Quilting
The Basics & Beyond
There’s a reason why quilts are considered heirlooms. These beautiful pieces of folk art seem to speak of history and family through every stitch. Quilt designs range from very simple to impossibly complex and making the decision to learn this beautiful craft can be somewhat daunting. Jeri Simon’s Quilting: The Basics and Beyond takes the fear out of learning to quilt, offering step-by-step instructions that will have even the complete novice creating pieces that can be enjoyed today and passed down to future generations. Photographs complement the easy-to-follow directions.
The book starts with an explanation of the tools one will need to begin quilting and offers advice on how to choose colors, textures, and patterns in fabric. The author meticulously moves the reader through cutting and sewing blocks, making appliqué blocks, assembling pieces, creating borders, and finishing a quilt. The instructions are enhanced by helpful tips scattered throughout the pages. For example: “When determining the layout of a quilt top, it helps to see all the pieces put together before sewing. This gives you the opportunity to move blocks or add another color to enhance the quilt design.” The accompanying DVD demonstrates the techniques in the book so that the reader will have a chance to see the actions involved in each step. Once the basics have been covered, the book offers instructions for making seven quilts, each one building the reader’s quilting skills.
Creating a reference for the true novice can be difficult; it’s all too easy to omit steps and procedures that are taken for granted by seasoned quilter. Simon manages to avoid that mistake. The detailed instructions and photographs, patterns with appeal to a broad range of quilters, and a DVD demonstrating each critical step make this a must-have book for anyone who wishes to learn to quilt.
Reviewed by
Catherine Thureson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
