Cushion Books

The sewing instructions are so clearly presented that one with minimal sewing experience should achieve excellent results. The designs presented are fairly basic -- that's why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 -- but the book provides plenty of inspiration for most purposes. For me, this one is a "keeper" as a reference book.

I sewed my first duvet cover last summer and ran into a few problems. The book I was using advised me to make the duvet a bit smaller than the comforter so it would be full and fluffy - not a good idea! Lumpy is a better way to describe the result. So when I picked up Carol's book, I looked first to see what she advised (same size). This gave me faith that her other ideas would work well.
Carol's approach is playful and fun, suggesting that you use different but coordinating fabrics to cover each hard-backed chair in a dining room, or sew panels to hang around your bed. The projects cover a broad range from duvet covers to a variety of pillows to curtains and lamp shades, plus slip covers for futons and even wing chairs.
I didn't give this book a five because some of the pictures felt dated - it's always wonderful to be able to luxuriate in beautiful pictures - plus some of the instructions assume more knowledge than some people may have.
For example, when fitting pieces to the wing chair, she advises the reader to use darts or tucks where appropriate. Oh, really. Nothing more to say on that? I checked the basic sewing guide at the beginning of the book. No mention there of darts or tucks. Nor do these two terms appear in the cursory one page index. I have personally sewn a few darts in my life, so I'm sure I could figure this out assuming I get my hands on a nice affordable wing chair in need of covering, but some readers may need to have a general sewing reference book on hand to help out with the details of technique.
Still, anyone with a minimal amount of sewing experience should get his or her money's worth out of this book, and be pleased with what they create for their home.

If you're looking for a practical book with great home decorating ideas, this is for you. The directions and illustrations are actually usable. This is a good addition to your sewing library with a total of 18 projects.

I went down, armed with my huge bucket, to see what I could find.
It's amazing what fun you can have with a bucket, some starfish and some cucumbers...
Gifted me with an entire weekend of ecstasy...
Can be quite tiring though - I had trouble walking for a while after...

I was hoping to find a quilting book with good projects for a beginner quilter. The projects are cute and appear to be easy. After attempting a couple of projects, I realized that there are holes in the directions, and assumptions that the person doing the project will "just know" what to do to fill in the gaps. The pictures aren't actually a guide, as you can't tell what's being done in them. I guess I'll just have to keep looking for a book that is actually good for a beginner!

Book is smaller than original one and the print is very small. Other than that, the book has a lot of great ideas.

I was looking for a good all-around book on quilting, that had basic tips and guidelines as well as a variety of projects. This book most definitely fits the bill!

It contains detailed sections on historical background, fabrics, techniques, tips, and has lots of full-color photographs that are very clear and easy to follow (not to mention gorgeously done).

The projects included are beautiful and unique, not your regular log cabin/flying geese quilt block fare. There are a number of different quilting styles explored that create some truly stunning items: clothing, home decorating, accessories, toys, linens, and more.

Many of the fun items are perfect for gift-giving (if you can bear to give them away and not keep them for yourself!). The book delves into the use of lots of other fabrics for quilting from silks to batiks, even PVC, so it's not just your granny's 100% cotton calicos any more!

I guarantee that just flipping through the book you'll find at least five projects that you'll want to get started with.

Best of all, it approaches all the projects with a very simple yet casual attitude, demystifying what appear to be impossible techniques and fabric usage, making "advanced" quilting accessible to crafters of all skill levels.

The book itself is not all that large, it's a smaller format overall and the pages are very sturdy and thick high-quality paper. However, despite its size, the sheer amount of information packed within it is truly enough to get anyone started or keep anyone interested. I like the size as it's easy to take with me and it fits well in the hand.

I own a lot of quilting books, some of them the size of a coffee-table book, and I have to say that this book is the one I constantly go back to, to look up information, get quick instructions on "how do I do this again?", find a project for a rainy day (or weekend, or week), or sometimes just to page through and wish I had an unlimited fabric budget.

If you get this book you will not be disappointed!

I am a creative book junkie. Over the years I have collected a wonderful and significant library on diverse topics from creating with dough (1980's but I'll never give them away) to true needlepoint classics by Maggie Lane and even the Penny McMorris Crazy Quilts that can be sold for a small fortune on EBay. You have to take your chances when you are a collector and sometimes you stumble upon the very best. However, when I received this book I reminded myself that it's wiser to buy books on Amazon, which has the capability, that allows a peek at the projects and contents to determine if you should spend your money. This option wasn't available for this book but I bought it based on ambivalent reviews which described the projects as different and one of a kind which I thought might appeal to my niche type of projects. They certainly were niche but not mine. I was very disappointed. The pillows, in my opinion, are chaotic and not very appealing despite themes. I then relooked to see if I could find a technique I could use but this book missed the boat in this area also as the techniques are available in most basic embellishment books. Maybe it's me and these pillows are not my style. I hate to diss an author but this book will absolutely go into the next annual donation box to my local Housing Works.

Hello, this is Christopher Nejman and I want to tell you that if you are looking to learn new contemporary techniques in felting/punching then my book will give you much to learn from. My book is not for the traditionalist. My book teaches you how to "punch" fancy fabrics verses felting wool roving.
I wrote this book and used pillows as a canvas so I could cover so many techniques for you to learn from. You can make tote bags and other creative projects with the ideas from my book.

I am so sorry so many took a chance and bought without research. My suggestion is to look up on a search engine an author's name and find their website. My website has had the photos of these pillows up right when the book came out.

So for those who are "real" readers and critics, research will find wonders before buying to see if this is your cup of tea or not.

I am not a traditionalist so I am not a quilter. I am an FCA which stands for Fiber Construction Artist. I teach you how to be free and let your hair down while changing your presser feet beyond a quarter of an inch and breaking all the traditional rules in creativity.
Thank you all for sharing your comments.

The book did not meet my needs. I was looking for a book that would provide information on how to sew pillows. This book is about how to "punch" (code word for felt) pillow fabrics and textiles to create unique pillows. While they are beautiful, I haven't yet purchased a felting machine. So the book was rendered useless. My next plan is to go to a book store to make sure the book I am buying will provide instructions on how to sew pillows.

I've ordered many books from Amazon and this book is the only one I have ever returned. The pillows were so unattractive that I can't imagine wanting to sew them. I'll stick with my old copy of "Sewing Beautiful Pillows."

I am actually an interior designer, and have a full design workroom. These pillows in this book are WAY over the top. There is not one that I would show any of my clients. As one reader put it....wouldn't want to lean against any of these pillows. I completely agree! These designs give off a very 80's feel to me.

I love Hawaiian applique. This book is a good value with about 15 patterns and good instructions. I was expecting more traditional patterns but this is a nice sprinkling of traditional and more "touristy" patterns. Cushions are a great way to start - Hawaiian applique is not an overnight project but a cushion almost guarantees that you will finish. I would have given it another star but it is not as good as a similar book by Dover (press?).

I will start by saying the cover of the book I have is different than the one displayed on the Amazon website, but they both have a copyright of 2001. I had to double-check the copyright date because many of the pillows seem very "old." My opinion is based on fabric choices and pillow styles. This book is 74 pages, not including the glossary and about 5 x 9" in size.

The subtitle of this book is "Professional Skills Made Easy", but I found this all VERY basic and would have thought that the subtitle meant more high-end styling and construction. Alas, this was not the case. Don't get me wrong, the book was not bad, just that it seemed somewhat of a misrepresentation of the title. It DOES contain some good basic information, but this book is really lacking in one area - none of the projects include any amounts for fabric and other material. This book would have been more helpful to include measurements for each project. I know the amount of fabric will vary based on the size of pillow you want to create, but at least start with a basic size and the reader can adjust from that. As it stands, you will have to figure out how much fabric, yarn, trim, padding, etc. you will need for each project.

One area I really liked in the book was the Practicalities section and the Glossary was also helpful. Because of this, I am giving the book 2.5 stars. For better books on the subject, try Making Pillows & Slipcovers by Dorothy Wood or Reader's Digest's Cushions and Covers by Gina Moore.

I don't know why this book is still in print. The pool section is terrible and the billiard section is worse. Don't waste your money.