Review   Going To Pieces - August 22, 2008
"Free motion quilting is one of those things that quilters seem to either love or avoid. I know a number of quilters who've been pretty intimidated about free motion quilting, and I know scads of them who simply aren't interested in learning it. They'll hand quilt and send a quilt out for professional long-arm quilting before they'll drop their feed dogs and hook up the free motion foot. But one of the best things about quilting is that there is room for every taste and technique here. Those people who don't want to quilt using free-motion quilting -- or those who do but want a different alternative from time to time, will want to check out 'Foolproof Machine Quilting' by Mary Mashuta.
Mary Mashuta is an internationally known quilt maker and teacher, and pretty much a legend here in Northern California. She excels at using contemporary and unusual fabric choices with traditional quilt patterns to create innovative and striking quilts. And if you've ever examined them or had a class with Mary, then you know that Mary just doesn't do free motion quilting. Instead, she's developed a way of designing elegant and relatively simple shapes to complement the blocks she quilts, all sewn with a walking foot and a straight stitch.
This book lays out Mary's thoughts, processes, and tips about walking-foot quilting. She tells you how to use thick threads (even #8 perle cotton), and how to select the right needles and batting for your project. Most importantly, she shows how she creates her own quilting templates, using freezer paper or contac paper, to make repositionable quilting guides in any shape you choose. There are lots of illustrations in this book showing variations of quilting shapes and even creative uses for decorative stitches in the quilting process...You all know how much I love quilt books, and you won't be surprised that I really do look at them over and over for inspiration. Sometimes I'm studying color, sometimes quilting designs, sometimes just general ideas...the information here is clear and very useful, and the images do provide good illustration of attractive quilting designs."

Review   Will Work for Fabric - August 27, 2008
"I'm not a big fan of marking quilts and this book has some great ideas for quilting templates without marking the quilt.....and besides, what's not to love about Mary Mashuta??"

Review   The Quilting Attic - September 4, 2008
"MY LASTEST and GREATEST FIND
OK....are you all ready???? The newest book at It's A Stitch (in my humble opinion) is:
FOOLPROOF MACHINE QUILTING by Mary Mashuta.
This is the coolest machine quilting book I believe on the market. Features include: Learning how to use your walking foot; paper-cut patterns for no marking, no math; simple stitching for stunning results."






Review   Village Fabric Shoppe - September 2, 2008
"...This is a great book, with this method, you have: no marking on your top, no free motion, no puckers, no removing stubborn markings, all because you use your walking foot throughout. The designs are beautiful, and easy to reproduce on your own projects. If you don't want to pay someone else to do your quilting, and have been reluctant to do your own because it was hard to decide on designs, and even trickier to maneuver, than you need this book. It can solve all those troubles for you. You may even decide that machine quilting is your favorite part. Its time to get all those tops done!!"

Review   Subversive Stitchers: Women Armed with Needles - September 15, 2008
"Mary Mashuta's Foolproof Machine Quilting surprised me. I've been a fan of free motion machine quilters. In awe, I worshipped the trapunto and intricate designs often featured on award winning quilts. My own experience were little experiments with pillows and I treated the quilting as regular sewing with the feed dogs up. It worked, but I hadn't seen anyone advocating this type of machine quilting for competitive projects and set it aside. Mashuta's book encourages such quilting and shows how truly lovely it can be. She carefully encourages and explains the use of walking foot attachment and adds the use of paper cut patterns to eliminate the need for markings. I particularly appreciated the terms 'foolproof' and 'No Math!" declarations. No, this is not the equivalent of free motion quilting, but for a fraidy cat like me and one who appreciates a short-learning curve, this gives me hope that I can indulge in machine quilting and have instant success."

Review By: Penny Haren,   Checker Newsletter - September 22, 2008
"When I think of Mary Mashuta, I think of bold colors, striking use of graphic designs such as stripes and plaids, and sharp contrasts. That’s why I was surprised when I heard that her latest book was on machine quilting. But, when I read the book - “Foolproof Machine Quilting” - it made perfect sense! She has applied these same signature visual elements to machine quilting.
While the simplicity of her techniques will not intimidate the novice, the dramatic effects created by combining the methods will appeal to the experienced quilters as well. Her matter of fact, step by step approach, makes it easy.
Frankly, many of the books I see give way too much information! While that is a good thing for those of you who have already had success quilting your own pieces, it can overwhelm a beginner.
And, it doesn’t have to be expensive. Mary keeps the supply list down to a minimum too. She teaches you how to cut your own templates and start with the basics. After you have learned them, she shares other templates and products that can expand your design capabilities. But, you won’t believe what she is able to create by sewing simple, straight lines! Remember, Mary’s roots and expertise in working with dramatic stripes and plaids? She has quilted these elements into her projects to add a three-dimensional effect that, while simple, is simply dynamic!
And, it is a good read! There are hints and tips on every page - with lots if illustrations. Everyone will learn something from the master! Take advantage of her 30 plus years of experience - and add her own quirky style to your next project.
To explore her roots, you may also want to read Confetti Quilts. This book showcases her dramatic sense of color and graphic design - a picture is worth a thousand words…..
Mary will be signing copies of her latest book at the Checker booth at International Quilt Market in Houston next month. Stop by for a visit. It is not often that you get to meet a legend!"

Review   KC Quilter - September 30, 2008
"...Oh, I have tons of machine quilting books but this one is a little different. It is not about free-motion quilting. It is all about walking foot--feed dogs up style. It has a lot of tips for achieving great designs with a bit more control than the free-motion allows. Can't wait to have a small project ready for experimentation with some of Mashuta's techniques. Of course, the always-present problem of shoving a huge quilt through a small opening on a domestic home machine still exists! But I think this will give some ideas for mixing with walking-foot with free-motion."

Review By: Carole Dahlstrom,    - October 10, 2008
"Mary, Just wanted to let you know that I LOVE your book Foolproof Machine Quilting! I just got it in the mail yesterday and have already devoured it once. Now I need to go through it again with a highlighter. There were so many things in the book I 'knew' but having you put them in writing confirmed things--like smaller quilts are easier to machine quilt (send the larger ones to a long-arm quilter). And then there was the learning stuff--types of threads, which way to press a block, how to end a line of stitching (securing stitches), etc."

Review By: Jean Boyd,    - January 22, 2009
"...I must say that you have captivated me in more ways than one! I especially like the paper folding method you use as I dislike having to mark my quilts. What a great idea!! I've been having more fun folding and cutting out templates! I've gone through a lot of paper trying to get the perfect one and I'm getting better each time. I have so many quilts in my mind to make...I'll just do the best I can and it will be all the more enjoyable now that I have your book. Every time I open the book it seems I find and idea that I had missed before. Thank you for hours and hours of creative ideas!"

Review   TAS Newsletter - January 1, 2009
“…highlights her technique of quilting with a walking-foot and the feed dogs up…Mary covers how to use the features on your machine, set up your working area, assembling the quilt sandwich and how to create your own quilting designs. She works primarily with self-adhesive self paper but freezer paper also works.”

Review   Australian Homespun Magazine - July 1, 2009
“This book has the potential to change the life of quiltmakers who would love to be able to complete their own projects using their domestic sewing machines. Mary Mashuta explains how to design quilting patterns that add interest to a quilt top and stitch them using a walking foot and with the feed dogs up-that's right this is not about free-machine quilting but about simple stitching for stunning results. And it's not all stitching 'in the ditch' either. Mary provides 'no maths' methods for creating block border quilting designs that will perfectly fit quilts of all shapes and sizes.”

Review   MCCalls Quilting - April 1, 2009
"If the words 'free motion machine quilting' make you cringe, C&T author Mary Mashuta knows just how you feel. This renowned teacher has developed an amazing variety of techniques and designs for the machine quilting using the walking foot, and her new book includes dozens of them, presented through detailed photography and helpful text. Quilt your own projects beautifully, and never drop the feed dogs."

Review By: Leona Avny,    - January 4, 2010
"I have been a quilter for about three years and have shyed away from machine quilting. Your book has given me courage to step outside my comfort zone and tackle some smaller quilting projects.   I am an avid crazy quilter and love handwork, but the thought of quilting some of my patchwork pieces was daunting. I keep your book close to my sewing machine and have begun to do tablerunners, baby quilts and some lap quilts. Anything larger I still send out.  Your book Foolproof Machine Quilting has so many good ideas. If you ever do classes in Central Florida, I would love to attend.  As a widow and single mom, I sew every weekend. (I call it my stitch therapy!) It is very exciting to be able to quilt some of my own projects."

Review   Australian Quilters Companion - November 1, 2010
“This is a great book to encourage even the most inexperienced machine quilter to get on and have a go. Included are some great tips for designing your own quilting templates and tips on equipment and techniques to use. Mary shares some great ideas.”

Review By: Maria Hrabovsky,    - August 6, 2010
"Here is the answer to the "quilt as desired" dilemma and for those who find free motion quilting difficult. Quilters will learn to use a simple straight stitch to create surprisingly beautiful results. Mary teaches us to quilt with our walking foot with feed dogs up and introduces us to all of its advantages. She goes beyond the usual stitch-in-the-ditch which is often the only use most quilters make of their walking feet. Valuable information about our sewing machines is included along with how to select projects and supplies, basic sewing tips, selecting projects and supplies, and important information for working with monofilament and other types of thread. The very useful section on preparing the quilt top and quilt sandwich will ensure problem-free edges for our quilts. Important lessons in the book quilters are how to create our own quilting designs and make the templates for them. The book is chock-full of quilt design ideas for a variety of block sizes and patterns in full colour. Borders are not neglected. 16 pages of of directions and photos ensure that our quilts will be finished beautifully. This book is definitely a must-have for our personal quilt book libraries!"