That Dorky Homemade Look: Quilting Lessons from a Parallel Universe

Rating:
Summary: Better than Bombeck
Review: Do you have to know anything about quilting to enjoy Lisa Boyer's humor? Naaahh. But like a new bride receiving her first beautifully written cookbook, the prospect for this novice is enticing. Someday I may quilt. Naaahh.
Now some of you won't get it. Lisa reminds me of Sue Grafton's wise-cracking heroine Kinsey Millhone, her interior voice gently poking fun of the incongruity of every situation.
Lisa's philosophy is the perfect antidote to fear. "Will I get it right?" Lisa answers back, "No, but no one will notice." Quilting, like cookery, is an art, therefore a growth process, something to be enjoyed along the way.
It is treacherously difficult to write good humor. One must have a humorist's ear for timing. One must be eminently forgiving of the human situation. One must have insights that pierce and probe but do not puncture.
This collection of essays has already found its following among the readers of "Quilting Today." Now, the rest of us civilians can enjoy them.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Witty!
Review: Her quilting perceptions are truly wonderful. I really loved how she described the muck in her sewing room that htreatened to engulf her in the midst of a big decision. This is how i feel with every quilt! A great light read. I would recommend it for anyone who is threatening to take themselves too seriously!

Rating:
Summary: A Nostalgic Visit to the Spiritual, Hilarious World of Sewin
Review: Lisa Boyer's book helped me understand again why I sew and why I need to sew. Her descriptions of visits to the fabric store and her whole relationship to scissors brought back some wonderful memories for me. The creative process that takes place during sewing has nothing to do with a polished finished product, and somehow I knew that always, but found it stated in Lisa's book.
Now I can go on making misshapen dresses that I could never wear and be happy about it.

I laughed more when reading this book than I have laughed in a long long time.

I am going to buy one for my girlfriend for Mother's Day!

Kristin Margetts
Huntington Beach, California

Rating:
Summary: Reminds me of why I quilt!
Review: Lisa's prose just had me smiling and laughing.... it's like she's been peeking in my windows all these years. At times, her irreverence just mirrors my soul! We all have special scissors, cranky fabric, and dreams! I especially loved her take on seeing one's quilt on the wall at a show... my quilts too are private pieces, filled with memories and spirit and hope and joy and sorrow.

You don't need to be a quilter to appreciate Lisa's take on men and rusty objects, or the trials of decision making! And since I have several friends who have had long arm machines in their living rooms, well, let's just say the shoe fits just right!

And now if you will excuse me, I need to make sure the kids don't have the good scissors!

Rating:
Summary: How not to make a nice-looking quilt
Review: That Dorky Homemade Look: Quilting Lessons From A Parallel Universe by quilter, pattern-designer, and sewing-machine mechanic Lisa Boyer is a lighthearted and fun guide to making quilts that appear as amateurish and thrown together as reasonably possible -- or perhaps, how not to make a nice-looking quilt. Tongue-in-cheek guidelines such as "Keep in mind that the colors will fade after a hundred years or so. This being the case, you will need to start with really bright colors" make for quite humorous reading. The Dorky Homemade Look can be taken as a straightforward instruction manual for creating silly, scruffy quilts, or just as a hilarious parody of quilting; either way it is highly enjoyable to read by anyone who has ever put needle and thread to cloth!

Rating:
Summary: Very, very fun book!
Review: This book is a riot. I haven't laughed so hard in ages. There is a laugh on every page. I can't even sew without chuckling about her "Humane Society of Fabric" or her thoughts on the "Zen of Seam Ripping." Her husband sounds just like mine too, so I made my husband read it and he cracked up too. Funny, funny book and I give it two thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: --Amusing look at the world of quilting--
Review: Through her experiences as a long time quilter and staff writer for Quilting Today Magazine, Lisa Boyer gives us her unique and interesting insight to that sometimes-fussy world of quilters. A world where all of the points meet exactly at the right places, where stitches are perfect and the quilt could end up showcased in a museum. Anyone who has really tried to make a quilt will understand the fun that she pokes at that elusive world of perfection. After all, we see quilting shows on television, view quilts at craft shows and bazaar's and never see any quilt that looks like our homemade efforts.

Lisa says, "I am not the first person to ever make a Dorky Homemade Quilt. But maybe I will be the first person to define the category as a bona fide art form." Lisa's right, there must be thousands or millions of dorky quilts hidden in homes all around the world. At least that's what I prefer to think. My big question to Lisa is, why didn't you put any photographs of your dorky quilts in this book? I want to see what you call dorky, maybe it's not really that dorky at all. Lisa, how can we learn to be proud of our dorky efforts if you don't show us yours? Even us dorky quilt makers need a standard to go by!

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Gift For The Quilter In Your Life!
Review: Wait...first you should buy a cute medley of fat quarters to put with this book. :o) THEN you've got yourself an excellent gift! Lisa is very funny and very much like every other quilter on this Earth, a combination that makes this book a success. If you've been bitten by the quilting bug, do yourself a favor and buy this book. Cover yourself up with that half quilted, frayed edge masterpiece you're working on, grab a few cookies and some milk, and take some time out to giggle with the rest of us about our wacky obsession. Friends and family members of quilters: give your quilter this book along with a) some fabric, b) a gift certificate from the local quilting store or c) fabric AND a gift certificate from the local quilting store. If you don't know where to buy this stuff, ASK HER!!! She'll smile and happily give you the information, probably including a hand drawn map of stores in the area. :oD

Rating:
Summary: A Fun Gift For The Quilter In Your Life!
Review: What a great book!!! I had such fun reading it with laughs in every chapter! It's so nice to hear someone with a silly voice on a craft that is so fun. Lisa Boyer truly understands how quilting can get way to serious and she injects that bit of whimsy that we often forget when making a quilt. Every quilter should read this book, a very quick read and some much needed humor for a frustrated quilter.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, someone who gets it!
Review: What a great book!!! I had such fun reading it with laughs in every chapter! It's so nice to hear someone with a silly voice on a craft that is so fun. Lisa Boyer truly understands how quilting can get way to serious and she injects that bit of whimsy that we often forget when making a quilt. Every quilter should read this book, a very quick read and some much needed humor for a frustrated quilter.