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72 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ APRIL 6, 2020
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quilting and machine sewing. Other
projects, such as purses and baskets, call
for other more sophisticated skills.
However, all the appliqué work can be
hand-sewn, and designers can use the
included stitches and patterns for their
own projects. Kim’s pleasing book
should inspire fiber artists of all kinds to
add hand-sewn embellishments to their
in-progress projects. (May)Home & Garden
Wellness by Design:
A Room-by-Room Guide to
Optimizing Your Home for
Health, Fitness, and Happiness
Jamie Gold. Tiller, $21.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-
982139-04-9
Kitchen and bathroom designer Gold
(New Kitchen Ideas That Work) focuses
this helpful, if perhaps too narrowly
targeted, guide on how homeowners can
adjust their living spaces to improve
quality of life. In recent years, she
observes, “wellness design” has gained
traction with architects and designers;
beyond health-specific features like
“better air quality from non-toxic
building materials,” “high-performance
ventilation,” and workout rooms, it also
emphasizes how “mood lifters,” such as
family photos and plants, improve
overall well-being. The book highlights
ways to apply this concept room-by-
room, whether with an accessible and
attractive front entrance or a welcoming
and well-orga-
nized kitchen.
Dubbing the
latter space
“the heart or
the hub of the
home,” Gold
divides it into
zones (areas for
food storage,
prep, and clean-up), with directives on
decluttering. There is also advice on the
reordering of the home office, the fitness
room, bedrooms, bathrooms, the laundry
room, and so on. While thorough, the
book assumes a robust budget; renters
or financially strapped owners may, at
most, glean some useful tips for orga-
nizing. But for those with cash to splash,
this will serve as a capable guide. (June)Hobbies & Crafts
Sensational Quilts for Scrap
Lovers: 11 Easily Pieced Projects;
Color & Cutting Strategies
Judy Gauthier. C&T, $27.95 trade paper (96p)
ISBN 978-1-61745-868-2
Gauthier (Rainbow Quilts and Quilts for
Scrap Lovers) calls on her expertise as a scrap
quilter in this helpful offering. “Playing
with my fabric scraps is my all-time
favorite sport,” she writes, emphasizing the
fun and efficiency of creating new quilts
out of used fabric. To Gauthier, a scrap is
anything smaller than a fat quarter but
must measure at least 3½” × 3½” to be
usable. She recommends using three sizes
of templates (3½”, 4½”, and 5½” squares)
from acrylic templates, explains the science
of marrying colors on the color wheel, and
includes instructions for handling odd
shapes, piecing curves, and dealing with
bias edges (treat them like pie crusts, she
advises). She recommends the “keystone
block,” her personal go-to while scrap
quilting, as allowing for the most varied
array of layout options. The 11 quilt
designs include stylized representations of
an aerial view or of precious metals, and
the playful “Knit Stitch.” Quilters who
peruse this enjoyable compendium will
agree with Gauthier that her patterns
provide “more scrappiness to love.” (May)★ Zakka Wool Applique:
60+ Sweetly Stitched Designs
Minki Kim. Stash, $25.95 trade paper (128p)
ISBN 978-1-61745-934-4
With this charming compendium,
fabric and pattern designer Kim (Zakka
from the Heart) shows that a basket of
embroidery floss and a pile of wool felt
scraps are all one needs to begin hand-
sewing appliqués. Offering projects
intended specifically for stitchers who
prefer to work without sewing machines
and while alongside other people (Kim
enjoys doing needlework with her
family), she begins with a section devoted
to basic techniques before starting in on
the projects, for which she gives step-by-
step instructions. These are followed by
a visual gallery of stitches and patterns
used in the projects, prominently featuring
kitchen, floral, and gardening motifs.
Some of the projects call for skills other
than stitching, such as the “Little Patch
Coasters,” which require some simpleglossaries and helpful descriptions of
staple ingredients, such as fresh and dried
chiles (for ancho chilis, she writes, “dried
poblano chile with a sweet, fruity flavor
and a mild heat level”) and Mexican-style
cheese (cotija, she notes, is “crumbly and
salty like grated Parmesan”). Along the
way, Alpers provides a history of Tucson
and considers how the region’s past has
influenced its cuisine (for the Cod
Tlalpeño with chickpeas, she writes,
“Chickpeas were introduced by the
Spanish into the Southwest along the Rio
Grande by 1630”). Fans of Southwestern
cuisine will appreciate this flavorful
recipe collection. (Apr.)★ Trejo’s Tacos:
Recipes & Stories from L.A.
Danny Trejo, with Hugh Garvey. Clarkson
Potter, $26 (224p) ISBN 978-1-9848-2685-5
Instantly recognizable as a menacing
bad guy in over 300 films and TV shows,
actor Trejo is also an L.A. restaurateur,
and here he presents excellent recipes
from his Trejo’s Tacos restaurants. Trejo
begins with advice for stocking a Mexican
pantry, then
lays out tradi-
tional recipes
based on key
ingredients that
can be used in
tacos, burritos,
or rice bowls—
including
barbacoa brisket,
carne asada (as well as a mushroom
version), carnitas, and grilled chicken.
For those wanting to expand their taco
repertoire, Trejo offers inventive riffs on
such fillings as falafel, roasted cauliflower,
beer-battered fish, grilled spicy shrimp,
and even a chicken tikka. He rounds out
the collection with sauces (chipotle
shrimp cocktail sauce), sides (cotija and
chile mashed potatoes), and desserts
(nacho donuts, made with cheddar
cheese and poblano chiles), as well as a
variety of margaritas. Trejo keeps the
sourcing and prep to a minimum while
coaxing maximum flavor out of each
dish, making the food approachable for
home cooks of all abilities. This fiend-
ishly creative collection is a must-have for
taco lovers. (Apr.)