These glowing quilts bring together two of quilting's best-loved traditions: Japanese Sashiko and colorful applique. A large quilt gallery will inspire you to design your own Sashiko/applique creations. * Hand-stitch 6 vivid quilts inspired by tropical flora and fauna * Learn the secrets of successful Sashiko and applique * Options for both turn-under and fusible applique * Create designs from your own photos * Embellish your quilts with hand embroidery

Author Biography

Sylvia Pippen grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and was taught to sew at a very early age by her mother, Kitty Pippen. While raising her family in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, Sylvia studied tailoring and pattern making and designed jackets made with Japanese Yukatas and Seminole patchwork. Owner of a perennial flower nursery, Sylvia installed gardens, arranged flowers for weddings, and wrote weekly gardening columns for the local newspaper. When her children were grown, Sylvia and Peter sold the 40-acre farm and bought an old 40-foot sailboat, where she learned to quilt in cramped quarters and to mend sails. Sylvia's quilts took on a tropical twist when she moved to Hawaii and worked as a gardener at the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kauai. After co-authoring a book with her mother, Sylvia turned to teaching and designing patterns and fabric kits full time. She teaches locally, on the neighboring islands and on the mainland, while also managing her pattern and fabric kit business. Sylvia now resides in Hilo on the Big Island with her partner, Peter. When not quilting, she is weeding her garden, exploring the latest lava flow, snorkeling, or playing her flute.