This month C&T is releasing Paradise Stitched–Sashiko & Applique Quilts by Sylvia Pippen.

Sylvia lives in Hilo, Hawaii and when we she first sent in the quilts to be photographed for the book, rumor spread fast that we all needed to stop by the photo studio to check them out. We took turns oohing and aahing at the stunning tropical quilts and now we get to share them with you. Sylvia Pippen is new to the C&T community, so we asked her to introduce herself to our blog readers.

I live on the Big Island of Hawaii with my partner Peter and our puppy Chico. We moved to paradise 9 years ago after 25 New England winters, and a stint living on a sailboat. We live near the ocean outside of Hilo and are carving fruit and veggie gardens out of the lava flows. We raised our children on 40 acres in Massachusetts where I was a garden designer, nurse and flute teacher. I felt compelled to make quilts when we moved to Hawaii and I fell in love with the flamboyant colors and shapes of the Tropics. I worked as a gardener in the National Tropical  Botanical Garden on Kauai where got a chance to observe up close  orchids, heliconias, bamboos , 50 kinds of plumeria, hibiscus, to name only a few. I set aside my pruning shears 5 years ago and became a full time quilter, teaching, designing patterns and fabric kits. It is a family affair; my daughter runs the business end, my son and cousin do the computer graphic art for print and website, my mother Kitty Pippen consults and advises every step of the way. My quilts are greatly influenced by my mother, a well known quilter, who introduced me to sashiko and appliqué and who has given me one-on –one work shops all my life. We have a wonderful synergistic effect on each other; we co-authored a book, taught and traveled together. We talk every day about our latest quilt designs and projects.  My mother, still teaching at 89, is coming to co-teach a 5 day retreat in my new studio here in Hawaii in October. My goal is to teach right here at home and share our little piece of Paradise in Hawaii. Hawaii is a polyglot of cultures, so I am exposed to many different Pacific Island art forms to draw inspiration from. I like mixing up different quilt traditions, taking bits from one to add to another. I am inspired by Hawaiian and Tahitian quilts, but most of my quilts combine sashiko and appliqué. I like to use sashiko in non-traditional ways, such as to outline foliage behind applied flowers as well as in combination with Japanese geometric sashiko designs. As more quilts mounted up on the quilt rack, I decided it was time to write my own book. I teach here in the Islands and on the mainland and wanted to share the techniques I have discovered along the way with a wider audience. Paradise Stitched covers:

• How to easily form crisp precise appliqué shapes with the press-over Mylar Method.
• Choosing and fussy cutting fabric to make dimensional luminescent flowers.
• Sashiko techniques
• Embroidery embellishment
• Adding curved borders
• How to design your own quilts using appliqué and sashiko
• Finishing techniques such as how to face a quilt instead of binding.
• 6 brand new projects.

I also want to share my passion for hand work. Sashiko is very easy, relaxing, transportable, and very calming. A simple Sashiko running stitch and hand appliqué gives a soft elegant effect that cannot be duplicated on a machine. I am excited to share my quilts and techniques and hope to inspire quilters to make their own unique designs combining sashiko and appliqué. Here is an example of my most recent quilt: