...Who among us has not gazed admiringly at lovely, meticulously embroidered Crazy Quilts and wished longingly for the time and patience to make something half so beautiful. But then who says we need to make a whole quilt? Smaller projects such as pin cushions, framed wallhangings, and even miniature quilts offer great chances to try out a few of those wonderful stitches without investing a lot of time. And Michler's book is so inclusive and so well written, it is an excellent source for getting you started. Besides illustrating how to make oodles of crazy quilt stitches, she also covers ribbon embroidery; rouche flowers; texturing fabric; suggestions for embellishments and how to make many of them; directions for several smaller projects; AND painting, dying, and transferring designs onto your silk and other fabrics; as well as the basic tips and instructions about fabrics, threads and yarns, tools, preparing foundations, and assembling the quilt blocks. Did I mention the book is also packed with beautiful full color photos! Keep in mind though Michler is talking about crazy quilts, many of the design ideas in the book can be used to embellish and enhance other types of quilts as well. I noticed several of the techniques mentioned in the book were used on quilts in the LQG quilt show. I'm sure after paging through this book, many of you are going to want to get a copy for your own library. (I'm thinking of asking for one for Mother's Day, myself!) Happy Quilting!