to live life with passion and intent; to live deliberately with love and to continue to follow our hearts."
I absolutely recommend Brave New Quilts, it is a brilliant book. I also encourage you to follow along on all the stops on this Stash Books Legacy Tour!
| Tuesday | 10/1 | Heather Jones | |
| Wedneday | 10/2 | Kristin Link | |
| Thursday | 10/3 | Maya Donenfeld | |
| Friday | 10/4 | Alexandra Smith | |
| Monday | 10/7 | Sonya Philip | |
| Tuesday | 10/8 | Ellen Luckett Baker | |
| Wedneday | 10/9 | Andrea Jenkins | |
| Thursday | 10/10 | Shannon Cook | |
| Friday | 10/11 | Mimi Kirchner | |
| Monday | 10/14 | Cheryl Arkison |
What a touching and informative post this is. This book may be just what I needed to bring to reality a dream of quilt art that lives inside of me. With no formal training I have been totally lost as where to even begin. I am excited to see if this is my answer and will be ordering this right away....Thank you so much for sharing.
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lovely and heart felt review. Well done. Looks a really intriguing book, may well have to put it on my wish list.
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