A collection of reviews of Open Your Heart with Quilting
Midwest Book Review
In December 2008 The Midwest Book Review posted a nice review of my book. Check it out! The only unfortunate thing is that they think a quilt is “knitted”!
“There are many activities that can be therapeutic, and Dream Time continues to show people how. “Open Your Heart with Quilting: Mastering Life Through the Love of the Patches” discusses how quilting can be used as meditation and help readers settle themselves after stressful activities as simple as a day at the office through this craft. With advice on connecting with one’s community, family, and immortalizing other memories through knitting a quilt. “Open Your Heart with Quilting” is a must for anyone who wants to unlock the mental benefits of quilting.”
We Like It Because
We Like It Because posted about my book on September 3, 2008 in their “Daily Dose of Have-to-Have It Stuff”. Thanks!
Quilting Has Surprising Benefits According to DreamTime Publishing’s New Book
Quilting. If the word conjures images of stuffy dark rooms, a confusing jumble of fabric and needles, and a quaint hobby of yesteryear, think again.
It’s a growing, thriving hobby: In 2006, there were more than 27 million quilters in the US, a 76 percent increase from 1994. Quilters spend more than $2.9 million a year on quilting.
Beyond being merely a hobby, though, quilting is also a profitable business, with handmade quilts selling on eBay with starting bids of $25 to $500. Top prizes in quilting shows can range from several hundred dollars to $20,000.
In her new book, “Open Your Heart with Quilting: Mastering Life through Love of the Patches
“Quilting helps you connect with your family and your community and carry on traditions of the past,” Smith says.
“Quilting helps you heal from illness or grief, explore your creativity, and deepen your spiritual connection to the universe.”
Smith is a writer and IT consultant who has been quilting for more than ten years. She has taught friends and their children how to machine applique and make small quilting projects like tote bags and pillows. Twice a year she attends a four-day quilt retreat with more than thirty other women, where they share ideas and inspiration. She regularly attends classes to learn new techniques and to network, and she enjoys designing quilts from scratch, or using a published pattern as a jumping-off point to create her own masterpieces.
source: eReleases.com”
Sue Reno
Sue Reno gave me a nice review in her blog. Sue was a contributor to the book who I found through the Sacred Threads show. Check out her review and take a look at her inspiring quilt Skunk Cabbage and Possum.
Grand Rapids Press
From Running with Needles, Grand Rapids Press, Sept. 28, 2008.
Kelly Smith, a new author with Grand Rapids ties, will be at the quilt show Saturday and Sunday, signing copies of her first book, “Open Your Heart With Quilting: Mastering Life Through Love of the Patches.”
Smith, 39, got hooked on quilting in 1997 when she moved to Grand Rapids from New Brunswick, Canada, and built a social life around the art form.
“I didn’t have any other friends in Grand Rapids besides my quilting friends,” she said, recalling how happy she was to join a bee that had formed through Grand Quilt, a quilt shop that since has closed.
Smith, who works as an IT consultant in Coloma, surveyed 30 quilters about why they quilt and wove their responses into a book that discusses the history of the craft, a variety of quilts made today, careers in quilting and quilting traditions. The book also includes advice for rookies and inspiration for novices.
“People come to quilting for different reasons, but they stick with it for the same reasons,” Smith said. They love it.
Smith dabbled in many crafts, including cross stitch and macrame, before becoming a quilter. “When I tried quilting, all of that stuff fell away,” she said. Smith said she keeps quilting because “it gives me a chance to hang out with other creative people.”
Local quilt artist and author Beth Ann Williams was Smith’s first quilting teacher and wrote the forward for Smith’s book.
“Our quilts have the potential to become an expression of our deepest, most private selves,” Williams wrote. “They also have the potential to celebrate that which is greater than any single individual; they can provide a conduit for the creative energy that seeks to fill us, heal us and join us to each other just as securely as we join our fabrics with thread.”
Cindy Shepherd
From Cindy Shepherd (contributor and fellow guild member)
First, I must say I truly love your book… I find the book a joy and inspiration. Kudo’s to you for a well written book. I tell everyone I see that it is a must read!!! Thank you so much for a total enjoyment.
[Open Your Heart with Quilting is a] well written book on the ins and outs of the very popular quilting realm. A must read for friends and family to understand a quilter’s obsession. [T]his book… appeals to all your emotions. You will find yourself laughing, crying and well versed on the quilting world by the time you finish the book. Kelly you have truly warmed my quilter’s heart in a delightful way by explaining every aspect of the quilting world!
Library Journal
From the Library Journal
Smith, Kelly. Open Your Heart with Quilting: Mastering Life Through Love of Patches. Dreamtime. (Open Your Heart). Sept. 2008. c.192p. ISBN 978-1-60166-014-5. pap. $14.95. SELF-HELP
This latest book in the “Open Your Heart” series is designed to help readers find joy by doing things they love, in this case, quilting. In a very concrete way, IT consultant and quilter Smith reveals how the practice of quilting can help connect with family, heal from illness or grief, celebrate milestones, and deepen connection to the universe. Part 1 explores the nature of quilting, quilting around the world, and the benefits of quilting. Part 2 presents the how-to’s on selecting colors, blocking squares, and sewing. Smith’s work serves mainly as an exploration of quilting rather than a practical guide, as the pictures do not give adequate instruction for the novice. For die-hard quilters only.
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