Two-Block Appliqué Quilts
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
I found a really neat book quite by accident. I actually bought it sight-unseen out of a catalog from a book remainder house. Book remainder houses are places where books not sold in bookstores go to be sold at discount prices. This book cost me $4.95. The list price is $27.95. All I had to go on was a brief description and a tiny, grainy black-and-white photo of the cover. I thought, “Hmmm, that cover looks interesting. Is it worth $4.95 to see what’s inside?” I decided it was.
When the book came I was one happy quilter. The quilts, a combination of appliquéd blocks and pieced blocks, are gorgeous. The photographs and color drawings in the instructions are both beautiful and inspirational. The appliqué patterns include flowers, animals, and birdhouses but this is not folk art. You need to be at least an intermediate-level appliquér (is that a word?) or working your way up to that level.
I like the book very much, but I do have one rather major complaint. Some of the instructions concerning cutting out the fabric for the pieced blocks are ambiguous. They are so difficult to follow that I wound up drawing the blocks of the quilt I wanted to make out full size and cutting and pasting the fabric so I could get an idea of where the different fabrics went. Then I rewrote the instructions so that it would be easier for others to make the same quilt. This quilt will be the project for Kay Ward’s (ask her for more information) next appliqué class so they won’t go to waste.
Don’t let the negative things I have to say about the book scare you off. I am sure that you will love the quilts in the book just as much as I do. And if you get really stuck you can just ask Kay or me for a little clarification.
The book is by Claudia Olson and was published by That Patchwork Place, Martindale Press.
Dating Fabrics: A Color Guide 1800-1960
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
In case you get interested in making a reproduction quilt, you will find lots of good source materials to use for research. Dating Fabrics is a great resource for finding the right fabrics and colors for your quilt. The book is illustrated with color illustrations of many examples of the fabrics used in the different eras to make selection easy.
There are numerous articles in between each section describing the types of fabrics, the popular colors of the time, and a little of the history of the era and how it influenced the designs used in the fabric.
In the back of the book is a list of resources for finding vintage fabric and reproduction fabric. (Be sure to look on the Internet too.) There is also a list of organizations and museums that provide classes in quilt history or provide information so that you can learn more about the history of quilting.
There is an extensive glossary to help you with terms used in the text. And best of all is a very good bibliography on books of various subjects relating to quilts and their history and production.
This book is available on Amazon.com. When I looked it up to be sure it was available on the website I found that the author, Eileen Jahnke Trestain, has another book coming out very soon detailing fabrics from the 1950s to 2000. I definitely have it on my wish list.
Pieced Borders – The Complete Resource
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
While shopping at a quilt store in Visalia Friday, I found a great book on piecing borders. This book has been around for a long time. All I can say is, “How come I haven’t run across it before?” I always put plain borders on my quilts because I am severely math challenged and never seem to be able to do a pattern just the way it is written. Also, have you noticed that most quilt patterns don’t have fancy borders? I always manage to change something in a pattern so putting other than a plain border on a quilt is more than my simple little brain can handle. Mind you, I have always wanted to jazz up my quilts with an interesting and complex border, but up until now the task seemed beyond me.
Pieced Borders was written by Judy Marin and Marsha McCloskey, and first published in 1994. In the quilt world, where books are almost as popular as fabric, this one is an antique. As far as I can tell it has never been out of print. After sitting down and reading it cover to cover, I can see why.
Not only are there twelve complete quilt patterns, there are 200 quilt border patterns. The authors guide you through the maze of trying to pick out the right border for your quilt, including color, width, and complexity, and then show you how to make it fit. I love blocks on point, which adds another layer of problems to putting a border on a quilt. This book will take the fear out of that particular task too.
There are many tips and hints on how to sew and add borders to your quilt. After reading this book I realized that choosing and sewing on borders is a virtual mine field of ways to mess up the whole project. Hopefully, this book will be my lifeline through the labyrinth. If you are making a medallion quilt or a part of a group making a round robin project, there is useful information for you too.
This book would be a great addition to your library to use as a reference book, as well as a pattern book.
Machine Quilting in Sections
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
I have been interested in machine quilting for quite a while, and have even taken a couple of classes to try and perfect my technique. But (isn’t there always a but?) I have a lot of trouble manipulating the bulk of the quilt through the small opening on my machine.
I think I have found a solution. Machine Quilting in Sections by Marti Michell may be the book that finally gets me up and running on machine quilting. The subtitle is Don’t Finish Another Quilt Until You Read This Book. Caught my attention. I know I can do it. If Paula Reid (last month’s witty and fun speaker) can machine quilt 100 quilts a year commercially on a home sewing machine I can maybe learn to do two or three a year. They say hope springs eternal.
Marti’s book is well organized reflecting the wonderful teacher she is. She always seems to anticipate my next question in this book. The book has many clear and concise illustrations to go along with the text. Marti obviously believes that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Buy this book if you want to learn an effective machine quilting technique to help finish future projects. There is even a quilt pattern to illustrate what Marti is trying to tell you.
Unfortunately, this book is available through Amazon.com, so we don't get a commission. You can find it at Marti's website,
From Marti Michell. Also, SoftExpressions.com has it for 20% off.
Big Book of Best-Loved Quilt Patterns
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
I was standing by the library before the evening guild meeting last month when a large book with a bright red cover caught my eye. Not having anything to do at the moment, I picked it up and began browsing through it. About five pages into the book I knew I had to have it.
The book has 82 classic quilt patterns including Flying Geese, Mariner’s Compass, and Ocean Waves to name a few. The book is copiously illustrated with color photographs and colorful concise instructions. Most of the quilts illustrated have really beautiful hand quilting with the quilting patterns given. Some of the quilts are actually antique quilts, not just modern reproductions. A double plus.
The last chapter is titled Quilt maker's Workshop. It is a great review for veteran quilters and a wonderful learning tool for beginners. The chapter includes information ranging from planning the quilt to making a hanging sleeve.
The next day I tried to order the book through Amazon but it wasn’t listed. Since the book was published in 2002 I was afraid that it was out of print. I did manage to find it on line at Barnes and Noble, but I had to search using the ISBN number. It was not listed in the regular format on that website. I think you can find the book at other locations. It is a Leisure Arts book so you might even be able to find it at JoAnne’s. They carry Leisure Arts books. Here is the information you to help you order it either on line or at a bookstore.
The book is Big Book of Best-Loved Quilt Patterns published by Oxmoor House under the Leisure Arts label. It was published in 2002. The ISBN number is 0-8487-2555-7 and the price is $24.95. Or you could check it out from our guild library. In any event, look it up, it’s worth it.
The Quilt That Walked to Golden
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
I got the neatest book from my son and daughter-in-law for Christmas. The Quilt That Walked to Golden is written by Sandra Dallas, familiar to many quilters as the best selling author of The Persian Pickle Club.
Golden, Colorado is in the foothill just west of Denver and the home of the Coors Brewing Company and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. If you are ever in the area, both places are well worth a visit
This fascinating book, whether you are interested in quilting, the history of the settling of the Old West, or both, is a great read. It is also lavishly illustrated with old photographs and modern full-color ones of all the quilts in the book. There are even patterns of four of the antique quilts mentioned.
The title of the book comes from a quilt made by twenty-six year-old Mary Jane Burgess made from the scraps of the clothes she wore in 1864 when she and her husband, his brother and his sister-in-law, also named Mary, immigrated to then Golden City, Colorado Territory from Columbus, Ohio. There was no room in the wagons for personal items such as clothes so the women had to wear any clothes they wanted to take with them. The two wagons they had were filled with supplies to begin the new life in the West so the sisters-in-law rarely rode. They walked to Golden.
When they got there and eventually got enough fabric to replace the worn dresses and petticoats from the journey, they cut the old garments up and made a quilt, the quilt that walked to Golden. The book goes on the chronicle life in the West and the development of quilting in the Rocky Mountain area to the present time. Besides being an interesting book, the proceeds go to benefit the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.
Hunter Star Quilts and Beyond
Lone Star Quilts and Beyond
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
These two books were donated to the CPQ library by their author, Jan Krentz, when she spoke at the October guild meeting. These books are colorful and liberally illustrated with quilts made by Jan and her students.
The Hunter Star and the Lone Star are both traditional quilt patterns with bad reputations. They are not the easiest patterns to piece due to their many bias edges and inset seams. Jan has developed several different techniques to help the quilter make these two beautiful patterns with less difficulty that the traditional methods.
I must say that I own both books and bought them before taking her Hunter Star workshop based on the use of color. I thought the way the books were laid out as to method and order was confusing. If I hadn’t taken the class from Jan I would have wasted time and effort trying to figure it out. Jan, herself, said that the publisher, C & T Publishing, edited the books and she was stuck with it. I was pleased to hear her say that because she is a wonderful teacher, very clear and concise. Her class proceeds in a logical order, covering all aspects of the block in the order that the student needs to make it.
Even with the problems I have with the books, I would recommend both of them because of their innovative methods and beautiful illustrations.
Fans and Flutterbys
Book Review by Steffani McChesney
I have two dandies for you this month, both Quilt in a Day books, which should come as no surprise considering that Patricia Knoechel was our speaker in October.
The first book is written by Pat Knoechel herself. It is called Fans and Flutterbys. This lovely book brings out the girl in quilters. The quilt patterns in it are so feminine and pretty. As always, the deceptively complex pattern is described in simple language with lots of illustrations so the quilts are very easy to make. And the results are spectacular.
Still Stripping After 25 Years
The other book, Still Stripping After 25 Years, commemorates Eleanor Burns’ twenty-five years as a publisher of the Quilt in a Day series. These books have gotten a lot of people interested in quilting. And they are not only for beginners. I still use them on occasion and I have been quilting going on three decades.
Still Stripping After 25 Years contains sixteen quilts featuring her signature 2 ½ inch strips, the basis for many of her patterns. The book also details Eleanor’s journey from her first book on the log cabin to becoming a diva of the quilt world. The book is entertaining and has lots of great patterns too. My first large bed quilt was Eleanor’s log cabin from her first book. I made another one last fall using her latest log cabin book, which will appear at the next CPQ quilt show. I never get tired of log cabins or Eleanor’s easy and precise directions.
Both these books are available in our library if you would like to check them out. If you like what you see consider buying them through our affiliate program with Amazon.com. Remember, anything you buy on Amazon.com results in a royalty to the guild. So help out the guild and yourself too.
The Quilter’s Ultimate Visual Guide
Book review by Steffani McChesney
I am not going to be shy about it. I’m going to say what I think of this book right here in the first paragraph. I love this book. Period. Full stop, as the British say. I have owned it for about a year and I have been quilting a lot longer than that so I can safely say that anyone of any skill level would benefit from owning this book.
The book is laid out in an A through Z format so different subjects are easy to find. The illustrations are clear and concise, as are the instructions. The book is actually a series of articles written by sixty of the best professional quilters working today. Information ranges from basic techniques to the usage of tools to specialized techniques. Most books that claim to be the “complete guide to” any subject usually turns me off because they just don’t deliver. Not this one. This is the first time I have ever felt like the title really says what is in the book. I use it all the time.
The book is in our guild library if you would like to check it out, or you can buy it for your personal library by clicking the Amazon.com link above.
That Perfect Stitch
Book review by Steffani McChesney
You are all going to get the idea that every book I review I am in love with. That's not true, except this time (again). I love this book. And I do use it as a reference book all the time.
That Perfect Stitch is by Roxanne McElroy of Roxanne quilting products fame. You know, Roxanne thimbles, Glue-Baste-It, quilting needles in cute little glass tubes with seashell on top.
This book was first published in 1997 and hasn't been replaced by anything better in my humble opinion. The author spends a lot of time and effort in figuring out how and why certain products work and how and why others do not. She spends the first eight chapters of the book talking about batting, fabric, thread, quilting hoops, and needles. The rest of the book is devoted to the elusive perfect quilting stitch.
I took a class from her daughter Dierdra McElroy a couple of years ago and was amazed at the improvement in my hand quilting. Her technique is easy to learn and use. The book is full of illustration and the text is easy to read and translate into action. If you want to improve your hand quilting this is the book for you.
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