No comments about The Quilt Room: Dorking England.

2 comments about Treasures Underfoot : Quilting With Manhole Covers - Round 2.

1. I also own MacGregor's first book. The quality of the paper in the second book dramatically enhances the presentation of the manhole covers and quilts. Though I am not a quilter, this book can still be appreciated for its artistic and cultural richness. In fact, I have a custom made stain glass piece hanging in my living room, with the design from one of the manhole cover patterns in the first book. I like the geographic descriptions of the cities and towns around Japan, having visited a few in the past. The colors in her book are spectacular, and I love the way she has shown different interpretations of each pattern. All in all, this book makes me want to visit every manhole cover in it!



2. Several years ago I reviewed the first book of manhole cover quilts, finding it the most unique collection of quilt designs I'd seen in a long time. The premise of that book, and its successor collection, Treasures Underfoot, is the translation of the many municipal manhole covers of Japan into fiber art. The Japanese make something of a fine art of designing coverings for the holes in their streets and sidewalks, and each community takes great pride in its contribution to the genre. MacGregor's extension of the idea was to get these designs off the street and into quilts, and she enlisted the talents of quilters world-wide to assist her. In this beautifully-produced and self-published volume, MacGregor features dozens of new manhole cover designs, along with thumbnails of the communities that created them. Each one is then enriched by interpretation by a quilter and a rendering in fabric. Some of the interpretations try to be true to the original design, while others use elements of the design as inspiration for something new. Either way, the result is beautiful and fascinating. The book does not include projects with detailed instructions, but there is enough information and illustration to make it possible for any quilter who chooses to try her hand at one of these round treasures. And this is one of the best introductions to Japanese culture that I know! Kudos to Shirley MacGregor for making this volume even richer than the last.

5 comments about Easy Paper-Pieced Miniatures.

1. Of the 7 or so books on this topic I've bought on this topic, this is the best. The technique taught here - of trimming the edges before matching pieces - works better than what I'd tried to do from previous books. Furthermore, the designs are just down-right PRETTIER than those in most of the others. Patterns are a bit too small for my skill level, so I cheated by using a copy machine to "enlarge" slightly (125%). I'm absolutely delighted with the finished product.



2. P.S. - Won the blue ribbon for small wall hangings at the 1999 WV State Fair with her "Mariner's Compass." (Thanks, Carol!)



3. I am new to quilting. For my second project I made the Log Cabin Garden, which is an absolutely stunning design. Then I made two more Log Cabin Garden mini's for the quilting practice. Now I am hooked on Mini's. As a beginner, I found Carol Doak's instructions thorough and easy to understand. Carol Doak takes the reader step-by-step from the beginning of the quilting process to the end. Her paper pieced foundation technique makes the impossible looking mini quilt a cinch to make. Guaranteed to be an idiot-proof project.



4. Easy to follow directions. Great set up instruction as far as cutting, yardage etc. Really had a ball making these little gems!



5. Carol makes it so easy to make detailed miniature quilts that will stun even your quilting friends. Instructions are clear, the patterns fit together perfectly. You can enlarge the blocks for a larger quilt. I recommend Carol's foundation piecing paper to go with this.

1 comments about Great American Quilts/Book 2 (Great American Quilts).

1. This book (as do all in this series) features color pictures and instructions for making most of the award-winning quilts displayed herein. I like to thumb through it for design ideas.

No comments about Loose Change: Quilts from Nickels, Dimes, and Fat Quarters.

2 comments about String Quilts With Style.

1. Or how to make a scrap quilt fast and accurately without sweat ! Every time I look at this book I want to try a new pattern : the technique is well explained and there are great photos of all the quilts projects. There are also extra pictures of old "Stringies" to inspire you. If you've never tried string quilts before this is the book for you.



2. I bought this book and my fingers started itching to make one or all of these patterns. But first,the fun part --- just keep stitching long, or not so long, strips of scrap fabrics of all kinds together. Follow the simple instructions combining colors and prints, whatever you pull out of your scrap pile. When you're finished you'll have some really funky material to work with. Now use the measurements or templates given to make squares, triangles, diamonds, whatever, to make a new old-fashioned looking quilt. Lots of color pictures are included to give you a great selection. OR design your own. Believe me, it's not difficult! That's why this book is so great.

No comments about Favorite Traditional Quilts Made Easy.

1 comments about Round About Quilts.

1. For those of you looking for something different, this book could be worth considering. You do however, require a special 9 degree wedge ruler to complete these quilts. There are 9 patterns in the book, most of which are medallion-style quilts. There are 2 colour combinations shown of each pattern. These are not traditional quilts but certainly interesting. I don't know that I would recommend them to a beginner unless they were quite an experienced sewer.

2 comments about Lap Quilting With Georgia Bonesteel.

1. I found this book to be well written and informative. The quilt patterns range from simple to complex for beginners and the more experienced quilter. For those of you who are beginners, invest in a rotary cutter system for this will make redundant cutting of pieces much faster and easier. I did find that I needed to purchase some extra yardage of fabrics due to my choice in color and arrangements, keep this in mind if you should chose to vary from the colors used in the book. I would have liked to see pointers on how to handle complex intersections in some of the star patterns that would have made them lay nicer. I had to learn by trial and error. (Practice with scraps on these until you feel you have it down.) All in all I found this volume to be well laid out with beautiful photography and helpful. The abundance of available pattern pieces was generous and should keep the reader busy attempting to recreate the wonderful quilts depicted in the book.



2. This is a book that can be saved and enjoyed over and over.

No comments about Embellished Memories.