Quilt Books FAQ
Alphabetic listing
Letters S to Z
SMALL AMISH QUILT PATTERNS
by Rachel Pellman
Good Books, Intercourse, PA 1985
Patterns for making small amish quilts.
STRIP QUILTING ($14.95)
by Diane Wold
TAB Books, Div. of McGraw Hill 1987
I love this little book. It's perfect for those who are into piecing and repiecing (seminole patchwork take off). It's very easy to follow. It contains complete instructions, including diagrams, cutting instructions, and a shopping list, for each of the projects illustrated. Pointers are given for modifying projects, for adapting patterns from other sources and for creating your own designs.
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS: African Images in African-American Quilts ($24.00)
by Maude Southwell Wahlman
Studio Books in association with Museum of American Folk Art, New York
This book introduces the art of African-American quiltmaking to the general public. Her thesis is that most African-American quiltmaking derives its aesthetic from various African tradition, both technological and ideological. Provides an abundance of detailed information on African textiles, the history of quiltmaking in India, Europe and the Americas and extensive interviews with quilters. Excellent.
SCRAP QUILTS
by Judy Martin
Moon Over the Mountain Publishing, Wheatridge, Colo 1985
Techniques plus patterns old and new for making quilts from collected fabrics. Very nice, colorful quilts. I bought this book because I saw her quilt "Tennessee Waltz" on display at the Great American Quilt Festival 1993 in New York (quilt on page 60).
SHORTCUTS: A Concise Guide to Rotary Cutting
by Donna Thomas
That Patchwork Place, Bothell, WA 1991
Basic quick-cutting techniques plus a number of techniques that are expansions of the basics.
SASHIKO FOR MACHINE SEWING
by Janet K. Rostocki
Summa Design
These designs are cleverly constructed so that they can be continuously sewn on the machine. Five classic designs are included and 8 new designs. They could all be hand sewn if you wanted to do that. Each is given in two sizes.
SENSATIONAL SETTINGS
(Over 80 ways to arrange your quilt blocks) ($9.95)
by Joan Hanson
That Patchwork Place 1993
Good book offering a lot of ideas/suggestions for arranging quilt blocks.
SPEED CUTS
by Donna Poster
Chilton for the Creative Machine Arts Series.
In it there are 1200 quilt blocks (although I would say that there are only 500 designs but each can be constructed in one of three sizes 10" 12" and 14"). Also, there is a quilt layout section that shows how many blocks you will need for each size quilt depending on whether you are putting the blocks together on point, straight set, with lattice or any combination of these. Of course, also included is a yardage chart based on the templates to be used. And the templates themselves are in the back, numbered. Note: Blocks are all in black and white.
STRIPS THAT SIZZLE
by Margaret Miller
My first B&W quilt was made using this book. It is a book primarily meant for working in color, but I thought the technique worked extraordinarily well for black and white. I believe that almost any quilt pattern could be used if you watch your placement as to shading.
SMALL TALK
by Donna Thomas
That Patchwork Place.
I am very impressed with the progressive directions (from easiest to more difficult) they are easy to follow and the pictures were inspiring. I would highly recommend it.
SETS &BORDERS
by Marston &Cunningham, AQS
I have had this book a long time. It has lots of good photos, border ideas and charts for planning them. I have found it inspirational and helpful.
Wonderful color photos of quilts with comments about their settings/borders. Also, a good look at how different borders can change a quilt. Finally, patterns and ideas for a variety of borders. Really stimulatd my thinking and I'm looking forward to trying some of the ideas.
This'un shows lots'n'lots of possible ways to set blocks, and also a goodly number of border possibilities. There are several cases where the book shows essentially the same blocks in more than one quilt, but the borders and/or setting vary. It's one I use as an imagination trigger when I need to decide on a border.
SENSATIONAL SCRAP QUILTS
by Darra Duffy Williamson
I like this book, particularly the section on selecting fabrics for scrap quilts. I used her idea of making a reference card of all the colors in the quilt (you take a small piece of each and organize them on a card in a continuous line from light to dark, ignoring color) and it worked a treat on a planned scrap quilt I made using about 40 pinks and greys.
QNM did a review and hated it, they said there was nothing new in it. I think it is well laid out and gives you lots to think about.
I learned a lot from this book. First, I discovered D.D. Williamsons theory of the "Maverick" block in quilts using repeating blocks! That has helped me to add more fun and excitement to my quilts. It also has a section on color use and drafting patterns. I find I go back and read this book over and over. Wonderful!
STAR QUILTS ($20)
by Mary Elizabeth Johnson
Clarkson Potter Publishers
Good collection of star quilts.
I like this book. She is well organized and gives you some good photos and directions. Haven't tried anything from it yet. (I got it from a closeout catalog for under $10. It's a good deal at that price. Not sure if I'd pay $20 for it though.)
TEXTILE DESIGNS ($65.00)
Susan Meller and Joost Elffers
AQS, Paducah, KY
This book is expensive but worth it if you are a fabric collector. This book has some introductory discussion of the the production of types of textiles, and then the rest is color plates of examples from a collection that has over 5,000,000 "fabrics of the common man" - not the fancy brocades, etc., but paisleys, calicoes, leaves and foliage, conversationals, block prints, and on, and on - the kind of stuff that many of us in our quilts.
Most of its 461 pages are filled with excellent color pictures (1,823 illustrations in color) of fabrics we'd all like to have. Color reproduction is good and the pictures are large so that you can see the pattern detail. My only serious criticism of the book is that reproductions are not all full-size or even to the same scale. Page layout seems to have dictated the scale of reproduction, and on the same page there are illustrations at 50%, 68% and 70% full size, on other pages 27%, 100%, 120% and 150%. I suppose we should appreciate the indication of scale included for each sample.
Although the book is expensive, it is not overpriced for a large format art book with full-color illustrations on good quality paper. It has a sewn binding and is very sturdily put together.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL APPLIQUE &EMBROIDERY ($24.95)
by Anita Shackelford
A beautiful book!! For those of you interested in these two subjects this is a wonderful book. Good instructions, illustrations and patterns. It is hard back, 151 glossy pages and 9-1/4 x 12-1/4 in size
THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN ($18.95)
by Katie Pasquini
C&T Publishing, Lafayette, CA 1988
Detailed discussion of how to make objects appear three-dimensional. Lots of her quilts (in color).
TENDER LOVING COVERS
by Toni Phillips and Juanita Simonich
This is a WONDERFUL book of children's quilts with great designs, mostly pieced. They are crib/wall quilt size but there is no reason they could not be incorporated into a large quilt, if you wish. One quilt is called Wheels &More Wheels and has a tow truck, fire engine, ambulance, and police car, so it is not strictly trucks. In addition to this, there are the following: Astronaut, farm, cowboy, circus, zoo, christmas, a school quilt.
TAKING THE MATH OUT OF MAKING PATCHWORK QUILTS ($6.95)
by Bonnie Leman &Judy Martin
Leman Publications 1981
Charts, tables, measurements, sizes, facts, figures, and helpful information for planning quilts. A must for every quilter.
TWENTY LITTLE PATCHWORK QUILTS
by Gwen Marston and Joe Cunningham
Dover Publications, NY 1990
Miniatures quilts. Includes templates and quilting designs
TEMPLATES FOR 171 NINE-PATCH QUILT BLOCKS
by Rita Weiss
American School of Needlework 1989
Good book of 9-patch blocks in 10, 12 and 14 inch sizes
TIPS FOR QUILTERS
by Rachel Pellman
Good Books, Intercourse, PA 1993
A handbook of hints, shortcuts, and practical suggestions from experienced quilters.
This is a great book full of all sorts of useful ideas. BUT don't read it at bedtime or you will quilt ALL night long and not get any sleep!!! I recommend this book.
TWENTIETH CENTURY QUILTS 1900-1950
by Thos. K. Woodard &Blanche Greenstein
TIMELESS TREASURES, A Complete Guide to Rotary Cutting
by Nancy Johnson-Srebo
RCW Publishing
Nancy's instructions are clear and concise, and she shows readers how to cut almost any shape, while using your rotary cutter and ruler. Also included are instructions for specific 6", 8", and 10" blocks.
I have found the info in this book really helpful. She goes through how to cut a number of pieces: trapezoids, parallelograms, hexagrams, octograms, etc. The nice thing about the book, too, is that she shows you how to do it for right handed or left handed cutters. There is also a section in the book for those who use metric measurements.
I find [this book] indispensable. She gives clear instructions and illustrations to cut any shape with the rotary cutter. Both right and left handed illustrations are given. In the middle of the book there is a chart for adding on seam allowances to any shape. It gives both the English and Metric measurements. There are also good directions on pressing.
The last part of the book has color photos of blocks and complete directions for them including cutting, sewing, and pressing. She includes which direction to press the seams. (It was great help to me when I was beginning to make blocks for the first time.) My only complaint was that there were a couple of mistakes in the placement of the color photos to the directions. Some of them didn't match but were found somewhere else in the book.
BTW, I took the book to a printer and had them put a spiral binding on it so that it lays flat and stays open when I am using it.
ULTIMATE BOOK OF QUILT BLOCK PATTERNS, THE
by Judy Martin
Crosley-Griffith Publishing 1988
Excellent book, lots of of various sizes.
This book is my most favorite, and most used, of all time.
WALL QUILTS
by Marsha McCloskey
That Patchwork Place, Bothell, WA
A step-by-step guide on how to make wall hangings that will add bold and beautiful accents of folk art design to many areas throughout the home. It contains complete instructions and full-size pattern pieces for creating ten wall quilts based on traditional pieced designs, several of them with matching patchwork pillows. Directed to both beginning and advanced quilters, it includes detailed instructions on all special techniques involved, from template making, machine-piecing, and hand-quilting to mounting and hanging.
WATERCOLOR QUILTS ($24.95)
by Pat Maixner Magaret &Donna Ingram Slusser
That Patchwork Place, Bothell, WA 1993
Great instructional book on making watercolor quilts.
WORKING IN MINIATURE ($15.95)
by Becky Schaefer
C&T Publishing, Layayette, CA 1987
A machine piecing approach to miniature quilts. Good book.
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