Quilting Books

This book was everything I thought it might be and more. Even sold one to a friend because she had a hissy fit (yes, I'm from Mississippi!) over the quilt on the cover!

I really enjoy this book. Well written and informative. Patterns are such that you can make as illustrated or edit the design by omission as desired.

This is a fantastic find! A wonderful resource for applique patterns with many helpful tips along the way. As an intermediate quilter and beginner at applique, I'm finding projects galore here. It's presented in a clear, concise format with beautiful illustrations. The peony garden and tulip blocks are my absolute favorites followed closely by the fandango basket arrangement.

This would be a great gift for any quilter...so treat yourself or someone you know to some applique inspiration.

If appliqué is something you love to do, Ms. Mahoney's book, APPLIQUÉ QUILT REVIVAL, is one you should have in your library. All the quilts are sewn in fabric reminiscent of the 1930's. But if the `30's fabric is not your thing, just update the pattern by using a fabric that will go with your home.

Ms. Mahoney begins this book with a one-page introduction that talks about quilt patterns of the `30s and the colors of that era. This is followed by a 9-page section covering such quilting basics as cutting and squaring blocks, appliqué techniques and embroidery stitches. The final section before the patterns covers assembling and finishing the quilts.

Now the fun begins. 14 patterns for quilts and a table runner are given. Of course, you can always use one block to make a pillow or three to make a wall hanging. Each pattern gives the finished quilt and block size followed by a paragraph about the quilt.

The materials and cutting lists are clearly written. Appliqué and block assembly instructions include graphics to help show what the written instructions tell you. Assembly, finishing and quilting suggestions are the final items in the pattern. And, of course, don't forget the templates are included at full size.

Birds, flowers, rabbits, kitties, baskets, butterflies, horses, cowboys and houses make up the large variety of items to appliqué. There is something for every taste in this wonderful book.

Love this book! Glad to find some old patterns all in one book. I love the 30s materials and patterns. I plan on making all of them! I want more books like this.

What is surprising about this book is that it is not just a text-book showing simple patterns that you can copy, nor is it a picture book of dozens of incredible quilts that you will probably never equal. Instead this is a clear-eyed tour of the history of a wonderful Quilt Artist. Ruth shows some of her first simple, but well chosen and unique quilt patterns. These simple patterns from nature, lead directly to her more complex quilts, where she shows her increased talents in dazzling quilts of landscapes and semi-abstract trees and plants. But if nothing else, this book is well worth the cost for the single quilt using her daughter's outline in translucent black cloth in an amazing picture quilt. This is a book of inspirations for quilters at all levels.

Ruth McDowell's well-documented journey to develop an extremely personal and artistic quilting 'statement' almost leaves you breathless. She has been able to adapt complex photos and themes into vibrant fabric art, using mostly traditional quilting techniques. However, her innovative use of fabrics (plaids never had it so good), shapes, and design concepts truly rate the title of "Art & Inspirations". A good friend with whom I shared the book got halfway through and said "I'm afraid to turn the pages - they're all so wonderful I can hardly stand it." My sentiments exactly.

What a joyous collection of inspiring images! This amazing teacher creates paintings with fabric. Her wording is clear and uncomplicated for the novice and, I am sure, challenging enough for the seasoned quilter. Buy this book to look at as well as to learn from! I purchased it to use as inspiration for my paintings but Ms. McDowell makes the whole process sound exciting enough to get me peicing too!

I adore Ruth McDowell's work and have felt that way for years. This book is a wonderful book, full of great pictures of truly great quilts. I've spent much time looking through the book. I pick it up every now and then and just enjoy it. It is an awe inspiring work and it is also thought provoking.

The originality of the quilts in this book are awe inspiring, but don't expect to get any instructional how-to's. The author uses some verbage to describe what motivated her designs (many flowers and plants transformed into fiber art), but leaves the actual making of such to the imagination of the reader. This is a digest of the author's evolution as a quilter.

Sally Collins' Art Of Machine Piecing [...] tells how to use precision piecing methods to help attain quality quilts. Almost fifty traditional blocks are represented in the course of explaining how machine piecing works.

Sally Collins has outdone herself with this book. In our modern day society, there is an emphasis on speed - everyone rushes around trying to squeeze in as many activities and projects into each minute of every day. This sometimes has the unfortunate consequence of less attention to detail and the result is sloppiness. In this book, Sally shows the quilter how to slow down and enjoy the process of creating each quilt block.

She starts her book with a chapter on Philosophy and Creativity and her deep love for quilting is very evident in the words that she uses. Phrases such as "..take pleasure in the journey", "..experience the joy and bliss that quiltmaking gives each of us". She views errors as "gifts...opportunities for success" and says that "problem solving is a real key to finding the joy in quiltmaking". With these statements, she removes the fear of making mistakes and turns errors into learning opportunities. She states that quality workmanship is not just about perfect sewing, but also knowing how to solve problems as they occur. One would be tempted to skip this introduction and jump right into the technique and block sections - this is a mistake. It may sound a bit corny, but after reading these pages, I was inspired at the prospect of making miniature blocks rather than being intimidated as I know most quilters are by the tiny pieces used in small scale blocks.

She follows the introduction with a detailed section on tools and explains what they are used for which is very helpful. A chapter on Color and Fabric is next and she does a wonderful job explaining the importance of color and fabric selection in general and also how to select appropriate fabrics for small scale blocks. There are a number of helpful example images that accompany the text. As we progress further into the book, we begin to learn about designing blocks and drafting. She goes into detail on how to draft blocks from beginning to end, a discussion that I found fascinating. Sprinkled throughout this chapter and each of the ones that follow, there are tip boxes titled "Noteworthy" that are filled with valuable information.

For the quilter interested in improving their accuracy in assembling blocks, the chapter entitled "Workmanship" is without question, the most valuable one to read - and should be read through several times to reinforce key concepts. Sally discusses various factors that cause problems from cutting to sewing to pressing. The bottom line is that the quilter needs to pay careful and close attention to each step of the process. Her quilting experience is evident in the tips on pinning, blocking, and measuring that she includes.

The last chapter before starting the block section deals with various construction techniques, such as assembling half square triangles, English Paper Piecing, and using bias bars. But, she does not stop there - she ends the chapter with a detailed and well illustrated tutorial on matching seams, a very important factor in sewing quilt blocks and one that is rarely addressed in instructional quilting books.

The Block Collection consists of forty-nine blocks with familiar names such as Churn Dash, Dresden Plate, or Bear's Paw and six of the blocks are her own designs. Each block is accompanied by a color photograph and includes template outlines and color coded measurements for three, four, and six inch blocks. She always includes a tip or two appropriate to the block, perhaps about construction or color selection. Each of these blocks is used in her quilt that she discusses in the last chapter. I was fortunate to see this quilt at a show and can vouch for its beauty and attention to detail. I spent several minutes looking at various blocks and marvelling at how well she put it together. If you are interested in making a similar one for yourself, she includes the instructions for the quilt along with fabric requirements.

She concludes the book with more eye candy in the form of a Gallery of full color photographs of quilts that she has made using the blocks in the book to whet the appetite of the reader. An alphabetic index and a brief biography of the author can be found on the final pages of the book.

It is well worth taking the time to read the book from cover to cover before embarking on the blocks. The instructions are clear and concise and well presented from a visual standpoint. This is definitely one to add to the collection!

this is a wonderful book for a quilter of any level of skill or experience.

i have no plans (right now!) to work at the scale the author enjoys, and i do not intend to enter any comptetitions, but i still want to do the best work i can. just one quick reading has improved my technique. thanks to ms. collins, i am more aware of how i am cutting, piecing and sewing, and more aware of what the machine is doing, can do, or will do. some of what she writes about i knew, some i never considered, some advice i've seen in other publications, but having all of this information in one source reinforces the lessons.

even if you have other technique or block books on your shelf, you will benefit from this one. as other reviewers have mentioned, ms. collins accepts the time and attention that good craftmanship requires, and encourages her readers to put that time and attention into their work.

The author is an expert in quilting. She generously shares her experience and knowledge with the readers in a format that is easy to understand and appreciate. The samples are adventurous in both color and structural design.
A must-have in your library.

This book is a must read for ANY quilter, whether working with regular or miniature pieces. Thanks to Ms. Collins for sharing all these terrific ideas.

I was pleased with the clear instructions, well-drawn diagrams and appealing patterns in Applique Birds. I can't wait to try my hand at applique.

This book is my favorite applique book. I love birds and these are the best I've seen to cut and applique. The patterns are on pages to trace not to tear out. The directions and placement of pieces could not be plainer. It is so good. I recommend it highly for anybody that loves birds or just loves to applique.

Bird Patterns are lovely, very detailed and realistic looking. I would recommend to a friend.

I purchased this book for a quilting friend who is also a birdwatcher. She loved the book and was looking forward to using the new techniques on a quilt she is working on.

This book is wonderful. It gives you very clear instructions and the illustrations are very helpful. It also gives you ideas for future ideas.

A most inspirational book...every page you turn the patterns are more beautiful than the last. The techniques taught are done so visually and written. A real 'classic'....and a 'must' for every person who appliques...or wants to....or wishes they did!

Gorgeous Book, to make these types of quilts in 3-D is amazing. Directions are straight forward and work well. Will use for a multitude of different color ideas. Highly recommend.

The blocks are beautiful. I am a new quilter and found this book so easy to understand. It gave clear and easy directions for the techniques used for each flower, leaf & stem. As well as the basic stitches. I have now completed my fourth block. I love it!

I have really enjoyed working through four of the blocks in this book. It has made dimensional applique come alive for me. The instructions are clear and the patterns are all delightful! It is a book worth owning, particularly if you are wanting to clarify some of the techniques used in Elly Sienkiewicz's books.

This book would appeal to a new quilter as well as an experienced quilter. Step by step directions are given in order to get the beginner ready to applique. The slightly experienced quilter may have never begun the dimensional aspect of applique, so this book would appeal to that person. Very much similar to any other Baltimore Album book, but nicely done.

This book is full of wonderful, colorful projects and techniques. It opened my eyes to the potential of my sewing machine. My only issue is that, to me, this isn't really crazy quilting. She uses strips of fabric whereas real C.Q. uses different shapes. This is more modified log cabin. Nonetheless, if you love color and embellishments, this book has a lot to offer.

I never heard of crazy quilt before and was never interested in quilting methods. This book changed my attitude and gave me the tools I needed to explore this old fashion medium. I simply love the color of the projects. I already done two and can not wait to continue. The explaination are clear, easy and anybody with a minimal sewing experience could do it. Great book, a lot of enthusiasm. A winner book!

This book will give you the confidence to explore the fun and artistry of crazy quilting. The steps in each of the projects is described and photographed in a simple and comprehensive manner. If you own one book about quilted bags make sure its this one.

The author's enthusiasm for crazy quilting is quite apparent as she writes with great passion. This is not your ORDINARY crazy quilt book. Most embellishments are machine stitched and the fabrics used are bold and vibrant. The projects shown are purses, lampshades, throws, and more. What is especially wonderful is the gallery. My favorites - the crazy quilted window treatment, the upholstered crazy quilted chair and the dog bed! The author's instructions are very clear. Her pictures are wonderful! I am very happy with the book and would recommend it, aside from the great projects and patterns it also makes for great eye candy!

This is a great book - I wasn't the least bit interested in quilting of any kind until I got this book. Barbara's "anything goes" attitude got me hooked and allowed my creativity to blossom.

I really enjoyed this book. I just sarted a crazy quilt and it was the type of beading I was looking for after a long drab winter

The book is gorgeous. The instructions are very concise and usable. It's thrown me into a beading and crazy quilt frenzy!

Love this book! The instructions are very clear, lots of ideas and very inspiring!

Very nice.

I purchased this book to get some ideas for embellishing my crazy quilts and have not been dissapointed. This book explains the stitches well and also shows how you can place beads with the hand embroidery to enhance your design. There are quite a few ideas and the pictures are very enticing. I have used several ideas from this book and gotten rave reviews on the quilt blocks I have done. Well worth the money!

I highly recommend this book for anyone, beginner to expert, as a way of embellishing quilt work. The instructions were clearly written and the illustrations complemented the written instructions in addition to being quite attractive. Wonderful book!

Any pattern you are looking for is there. The patterns are easy to enlarge, or downsize even further for you mini-quilters. It has projects to complete. I have used the projects as spring boards for my own creativity. It contains seasonal, children's, holiday, floral, sports, and regular patch work patterns.

This book gives diagrams for 501 4 inch blocks and a few examples of how to make these into quilts. The 4 inch blocks cover traditional designs such as sawtooth, friendship star and attic windows, a wide variety of floral designs, sunbonnets, block for each month of the year, holiday themes, hearts, Christmas, Easter, Santas, Halloween, trees and leaves, birds and butterflies, building blocks, ships and planes, stars, baskets, alphabet, numerals, juvenile, cats, sewing and southwest inspired blocks.Simple instructions are provided. Many blocks lend themselves to foundation piecing.

This is a good book to get inspired. Wonderfull just to look at all the patterns, some are difficult to make. I also use it when somebody mentions a block and I don't what they mean.

This book is a must have for any quilter. There are so many blocks that the cost is unbelieveable if you figure what you would pay for that many patterns elsewhere. My mother even bought this book after she saw mine...and she doesn't even quilt (yet). My 4 year old calls it mommy's best coloring book. I can't think of a better gift for anyone that sews.

If you are into 4" blocks it is a treasury of patterns if you are an expert at applique this is for you. But if you are a beginner you might find this book a little lite on directions, for coping the block difficult. It is an excellant reference book for later ideas.

A masterpiece in writing for those who want to attempt such a project. Easy to follow and beautiful to see and read. A true artist in ink and fabric.

This is a beautiful book with lovely pictures and instructions by an award winning quilt artist. I saw this quilt at the International Quilt Festival in Houston and this book presents the quilt excellently.

Real flowers and birds from an award-winning quilt are presented in a survey of how a masterpiece was created - and how any applique method can duplicate it. Full-sized patterns are provided for all elements of the quilt, providing keys to success not just for reproducing this winner, but for blending into independent projects. It's these elements which make BIRDS N ROSES by needlecraft expert Margaret Docherty an exceptional pick for any experienced quilter who likes to use applique as more of a central theme than a side embellishment: Personal, professional, and community library libraries simply must have this one if their needlecraft reference collections are to be considered comprehensive or complete.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Excellently presented and detailed book. The book meets its intention of providing details on making a sophisticated and detailed quilt. This is for the dedicated quilter who enjoys a long-term project.

This book has so many beautiful pictures and ideas that I was overwhelmed at first. I'm not quite ready to
tackle these projects but I know I'll be able to use some of the ideas and techniques in it.

Kay M. Capps Cross's A BLACK & WHITE GARDEN tells how to use a black and white background and variations on themes to make an outstanding quilt. From quilts that are placemat-size to full-size quilts with foundation piecing, A BLACK & WHITE GARDEN pairs patterns with full-page color photos of quilt examples.

This book has great visuals and is full of information. Nice patterns and lots of techniques, great fabric selection tips and materials lists. Detailed cutting and sewing instructions. Overall a great book!
Thanks

The patterns in this book are so charming and give off such energy that they need to be made again and again. The directions are clear, the photographs are great, it is hard to know which quilt to make first! I love it!

There is such delightful energy in this book, in the reading of it, and in the process of creating from it. I find this book to be the perfect mix of directions (how tos) and lots of creative jump off points (why nots)... It's like having a very special secret garden all of your own that the author helps you discover.

I have a large black & white fabric stash and this book had some great ideas on using my fabrics. I really like the directions and instructions; easy to understand and follow.