Review from Popular Patchwork magazine

This is a lovely collection of twenty pieced and appliqued projects, grouped together to include matching large and small items in the same design. The major project in each chapter is often a quilt or large wall hanging, whilst the smaller pieces range from a glasses case to a lampshade and incorporate motifs or blocks from the companion piece. The designs are quite traditional and have an antique American feel, with a slightly folksy or homespun style. Kim Diehl has a great eye for color; she uses a palette reflecting the brighter end of the Civil War color spectrum. There are some beautiful quilts here, and the smaller projects allow you to have fun with wool applique, yo-yos and more without committing to a big quilt. Those small projects are also ideal for the more adventurous beginner quilter, who may benefit from the excellent general instructions for patchwork and quilting.

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Review from Midwest Book Review

Kim Diehl's Simple Graces: Charming Quilts and Companion Projects provides a new collection of the author's original pieced and appliqued designs, with eight quilts accompanied by at least one additional companion project from tea towels to pillowcases. Ideas for more projects pepper a survey that teaches how to mix prints and colors and add easy embellishments for polished results.

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Review from Barbara Rhoades, Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer

Ms. Diehl has written another great quilt book. She begins with a 20-page overview of basics such as cutting, piecing and applique techniques. But the best part of this overview are the shaded boxes, called "Pin Points," where she provides extra tips such as choosing thread color for applique and extending the life of your ironing board.

She has provided eight patterns and within each of those patterns are sub-patterns, such as a Pie in the Sky category, which has a throw pillow and pillowcases. The projects have a colorful photo of the item and a small blurb about it. Materials and cutting lists follow, along with the finished quilt and block sizes. Instructions are clearly written and Pin Points tips can be found interspersed in the instructions. There are enough graphics to make sure you are on the right track. The best part is she tells you how the shown item was quilted rather than the dreaded “quilt as desired!”

Templates are provided at full size and the projects include squares, strips, half-square triangles, applique and even yo-yo’s.  The final page provides a short bio about the author and URLs where you can find out more information.

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