I bought some new books lately to spark my creativity, and I’m excited to share them with you.

I will start out with the best purchase of all – I broke down and bought Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern, which feels more like a coffee table book for my craft room, tempting me to call it my inspiration room.

I have to admit, the first time I looked at this book, I was a little hesitant to buy it because I thought it would be a project book, like Amy’s first book In Stitches. However, on a recent lunch hour, I found a comfy chair in the back of the book store, and studied this book, page by page, as if it were a textbook. I found out that it is instead a lifestyle book, portraying different aspects of Amy’s life, from her house, to her studio, to her designs, to her garden, to her travels. I was so caught up in the images, the inspirations, and the messages that I just lost track of time. Every time I look at this book, I lose track of time.  It inspires me to sew more, decorate my house, plant more in the garden, and even learn to draw!

Next, I fell in love with Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray, which gives general embroidery techniques and project instructions for many, many projects. This inspires me to try more embroidery, to practice my doodling and to learn to sketch.

The last book I bought was Pretty Little Patchwork by Lark Books, which begins with basic patchwork techniques and moves on to lots of adorable patchwork projects.

I recently heard someone suggest that if a book has three or more patterns in it that you would make, you must buy it. Here are at least three projects I would like to try:

One last note, I can’t wait to purchase Anna Maria Horner’s new book to be called Seams To Me, which won’t be out until October. I just know it will be fantastic because Anna Maria and ALL her work are fantastic!