Quilting Books

This is a WONDERFUL book. The pictures are gorgeous and the nstructions are accurate and concise. Makes you want to own every quilt and rug in the book!

Filled with beautiful photos of Polly's home and her hooked rugs, along with her sister's wonderful coordinating quilts, this is a MUST HAVE book for all rug hooker's new and "old." Americana "eye-candy!" It is refreshingly uncomplicated and includes patterns to both quilt and hook. Every crafter needs this book on their bookshelf!

Folk Art Friends is both an inspirational and a practical how-to-book, combining two art forms...hand-hooking rugs and quilting to produce your own folk art. I am a rug hooker of just 2 years; I have never quilted, but have wanted to hand quilt a piece. This book is urging me to "go girl". Beautiful color photos, clear directions, patterns galore, resources for materials...everything a quilter and/or rug hooker would need in one book...and you can produce coordinating works! These two authors, sisters, are experts who are willing to share their ideas and techniques with others...in the true spirit of their arts. This book is a true "keeper".

This is a wonderfully composed book with clear instructions, beautiful pictures, and interesting background. Inspiration comes from not only the projects, but from the wonderful ways the rugs and quilts are displayed in Polly's home. This is not only a must have for any quilter and hooker, but is also a tempting book for those who would like to learn either art.

Donna Schultz

I love this book! It is full of inspiration, information and lots of wonderful photos. Very clear, concise instructions are included, as well as lots of great patterns. I especially loved Polly's color palette in her folky rugs and seeing the rugs and coordinated quilts on display in her home. For those looking for Americana themed rugs and quilts, this is a great book, as it contains several projects based on red,white & blue designs.

What a fabulous book! R J E's style is unique, but the techniques are well explained and demonstrated in such a way that I can see how I can incorporate this work into my own style. There is a delectable sense of fun throughout the book, both in the quilts themselves and the way in which the book is written. The book is a great read as well as being full of fabulous new techniques and inspiration.

Free Expression has information on design, color, construction, fusing, quilting, and dyeing your own fabric. Patterns are included in the book and sizeable on CD. The designs are wonderful, photographed artfully, you can really see the quilting in the photos! You feel like Robbi is talking to you when you read this book! There is no book out there even similar, it has every step illustrated and photographed. What a well written book.

Robbi is a quilt artist who inspires the creative quilter in you. Her book is thought provoking and challenges you to think outside the box in both your pieces and quilting!

The best compliment I can give this book is that it is never on my bookshelf - it's always right next to my sewing machine! Robbi Joy Eklow has the best instructions for fabric dyeing (and I've read quite a few books on dyeing) and the best information on free-motion machine quilting. Since purchase, I have consulted it over and over. Highly recommended!

My eyes practically popped out of my head when I saw the amazing colors and techniques that Robbi Joy Eklow uses to make her quilts, and I couldn't wait to try them out myself. I found the directions easy to follow and the patterns and CD included really made this book a good value. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in new ways of designing and stitching quilts.

This is an awesome book! Any person who appreciates quilting will have fun reading this book! Every new quilter MUST READ this book before they run to the fabric store. I only wish that I'd read it years ago. I laughed so hard at Ami Simms' vivid descriptions of "How NOT to Make a Prize-Winning Quilt" that I could hardly contain myself. She verbalized every thought new quilters may have had about their own quilting experiences. I am NOT a great quilter and after reading her book, I've come to appreciate my first (utility) quilt because I had quilted it for the love of it and not it's technique. Now she's given me inspiration to work on my technique.

If you're a beginner you won't really understand this book but buy it anyway!! After you've made around 10 quilts then read it!! Then you'll "get it"!! Very funny!! Ami Simms' humor keeps you reading from start to finish!!!

This book was cute and as a beginner quilter, I understand it perfectly. Its an adventure to say the least! From misinterpreting patterns to taking up the diningroom with a quilt stretcher is all things we can relate to.

This is a great book for begining and experienced quilters. As soon as I started reading I was sure that Ami Simms wrote this book for me! She writes about all of the little mistakes quilters make and how they do things to save time, but instead diminsh quality. I laughed throughout the whole book, and recommend it to anyone who knows too well the problems of being a beginning quilter!

This author is just flat out funny while throughly communicating how to avoid common pitfalls in quilting, how to do it right--or what to do after you run out of beds. She clearly has passion and deep knowledge of her craft. This is not the only book you'll need to get started, but I think it's probably a must have for someone in the beginner to intermediate range. Or someone who wants to compare nuggets of advice with another quilting nut.

Luminous Landscapes: Quilted Visions in Paint and Thread A beautiful book with helpful techniques.

Luminous Landscapes exceded all my expectations. I was fortunate to attend Gloria's workshop in 2004 in Durban, South Africa and enjoyed every minute. It is wonderful to have the book now to refresh my mind, to give more inspiration and to learn new techniques. The book is very good worth for money and very well and clearly illustrated. Instructions are easy to follow. I can highly recommend it to fellow-quilters.

This book is one of the best I've seen. There are some well written and well-organised sections dealing with the principles of composition, colour and stitching techniques. Gloria usually starts her landscapes with a painted background, so she gives a short well-illustrated section on fabric painting. Most of that stuff is available elsewhere, but it is assembled and illustrated particularly well.
The second half of the book contains details of her construction methods. One of those is using freezer paper on the right side of the fabric for appliqued shapes. The second - her signature style - is pieced sections on point, blended into the applique design. She gives clear diagrams
and inspiring examples of this technique. She then gives some examples of how to achieve different effects for trees, water and reflections. There is a gallery of student work, and two fully illustrated projects with paper patterns included at the back.
In my view this is excellent value, a perfect blend of practical tips and inspiration.

I like this book because it shows me lots of different ways to make designs on fabrics. I can use them in my own designs. Don`t have to make copys of others designs.

Just as the title describes, this book is filled with luminous, georgous quilts and every secret you need to know on how to make your own. Gloria has given detailed instructions and methods on how to create every aspect of landscapes, backgrounds, forgrounds, sky, oceans, animals along with details on how to combine fabrics, apply paint and she has even included patterns. This book is easy to understand and recommended for beginners or advanced quilters wanting to take their creative abilities to a new level.

I am always pleased by the speedy service and the condition and the quailty of the merchandise.

Thanks

I almost passed this book by because I don't like the motif of hands; I thought the content inside might be too cute or tacky. I did buy it though, and I can't wait to use it. The patterns are beautiful and many and they are all Baltimore style with a quarter of the pattern, so that it fits on the page. They can be easily traced or photocopied to use in any way one sees fit.

I started out as a hand appliquér. When I decided to learn fusible machine appliqué, I took this book off the shelf time and time again to refresh my memory on the steps, tips, and tricks involved, including how to get around corners and handle points. Sue's book is an excellent reference. Plentiful, detailed illustrations show exact needle positions and what the stitches should look like. Thanks Sue! You are my go-to gal for raw-edge machine appliqué.

Kay Mackenzie
Author, Teapots to Appliqué

I am a relatively new appliquer and I haven't read many books on applique. After reading this book, my applique was revolutionized! I learned how to use freezer paper and fabric glue to machine applique (why didn't I think of that!).

Until now I have only appliqued by hand or using the fusible method. I don't like the raw-edge look, however, so I really gained a lot of value from Sue Nickel's insights on using glue.

If you haven't tried the iron-and glue method using freezer paper for machine applique that looks like it was done by hand, this book will inspire you!

There are lots of templates to try out her different methods and you can create a very traditional looking quilt from her patterns.

I first saw Sue Nickel's on "Simply Quilts" with Alex Anderson, demonstrating her techniques. This method of applique looks as good as the kind you turn under the raw edges, but it takes alot less time. Sue also has a technique where you remove the inside of the fusible web so the applique isn't so hard. If you want a book on all kinds of applique techniques, then I would recommend Harriet Hargrave's "Mastering Machine Applique". I like Sue's approach to applique the best.

The Prairie Girl's Guide To Life is the perfect gift for an old hippie-type (me), and for a modern girl with a sentiment for "how it was in Nana's day". Hectic day at work? This should be added to your collection of soothing, come-down-off-the-ceiling easy reads. A paragraph or two, you're suddenly breathing deeper and are thinking homey type thoughts.

There's something incredibly soothing about reading about how to make candles, soap, and quilts, even if you never plan on taking the time to actually create all of them yourself. Jennifer Worick writing style is funny and light; spending hours reading this book feels like an escape in itself. And it even convinced me to have a tea party.

Jennifer Worick has compiled a collection of practical old fashioned skills that can still apply in our fast paced society of today. Combined with her personal and often humorous recollections of growing up on a small farm in Michigan, this book makes for a fun read. Written with the adventerous and often rough and tumble lifestyle of prarie women at heart, I also felt that it's a great book for men who enjoy embracing the American pioneer spirit that's inevitabely in all of us.

Old fashion skills that fit wonderfully into modern life. The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life is great! It's filled with useful skills that can be applied and used now.

You know you've always wanted a rag rug, but couldn't quite figure out the logistics. Candle making, check. Spin yarn! Now you can give it a whirl too!

Best part, it's separated into Kitchen, Bathroom, Bathroom, Bedroom, Parlor, and Barn and Beyond sections. Added bonus...Prairie Lingo, so you can feel all big bugs with your mad skills.

You'll be like Laura Prairie Girl...but with indoor plumbing.

Jennifer Worick has written another zesty, tidy, and oh so fantastic tome, this time on crafts from the great mid-west and "pioneer times". As with her previous books (which I recommend highly--especially "How to Live with a Man and Love it!") she injects her sardonic sense of humor into even the most basic of craft projects. As a pie maker, I thoroughly enjoyed the recipe for the Rubarb pie, and intend on getting one in the over this fall. For anyone who wants a quirky, vintage (yet simultaneously avant garde), and feel good read that allows you to escape from the modern world of email, texting, and teleconferences, this book is for you.

Actually, I bought this book hoping for quilt block patterns. But, this book is about "quilting" just like it says! By quiliting, it means: unlimited ideas for designs to machine or hand stitch a completed top, filling, and bottom together; finishing a project.
Since knowing how to make your patterns pop is very important to it's finished appearance, this book is helpful for anyone involved in the art of quilting. . . .

I think this is my favorite of all the quilt books I own. (lots of 'em)If it drives you batty when your piecing patterns say "quilt as desired" because you don't know what that is, this will really help. Chaney offers lots of ideas and illustrations so you can decide what you like and what you don't, some instruction and hints/tips on marking, and some quilting patterns for some of the designs in the book. There are loads of piecing pattern books and "basics" books out there, but most really skimp on the effects the quilting will have on your finished product; That's the main focus of this book!

Even though I am a relatively new quilter I find that I have accumulated a number of quilt tops that get stalled because I cannot figure out how to quilt the finished product. Nothing in my imagination seemed to be good enough for the work that already went into the quilt top. This book opened my eyes as to what patterns work with what. I couldn't imagine putting curves on a fence rail! The book shows examples of the same background quilt top with a variety of quilting patterns applied to it. There are also pictures of actual quilts that the author "critiques" which is very helpful. I might be able to tell that I don't like the "finished" product but I cannot tell what I don't like about it. Her comments and instruction are all very useful.
I would recommend this book to anyone that gets stuck on what type of quilting pattern to apply to your quilt top.

When it comes to the quilting part of making a quilt I usually struggle to find designs that will make the quilt stand out. This book has been a tremendous help for me in this area. It is well worth the price.

Thank you Barb Chainey for a wonderful technique book. I'm so tired of project books that give you projects but no meat as to how to do it(Quilt as desired). Even if you're a machine quilter, this book is wonderful. Her other book, The Essential Quilter, is also a must have in my opinion!

This is a wondefull book for small quilts. Instructions very easy to understand. Book was in excellent conditon. Received very quickly after ordering.

The instructions are clear and easy. The patterns are intresting and versitile. The quilts are quick to make. After I bought this book so did 2 of my friends.

A wonderful book for the novice and experienced quilter! Easy to follow directions and excellent photos. Can't go wrong with this book!!

I fell in love with the cover quilt, but have found so many others inside that I like as well. I have dozens of quilting books, but this is one I reach for often for inspiration.

The patterns are especially well suited for scrap quilts although most of the examples in this book are made with "bright" fabrics.

This is a great book for beginners / children learning to quilt. It is also good for quilters with experience to use as chairty / gift quilts. They are interesting patterns, but quick to do.

Simple illustrations and instructions with easy, satisfying projects.

I got this book because of the quilt on the cover that I found interesting enough to want to do. After getting the book and reading through it, I find there is much more I want to try my hand at, as well as the thoughts of making quilts for charities and hospitals. It was really a gift in a book! Great book for guilds to do as well!

A wonderful two volume source of Redwork information. The author's knowledge and private collection enhances the work in volume I; volume II provides patterns for the vintage Redwork (penny square) patterns. I highly recommend this resource for anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating method of embroidery that originated many years ago.

Book came in great condition, on time, and worth every penny. It's filled with many old patterens and lots of history, a pleasure to read. If it's Redwork you enjoy , then order this one.

I found these books to be very informative and interesting. I would recommend them to anyone interested in Redwork Quilts.

This book would make a lovely gift for anybody interested in textile arts, even for someone with little or no quilting or embroidery experience. The presentation is lovely -- two nicely bound, wonderfully illustrated books nestled inside a snug cardboard jacket. One book features a short discussion of redwork embroidery along with illustrations of exquisitely executed quilts. The other supplies brief instructions (perhaps too brief -- especially the section on transferring the patterns)and a lovely collection of redwork patterns so that readers can create their own redwork quilt. My only quarrel with the book is that a beginner (like me!) might not feel confident with the brief instructions. However, a quick trip to the fabric store to talk to a knowledgable salesperson should dispel any doubts. Despite this small problem, I give the book 5+ stars -- it was great fun to browse through, then to read intently , then to pore over as I selected possible designs for my very first quilt!

Often it is difficult to get accurate, well documented information on traditional crafts and handwork. Much of that art form was passed down from generation to generation with very little written record. Deborah Harding has done a wonderful job of finding old newpaper and magazine articles on Redwork, as well as fantastic old patterns reproduced here. A friend of mine loaned me this set of books, and I could never bring myself to return them to her, so I knew I had to have my own set!

Susan Delaney Mech's Rx For Quilters provides over five hundred tips for quilting and stitching which are peculiar to health concerns; from avoiding injury to a stitchers' hands, wrists and neck to learning how injury or hormonal shifts affect stitching and avoiding carpal tunnel syndrome and age-related eye changes. An excellent, unusual health approach every stitcher should own.

I am not a quilter, yet I found Dr.Mech's book very helpful for a smarter way to deal with sitting down type tasks. Her advice is very practical and easily applied in our busy lifestyles at home or work. She talks about women at different ages and their different challenges to keeping healthy. It's a great book for anyone wanting to stay pain-free while enjoying repetitive tasks. Thank you, Dr. Mech!

There's no getting around the fact that quilting and sewing in general can be bad for you, if you're not careful. The author goes over all the potential problems and how to either avoid them or deal with them, if her advice is coming too late. This book is useful no matter your age, but of course it's best for the beginnning quilter or sewer who is in a position to head off all the potential problems. Highly recommended.

Ms. Mech's book is delightful; appropriate for handicrafters other than quilters in addition to being a must-have for quilters. She suggests ways to prevent strain on the body while relaxing the mind with a favorite pastime. Would be a wonderful holiday gift!

Susan writes this quilter-friendly book to help quilters everywhere. She reminds us about our posture, workspace, lighting, sewing chair, and MUCH MUCH more! This is not a large book but it is packed with great tips and advice. She reminds us to take frequent breaks.....now this might not be a great revelation but we need to be reminded to do this. I could recommend this book to quilters everywhere, in fact I have given it as a gift to friends. But this book is not just for quilters....anyone who is in a repetetive job should read the book......they would benefit from her expertise. Great book in with a friendly presentation. I felt that Susan was sitting with me and sharing her wealth of information!