Customer Reviews

Crazy for Quilts: A Celebration of the Quilter's Art (Town Square Giftbook Series)

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Quilting took off in North America, from the need to make the best possible use of resources. Immigrants could not afford to be wasteful. So the cheapest way to having bedcovers and blankets was to sew cast-off and leftover materials into quilts.

Early on quiltmaking meant coming up with something not only practical, but also beautifully artistic. One of CRAZY FOR QUILT's many examples that particularly touched me was a small all-white doll quilt. It was machine-stitched more than 100 years ago. Over time black dots showed up from inside the cloth. These were cotton seeds. The quiltmaker, from a Southern state, might have picked her own cotton for batting! So this quilt was not only practical in giving a cool white night cover to a child's doll. It also left evidence for future generations of how one woman turned a child's gift into an elegantly simple, lasting work of art

These days quiltmaking has become a creative and practical outlet for probably around 20 million quilters just in the United States alone. This modern passion has also become a strong support to historical preservation, in this case in the collecting of antique quilts and in the use of traditional designs. In fact, many of the best-loved quilts have kept alive traditional patterns, such as crazy quilting, the double wedding ring, grandmother's flower garden, and the log cabin.

One of the book's more humorous sections was on the sayings that have passed down through quilting generations. The one that made me laugh, but also take note, was about giving a new quilt a good shaking outside the front door. The bad or good news was that the first man to then pass through that door should become the quilter's husband!

Margret Aldrich has also edited the equally fine THIS OLD QUILT.

It was a pleasure to read CRAZY FOR QUILTS. I can honestly say that I relished each and every page.

Sandra Dallas wrote the Foreword. She is the author of several excellent novels including THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB. She gives some interesting insight into her own love of quilts that was passed down through her family. Her memories and antidotes add a personal touch of family history to this book. There's also a very entertaining short story written by Marietta Holley titled "Miss Jones' Quilting." It takes place around 1887 and gives an amusing account of a quilting bee and how gossip can really get out of hand

The art illustrations are enchanting and feature the works of Sandi Wickersham and Diane Phalen. CRAZY FOR QUILTS is filled with photographs of quilters and many examples of quilts. This small, but mighty book also has a section on quilters' folklore and a glossary of quilting terms. This really would make a great gift for any woman who enjoys quilts.

Fun book to read. Tells you a lot about quilting in the past. Good read.