American Doll Quilts "Print on Demand Edition" [Paperback]

Kathleen Tracy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2011

Celebrate the sweet, centuries-old American tradition of antique doll quilts with stories of the past and heirlooms for the future. These simple projects will capture the charm of yesteryear for a child-or for the child within. Fourteen designs represent doll quilts made during different periods in American history, starting with the colonial period and moving through the Victorian era, the Great Depression, and World War II. Projects in a range of sizes up to 20" x 22" include a medallion quilt, a stenciled quilt, and a friendship pillow. Information on fabrics and designs highlight the unique traits of each historical period

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kathleen Tracy designs patterns inspired by antique doll quilts for her quilt kit company, Country Lane Quilts. This is her first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 82 pages
• Publisher: Martingale & Company (March 23, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564775895
• ISBN-13: 978-1564775894
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen Tracy made her first small quilt from a Martingale pattern book she picked up in 2000. Making quilts for her daughter's American Girl dolls sparked an interest in history and led to the publication of American Doll Quilts in 2004. Kathleen looks to antique quilts for inspiration in making her scrappy quilts from simple blocks and hopes that her books make the past come alive and give quilters a connection with quilters from long ago. She is also the author of Prairie Children & Their Quilts, Remembering Adelia and The Civil War Sewing Circle.

Kathleen is a frequent lecturer to quilt guilds across the country and conducts workshops on making small quilts with an antique look. In addition to quilting, Kathleen is an avid reader and loves gardening, cooking and making simple beaded jewelry for family and friends. She lives in Illinois, with her husband, college-aged son, teenage daughter and their 2 dogs. Kathleen loves to hear from other quilters and welcomes comments. Visit her at www.countrylanequilts.com and http://sentimentalquilter.blogspot.com/

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Awaited Treasure, January 3, 2005

By 

Tracy Robert (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: American Doll Quilts "Print on Demand Edition" (Paperback)

I first became interested in doll quilts in October 2004 as I tired from a creative binge of sewing doll clothes, but still wanted low commitment sewing projects to work on. Little quilts and doll quilts are smaller versions of larger quilt patterns. Doll quilts are an excellent start for any beginning quilter or for those who prefer short term projects. Historically, doll quilts were often made by children as they practiced sewing and quilting skills. Today, they are suitable projects for beginning adults as well as supervised children.

"American Doll Quilts" breaks quilt styles into time periods, giving several different quilt patterns for each time period. There are 16 historical quilt designs in this book; complete with lists of materials, directions, color illustrations of each step and full color photos of completed quilts. The author describes fabric, color, and pattern choices for making historical quilts as well as how and when to tea dye a fabric for an antique look.

Although no specific dolls are mentioned or endorsed in this book, I wanted to mention that the historical nature of these quilt patterns makes them a nice accessory to the American Girl historical dolls (as well as antique and reproduction dolls). A Colonial quilt could be given to Felicity, a Western pioneer quilt could be made for Kirsten, a Civil War Era/Underground Railroad quilt could be made for Addy, a Victorian Crazy Quilt might look nice on Samantha and Nellie's beds, and Depression and WW2 era quilts can be made for Kit and Molly. Pattterns for all of these eras and quilt types are included in this book.

Whether made by an adult or an older child, these quilts are absolutely suited for today's audience of young historians and nostaligic adults. This book is well done. Whether you are interested in sewing historical little quilts for wall hangings, to display with antique or historical dolls, or for child's play, this book can help you create something you will be proud to have made.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a joy to read while still being educational, December 8, 2006

By 

Judy "historyofquilts" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: American Doll Quilts "Print on Demand Edition" (Paperback)

These little patterns would be a delight to make and each one represents a period of time in America's history. Having viewed many vintage and antique quilts I find these little quilts are true to their periods in history both in the fabric and the patterns.

In spite of the charming patterns in this book it's greatest value is it's ability to give you a sense of what it was like to be quilting during different times in history.

It is good resource for historical information about the styles and periods of each project but the greatest value is in the learning the history and then making the quilt. There is something about doing something with our hands that makes the history we have learned so real.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Doll Quilts: 16 Little Projects that Honor a Tradition, May 13, 2007

By 

Georgia Barker "GMBarker" (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Doll Quilts "Print on Demand Edition" (Paperback)

I bought the book because I have always loved doll quilts. Now I have a granddaughter and anticipate making quilts for her doll babies. This book has many projects and good instructions, as well as, history about quilts and how they fit into the history of our country. The pictures are beautiful and the book is well written. It would be an asset in any quilt book library.