Customer Reviews

Batik Beauties: 18 Stunning Quilts

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Batik Beauties lives up to its title. The gorgeous array of quilts will entice anyone who has a love of fabrics. Laurie Shifrin shows you in clear, easy steps how to combine luscious batiks to create a prize quilt, which not only does justice to the fabric, but is an eye-catcher either on the wall or the bed. This book can take the frustration out of creating a masterpiece as Ms. Shifrin, who has a special eye for combining color and pattern, categorizes the different batik designs and then guides you to create an effective combination. Her instructions are clearly written and well illustrated and she offers designs which appeal to a variety of tastes.

In this book, Laurie talks about the history of batiks and about how they are made today. She also talks about how to buy Batiks, and how to tell the real Batiks apart from the look-alikes. I also see instructions on caring and protecting your Batik fabric. However, not as much about this as I expected.
This book also has a lot of basic quiltmaking instructions. If this was the only book I owned, I would be able to finish a quilt right down to the binding. There's not too much on quilting patterns because she feels the batiks speak for themselves so the quilts don't need too much quilting.
I am not a person who likes the Batik fabrics, but I love the patterns in this book just using my fabrics. Most of the patterns are simple rotary cutting quilts using squares, rectangles and triangles. I did see a few quilts that use applique or a template.
The directions are simple to follow and well illustrated. Laurie has also rated each pattern by skill level. I'm a beginner, but with these directions, I feel I could successfully and easily complete every one.

I can't get over how wonderful this book is! It not only inspires the beginning quilter, but helps a more advanced quilter focus in a whole new direction. The color schemes are beautifully put together. I used the author's ideas and also set out on my own to pick out colors. I love the format of the book; how you can get right to the color coded pages, and the directions are crystal clear. Even if you are an experienced quilter, you will enjoy these directions. Thank you for a book well done!

This book is very frustrating to me. I love batiks, and the author's works are beautiful, but I am not a beginner and definitely not interested in copying her quilts in whatever size and color schemes she has used. Therefore, I find it extremely annoying that the directions tell you how many of what size shapes to cut for her quilt, but don't say what the finished block sizes are. Of course, I can figure that out, but why make me do all that math istead of including such basic information? Total book includes 10 pages of text on batiks, 22 pages of text on very basic, generic quiltmaking techniques, and 77 pages consist of 18 particular quilts with the instructions for copying them.

This book is eye-candy for those who love batik fabrics. The author provides 18 patterns for quilts made with batiks. She also provides in interesting introduction and background info on batik fabric and how it is made. Very readable book, with beautiful quilt patterns. But the best part of this book is in simply ooohing and ahhhing over the photos of batik fabrics. Lovely!!

Do you drool over breathtakingly beautiful batiks? Are you drawn to classic patchwork patterns that allow the beauty of the fabric to shine? Finally, a book that inspires through the use of timeless patchwork with thoughtful direction and gorgeous batiks! These patterns are simple and can be easily adapted to nonbatik fabrics. Ms. Shifrin has a real eye for color and value, and it shows in the gorgeous quilts displayed on the pages of this book. The straightforward explanations of the batik process and the fabrics produced are both informative and helpful. Go ahead, now you can confidently create your own stunning batik beauties!

The book contains lots of information on Batiks and many beautiful pictures. I took a class by Laurie Shifrin, we did the "Behind the Shadows" quilt from the book, page 54. Not only is she a great author, but in person is very friendly and always ready to offer encouragement. She will be releasing a new book sometime this winter. I got a sneak preview during a trunk show and believe me the color and fabric combinations are eye-catching. The only complaint I have with the book is that it doesn't contain the block sizes.

This book is both informative and insirational! If you have never known what to do with your collection of batiks, this book will inspire you. If you have not collected batiks, you will now! The color and graphics are beautiful. The directions are clear and easy to follow. A must have for any quilter's library.

The exotic world of batiks opens up with Ms. Shifrin's dynamic use of these vibrantly alive fabrics. Her innovative patterns and creative vision are an inspiration to quilters of all skills and backgrounds. It's apparent that batiks are her passion as every page is brimming with their rich colors. The designs cover the range from traditional to contemporary. This book is the first of its kind, and it presents an invaluable resource for quilters every where on how to incorporate the exotic and alluring nature of batiks into their treasured heirlooms. The instructions are clear, thorough, and include an abundance of helpful hints to make each project a pleasure. It's certainly one of the must have books in my quilting library, and I know it's going to be a source of creative motivation for many years to come. If you don't quilt, you'll want to start with this book. There's no better book to begin a lifetime love affair with batiks. --C. Mills

This is a beautifully done book. The pictures and illustrations are clear and show off the quilts to their best. The lay out of the book is easy to follow with clear and concise instructions for making all the quilts. The text is nicely written and the designs are new and refreshing. The most fun part is that all the quilts are made completely with batiks showing quilters how batiks can be used together in making spectacular quilts. You will enjoy this book.