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51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An inspirational book, January 16, 2006
This review is from: Bella Bella Quilts: Stunning Designs from Italian Mosaics (Paperback)
Firstly, this book is probably not for the novice quilter--there are some easier designs, and suggestions for simplifying patterns, but the directions do assume a general knowledge of the craft.
However, there's a lot that any quilter can learn from this book; it's filled with beautiful quilts with interesting designs taken from Italian mosaics. In fact, it's also loaded with pictures of the original mosaics that inspired the quiltds, and a short history lesson on the origin of the mosaic patterns.
Aside from the inspiration of just paging through looking at pretty pictures, I found a lot to admire in the thought Norah McMeeking obviously put into this book. Each section begins with a nice photo of the quilt and then some helpful design suggestions--ways to vary the pattern and make it your own. There's also several line drawings of possible design/color variations to help you visualize your options. Then comes a list of fabric requirements and directions, including illustrations of any special/new techniques and lastly, suggestions for quilting methods that would look good. All the templates and foundations are presented in a pullout section at the end of the book, which is so much handier than trying to trace them off of book pages.
All in all, this a well conceived and well executed quilt book. In all likelihood I won't attempt to recreate one of these quilts, but I do see myself using bits and pieces in my own quilts. It's a good book to add to my reference library.
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23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for a beginner!, May 14, 2006
This review is from: Bella Bella Quilts: Stunning Designs from Italian Mosaics (Paperback)
I have this book and the companion patterns that go with it. This book is not for a beginner! I have already found errors in the instructions for the quilts. The companion pattens are misleading. The are not all the patterns to complete a quilt they are the larger patterns. It states on the front "no copying, no tracing, no taping", so far I have had to copy patterns, trace inner rings on to freezer paper and tape patterens together to make a larger size. I would recommed reading the insructions prior to making any quilt in this book. The quilts are gorgeous and I would love to make all of them but I am hesitant, as I have had others tell me that they have found errors in other quilts in the book also.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Patterns, Exquisite Design, March 14, 2006
This review is from: Bella Bella Quilts: Stunning Designs from Italian Mosaics (Paperback)
Norah's book is full of wonderful examples and beautiful design. Her directions are fairly easy to understand, even for a beginner like me! I have already completed one quarter and a little more of one of the patterns. The foundation piecing makes what, at first, seems like an impossible task into something that is easy and enjoyable. The end product is simply exquisite.
Also, if you ever get the change to take a class from Norah, definitely do! She is a great teacher as well as a great designer. She has interesting and funny anecdotes, and is a wealth of quilting knowledge!
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