Readers old and new alike, welcome to my stop on the Beyond Neutral blog tour. Now, you must excuse me if I suddenly yell out for smelling salts or a paper bag to breathe into. You see, this is kind of big deal for me. Regular readers of this blog will know how I’ve talked about John Adams, AKA Quilt Dad, at length. He was the first male quilter I stumbled across whilst navigating the then-scary world of quilt blogs some years back, and as if my collaboration with him in the #NGAQB wasn’t enough, I now get to talk about his amazing new book! How much of a groupie do I feel right now!
All images courtesy of Martingale and Brent Kane
Beyond Neutral does exactly what it says on the tin. For so many quilters, the background of their quilts are always destined to be some shade of white, grey or cream. How refreshing then to see a book full of quilts that challenge that norm. Sixteen quilts, each inspired by the beauty and wonder of nature. The natural world is my go-to source for inspiration (Vegetable Patch Quilt anyone?) for so many of my own projects and John’s book looks to nature’s palette to inspire his bold and exciting colour choices; so far beyond neutral that neutral’s still packing its bags!
Any quilt that cites grass, trees, waves or rocks as a source of inspiration is going to be a hit with me. There are so many great quilts in the book that I struggled to pick a favourite. The beautiful locations and gorgeous photography make each quilt jump from the page and demand you make it before all others. It’s no surprise that Pacific Crest became the cover star. I was in love with it the moment I first saw the book. The dynamic piecing coupled with John’s ballsy fabric placement creates a real sense of movement and a quilt that truly wows. Beginner quilters needn’t shy away from these designs either. John’s clear and concise instructions along with simple piecing make the quilts in Beyond Neutral approachable for all skill levels. The countless options for fabric selection makes each quilt so versatile and open to interpretation you’ll probably want to make more than one version of each!
Another that pulls at the heart-strings is Fox River. Simple yet strikingly effective, the unusual pairing of woodland-themed prints with cool teals and yellow-greens makes for a visually intriguing quilt. The eye is drawn across the top by intersecting lines of solid fabric that punctuated the prints in a most non-traditional way. I love it!
With so much quilty goodness, I couldn’t possible keep it all to myself! The lovely people at Martingale are offering one reader their own digital copy of Beyond Neutral. To be in with a chance of winning simply leave a comment on the post telling me what inspiration you take from nature, the more creative the better! I’ll pick a winner in a weeks time. Good luck!
This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered!
Quilts From The Attic 