Savor Each Stitch: Studio Quilting with Mindful Design, by Carolyn Friedlander invites quilters to explore the unique artistic possibilities of quilt making and celebrates the infinite diversity of our creations. Organized around a series of design principles, the book provides meaningful insight and project ideas that instruct and inspire in a unique way.
Each chapter highlights a different design decision involved in the quilt making process including line, contrast, scale, color, emphasis, volume, and texture. A little slice of art class, Friedlander provides well written descriptions and beautiful pictures to introduce each concept along with practical ideas or “workshops” where quilters can hone specific skills.
Of course, she also includes beautiful patterns/project ideas for quilters to more deeply engage with each design decision. As she puts it, her projects “highlight the impact of each of these decisions by showing the same designs, each pushed in totally different directions.” She does this by offering multiple versions of a single pattern where a difference in the design decision results in unique variations that illustrate how contrast, color, texture, etc. work.
By guiding and encouraging exploration into each of these design decisions, Friedlander’s book inspires quilters to problem solve, take on new challenges, and to think beyond pure repetition in following patterns.