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PLANET PATCHWORK QUILTING BOOKBRIEFS, #20 Planet Patchwork Bookbriefs are published in newsletter form and distributed by e-mail to subscribers to the Planet Patchwork Update List, as well as being published here on the web. If you'd like to join our Update List, you can subscribe here. BookBriefs provides subscribers thumbnail descriptions and reviews of new (and sometimes not-so-new) quilting books on the market, along with links to where the books can be purchased through The Planet Patchwork Quilters' Bookstore. (Just click on the title or the link provided.) All prices listed are retail. We offer discounts on most books.
Fabric Dyeing For Beginners
Easy Paper-Pieced Baby Quilts Conventional expectations about baby quilts are even more restricted than traditional quilts in general. The baby quilt must be pastel pink or pastel blue (or perhaps yellow if you don’t know the baby’s sex), and the design must contain a distinct “baby” theme – blocks, or duckies, or some such. It’s refreshing then to see Carol Doak in this book defying these expectations with a collection of charming small quilts that transcend the clichés. Not that the quilts aren’t suitable as baby gifts – they’d be welcomed warmly by any new mother or mother-to-be, though she might want to put them on the wall instead of subjecting them to spit-up. Carol’s trademark paper piecing is the primary construction technique, and foundations for copying are provided, along with instructions on the entire quilting process. If I were a baby, I’d want to receive Carol’s lovely “Crazy About You” in rich gold tones, but for the more traditional there ARE duckies and baby blocks in here too!
Biblical Blocks: Inspired Designs for Quilters This is a one-quilt book containing instructions for a beautiful sampler using a selection of geometric quilt blocks with Biblical names. The center medallion of this sampler is a large, on-point tree-of-life block, complemented by such stalwarts as Solomon’s Puzzle, Job’s Tears, and Joseph’s Coat. The results are lovely, with the book’s gallery providing examples in a variety of colorways, and templates for blocks and quilting designs. Quilt blocks are accompanied by appropriate quotes from scripture.
Simple Fabric Folding for Christmas: 14 Festive Quilts and Projects
Beautifully Quilted with Alex Anderson
Block Magic, Too: Over 50 New Blocks from Squares and Rectangles
Radiant New York Beauties: 14 Paper-Pieced Quilt Projects
Quilting in the Morning Calm: Floral Delights from Ancient Korea
Americana Quilts Sandy Bonsib begins by putting the original quilts in
this book into the context of American folk art, which is her definition
of “Americana.” The primitive style and distinctive colors, including
the yellow patina of age, of America’s folk art, are incorporated into
the designs of 10 projects. Despite being traditional, all of the quilts
are fresh, due to an original twist (circular American flags) or a flash
of whimsy (dancing dogs and chickens). The projects are
well-illustrated, with full instructions, and a general quilting section
at the end covers everything from seam allowances to labels. Templates
for the appliqué elements of these quilts are also included. All in all
a delightful group of projects.
Snuggle Up: 8 Lap Quilts to Warm Your Home And, as they are quick to point out, these quilts are
all just the right size- not so small you can’t be cozy under them, but
not so large you’ll never finish the project.
Elm Creek Quilts: Quilt Projects Inspired by the Elm Creek Quilt Novels Fans of Jennifer Chiaverini’s best selling novels will likewise enjoy the book which offers patterns based on the stories of the people of Elm Creek. Seven of the twelve quilts were designed by Jennifer herself, and a special bonus the book’s introduction provides a pictorial insight into her family and their “for real” story. If you’ve not yet traveled to Elm Creek via the novels, you’ll still find lots to enjoy in these twelve imaginative designs.
Another storytelling and quilt project combination, A
Thread Runs Through It takes history and old photos to spin a fine story
thread to link a dozen plus quilt projects. Barbara Dieges tells the
story of Anna Maria Saller, supposedly born in 1839. Tracing the story
of Anna Maria’s life through her quilts, Barbara manages to bring both
the character and the quilts to life. Overall, an interesting and well
done book.
Cozy Cabin Quilts from Thimbleberries: 20 Projects for Any Home
Flannel Quilts In the things we love department, Flannel Quilts by
Sandy Bonsib’s features seventeen too adorable ways to use flannel.
Starting with the “Playful Puppies”, Sandy uses flannel in clever and
imaginative ways. There are two kinds of heart quilts, some baby quilts,
and some very vivid interpretations of traditional patterns. Of course,
Sandy’s plaid quilt that features her beloved flannel nightgown stitched
atop squares of other family favorite flannels is quite amusing, and
just demonstrates how that good feel of flannel really gets next to our
skin!
Quiltscapes In keeping with the mixed-media theme, you’d probably
recognize Rebecca Barker’s beautiful paintings even if you don’t
This AQS book offers us not just the lovely paintings, but instructions for the quilts as well. Not surprisingly, the scenes and the quilts lean heavily toward the traditional, but at least one of the 24 patterns will speak to you. Although I like each design. I tend to gravitate toward the very patriotic Fourth of July and the very imaginative Fish, which shows a rowboat afloat on a sea of quilted fish As hurried as most days are, there’s something very appealing about the calm, quiet feel that surrounds Rebecca’s artwork.
Evelyn Sloppy starts with helping us figure out organized ways to use our bits and pieces of fabric to create bright and beautiful quilts. Extending the traditional concept of string piecing ,but moving beyond the usual to deliberately slice, dice and extend the design. Evelyn uses brights, plaids and everything in between to create 16 very distinctive quilts.She also offers us tips for preventing our quilts from becoming hodge-podge works and shows us how to use every scrap to make something spectacular.
Although few quilters can claim to have a dynamite quilting technique flash before them on a ski lift, we’re sure glad that Sally Schneider did. Using a clever “block A, block B” combination of squares and rectangles sewn and cut to make triangle units, many trianjglular uints a nd resultant combinations are created. Since triangles are made without much of the usual fuss of extra cutting and point matching which frequently vex quilters. Ten quilt patterns feature this technique, making stars, pinwheels, diamonds and other imaginative constructions. The chart shows cutting sizes for finished blocks ranging from 2inches to 12 inches for lots of flexibility. If that’s not enough, there’s a Quilt Gallery of eleven more design possibilities ranging from novelty prints to batiks—something for everyone.
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Fabric
dyeing is one of those things that appeals to our primitive
finger-painting urges. It’s messy, colorful, and very satisfying. Vimala
McClure’s book for beginners, which grew originally from a popular
magazine article, is just the ticket if you’ve been contemplating giving
this a try. McClure approaches the somewhat daunting prospect of
chemicals, rubber gloves, and stained sinks with enthusiasm, but also
with practical sense. She knows that busy women need ways to fit these
processes into their other responsibilities, and so breaks the processes
up into small, manageable pieces that can be done over several days.
Several different dyeing techniques are explored, including pickle-jar,
fabric-fold, tie-dye, and stencil methods. The technical details are
nicely balanced by photos of many styles of quilts that make us of
hand-dyed fabrics. 
Even
if you’re a confirmed hater of “the ‘A’ word,” it’s hard to imagine
quilting without the many beauties of appliqué. Alex Anderson’s primer
on the subject is succinct but thorough, with good illustrations of
sometimes difficult techniques. One nice touch is that the illustrations
of appliqué stitching are provided in both right- and left-handed
versions. The projects are appealing in their own right, and are
designed to provide opportunities to experiment with all different types
of appliqué, from needle-turn to stitch-and-flip. The final project in
the book is a charming quilt called “Mittens,” featuring buttonhole
stitching. If you’re looking to expand your horizons into appliqué, this
is a great starting point. 
This
collection of fourteen fabric folding projects has the additional charm
of avoiding the sentimentality that so often spoils Christmas designs.
Bold, bright, and distinctive designs characterize these Christmas
stockings, quilts, and home accessories that could be gracing your place
come December. The folding techniques used are basic and easy to learn,
especially from the thorough and well-illustrated instructions Liz
provides. The projects are divided into three categories that should
appeal to a broad range of tastes – a Country Christmas, a Fun
Christmas, and an Elegant Christmas. The texture added by tucks, puffs,
and points makes them irresistible. This is a great beginner’s book on
fabric folding, with manageable projects and good instructions. 
This
compilation of designs captures another place and season, the sunny
summer beaches and shores as seen through the varied styles of dozens of
talented quilters. These quilts use a wide variety of different
techniques, explained and illustrated in great detail, and there are
quilts at all levels, for beginners and veterans alike. My favorite of
these is Flavin Glover’s “A Day at the Beach,” a traditional geometric
rendering of the beach with its colorful umbrellas done in modified log
cabin blocks. Bringing a smile is Ami Simms’ “Bikini Quilt,” dubbed by
her mother “Boobs and Bellybuttons,” which is made in a kind of
tessellated arrangement of hourglass blocks. And Elsie Vredenburg
renders the lighthouses of Fundy in a wonderful profusion of snail’s
trail blocks. This book will inspire you to raid your stash for beachy
blues and browns and go dig out your flip-flops. 
After
color selection, the most difficult design challenge in quilting seems
to be the selection of a quilting pattern that compliments the primary
design. Quilters agonize over this question, knowing that they will be
putting a lot of time and fingertip wear into the quilting process. Alex
Anderson, in her sure-footed and inspired way, takes on this problem in
her new book, offering a combination of simple guidelines and specific
examples that should help give the beginner confidence. Anderson
suggests a number of sources of inspiration, including other quilts,
books, and other decorative arts, such as stained glass. The book
provides a number of traceable quilting patterns, as well as detailed
instructions on how to draw your own. Like her other books, this one
also includes a few projects on which to try out the ideas presented. If
you’re looking for help in choosing quilting designs for your quilts,
this is an essential addition to your library. 
For
you rotary cutting fans, Nancy Johnson-Srebro, despite a promise to her
family that she would take a break, has brought out a sequel to her very
popular Block Magic of two years ago. The unique thing about Johnson-Srebro’s
block designs is that they are all made from two simple shapes – squares
and rectangles. As such they lend themselves to easy rotary cutting
techniques for quick construction. Detailed instructions for cutting and
sewing each block are included for four different sizes, ranging from
six to twelve inches, and the blocks are charming and original.
Augmenting the blocks are 10 quilt designs (which she calls quilt maps)
which use the blocks in the book. My favorite is Granny’s Cupboard.
These cute and whimsical blocks are great fun! 
Valori
Wells is a woman of many talents, a photographer as well as a quilter,
and with a keen eye for color and line. The designs and colors of her
new book featuring the New York Beauty block are absolutely luscious –
deep and rich and complex, with a new surprise and delight on every
page. This demanding block, like its sister the Mariner’s Compass,
presents difficulties in construction (matching points and all that
nonsense), but Wells has the answer – paper piecing – and the book
provides foundations for the quilt projects and gives permission for
their reproduction. The book is sprinkled with “mini-lessons” on
specific techniques, and with the author’s photographs, especially of
plants, from which she gets many of her inspirations. All I can say
after drinking in the beauty in this book is “Wow!” 
For
a number of years, Shirley MacGregor has been bringing us the beauties
of the Far East rendered as quilts through her “Manhole Cover” books,
which feature designs from the streets of Japan. In this volume she and
her co-author (and a bevy of volunteer quilters) have provided a
variation on the theme, borrowing floral designs from 16th century Korea
and rendering them in appliqué. The book is a rich cultural mix – part
history, part biography, part art – held together by the stories of the
quilters and their quilts as they brought these lovely designs to life.
Basic appliqué instructions and patterns are included for making some of
these quilts. The most spectacular of the quilts is a rendering of the
“two pumpkins” design by Madelaine Hutchin of Sussex, England, but all
of the quilts are lovely, and as usual with the books from Carriage
Trade Press, very different. 
Snuggle
Up Quilts is a collaborative effort by two talented quilters, Beth
Merrill Kovich and Retta Warehime. Together they have assembled eight
appealing lap quilts that will become objects of affection in no time.
From “Crossing Paths”, a criss-cross sixteen path variation to “Coffee
and Cream” to “Beach Glass” their designs offer surprises among some
favorites patterns. 
For
those who can’t get enough Thimbleberries, (and who can?) Lynette
Jensen’s latest book gives us more of those wonderful quilts and
projects we all clamor for. Using getaways and retreats as her theme,
she celebrates in these 20 projects those moments to remember- family
gatherings, quiet times, nature and vacations. It’s easy to see why
Thimbleberries are so popular. 
know
her name. Her lovely quiltscapes, so named for the stunning combinations
of quilts and soothing landscapes have become famous on paintings and
notecards. 
Okay,
quilters. Who doesn’t have a stash of scraps? It’s just so hard to toss
those leftover pieces, that most of us have some accumulation of stuff
we’re not sure what to do with. 
Just
when it’s time for the year-end classroom quilt, this book arrives!
Giving a completely different meaning to hand quilting., this book is
one of the freshest and most imaginative things we’ve seen in children’s
quilts for some time. Long-time preschool teacher and director Marcia
Layton has given us something truly clever and unusual. Using
handprints, Marcia creates dinosaurs, butterflies, giraffes, fish, cats,
dogs – you name it. Add in lots of design tips and explicit
instructions, and you have a great new book. My favorite is the bee
quilt, but it’s hard to resist the lions and tigers and elephants that
are also created completely from well-placed handprints. A real original
that will help you make something memorable.