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Simple & Mindful

I first spotted Elli Beaven's Quilting ~ 20 Mindful Makes to Reconnect Head, Heart & Hands while browsing around the thrift sites. While I prefer to buy reading for pleasure books used, I buy sewing and quilting books new to show support for other textile artists. No one ever gets rich writing these, honestly, and I admire the authors for teaching others what they do.

The book is compact and well-written, and the projects are largely small and practical, like this cushion. There are some quilts, one of which I'm seriously tempted to make, but none that I think are too hard for a confident sewist.

The author talks about mindfulness in quilting, and encourages the reader to repurpose fabrics, collect and reuse textile waste, and try their own variations and ideas with the projects, all of which I love. Elli also gives a nice crash course in the basic techniques of quilting (including hand stitching) before getting into the projects.

I'm going to try a few of the smaller projects once my hands are in better shape (and maybe that quilt, too.) I think Elli Beaven is the perfect guide if you want to embrace mindfulness, slow stitch and enjoy more the journey of quilting.

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