this giveaway is now closed. thank you for all of your entries. good luck :)

what do you get when you take one of your favorite craft bloggers & combine them with one of your favorite publishing houses? one awesome book! a modern, fun, fresh and upbeat book filled with eye candy on every page. "little bits quilting bee" by the oh, so talented kathreen ricketson of the blog "whipup" has written a jewel of a craft book. any quilter from beginner to intermediate is sure to find inspiration and patterns galore.

"little bits quilting bee: 20 quilts using charm squares, jelly rolls, layercakes & fat quarters" offers a fresh approach to modern quilting. i love that kathreen offers up quilt designs that are unique and original using those pre-cuts that we all love.

i think my favorite part of the book is where kathreen draws her inspirations for the patterns from. i adore that she designed quilts around "small sparks" of ideas like lollipop tress and her children's drawings. all of the quilts in the books are lovingly designed and quilted and have that fantastic aesthetic of kathreen's that we all enjoy.

from her use of colors to shapes and finally textures she brings the quilts in this book to life. oh, and there isn't just quilts ladies...there's also wall hangings, play mats, crib quilts, couch throws and more. i likey!

kathreen also has a great section at the beginning of the book all about community quilting, quilting bees & clubs. she shares how to get involved and how to start your own. she also has some great chapters teaching you everything from pre-cut myth busters, what equipment & supplies you'll need as well as the anatomy of a quilt, which covers everything from piecing techniques, batting, backing, quilting, binding & applique! the patterns in the book all include clear step by step instructions, how to illustrations and pattern pieces stored in a handy pocket at the front of the book. it's fahhhhbbbbbulous!

the book is split up into the type of pre-cut you are working on. whether it's charm squares, fat quarters, layer cakes or jelly rolls....

there is a quilt for every skill level. little bits quilting bee is filled with a captivating energy. the quilts just scream to be made and treasured. they look like so much fun to craft and sew and so easy to express your love and passion with every stitch. bonus is all the designs are made with pre-cuts which are easy on the wallet and on the rotary cutter. they each tell a little story in their design and that is one of the things i enjoy the most about kathreen's work. it's like getting a sneak peek into her creative mind & process.

would you like one of your own?

- one lucky winner will win their very own copy of "little bits quilting bee"! yippee! i LOVE book giveaways! this giveaway is open to US/Canadian residents only.

- simply leave me a comment below letting me know what your favorite kind of pre-cut is to use while quilting.

- all comments must include a valid email address or you will be disqualified.

- giveaway is open until november 16, 2011 at midnight pacific standard time.

i know what i'll be using the goodies i've got below in the next few months!

happy quilting everyone and good luck for the giveaway! big thanks to kathreen and to chronicle books for having me along on this tour! you can find all things kathreen ricketson here:

blog | action pack | facebook | twitter

and you can also follow the rest of the "little bits quilting bee" tour below where you can find a lot more quilty goodness and more giveaways!