I have known Jean Wells for close to 20 years, since I first joined C&T Publishing. I was impressed, then, by her best-selling book, A Celebration of Hearts. Over the years, as I worked on her books, and tracked her progress through the quilting world as an artist and businessperson, she has always been ahead of the curve in style and technique.

Her latest book, Intuitive Color and Design, is no exception. It is the next step for many quilters who have reached a plateau in their technical quilting and want both inspiration and guidance on how to take the next step into art quilting. This book is so appropriately Jean’s: It resonates with her personality, her style. The curves, shapes, colors, and textures in the quilts come naturally to her as an expression of her artistic talent. The energy inherent in this latest work shows how naturally she draws with a pencil, slices with a rotary cutter, or motions in air as she talks to a class. There is freedom in her movement and commitment in her stroke. Having progressed through the technical aspects of quilting, she moves with her intuition: creates from her mind’s ponderings and observations. The result is pure, and purely Jean.

As one of the photographers of her quilts, I was in awe last November when they arrived in the studio. Now I can’t wait to see the finished book in July, to see what the talented C&T team has put together as the final package. This is a book not to be missed. If your budget is thin, save up for this one. It will keep you inspired and sewing through those hot summer months. If you can take a trip to Sisters, Oregon to meet Jean and see her annual quilt show, DO IT! In the meantime, get her new book as a gift to yourself. It’s the next best thing to being there.