Customer Reviews

Creative Classics: 250 Playful Continuous-Line Quilting Designs

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'd give her designs 5 stars.

But a quick reading of the copyright statement (on, IIRC, most of her books) leads one to wonder if they can be used at all.

Personal use. Donation to a nonprofit for a sale. Oh, yes, and if you are quilting it for someone else, they need to buy a copy of the book--or you can't use more than 10 designs. Presumably you already have one.

And it must have a "conspicuous label" saying:

Designs copyright 2007 by Laura Lee Fritz from the book
Creative Classics C & T Publishing Inc.

Now, I was offended the time I went to Paducah and saw a handful of Margaret Rolfe's animals on a quilt with no apparent attribution. People who write books deserve to be thanked. I sent photos of something I made to one author, got back a nice letter saying that they hoped people would play with their designs the way I had.

But Fritz's designs are so free-form I'd be nervous about using them for anything, I would kind of automatically draw them out free-hand for myself, but it kind of sounds like anything that even suggests her stuff is covered. I may do a couple of her elephants from another book on a small wall-hanging for the Elephant Sanctuary, but since "conspicuous" isn't defined, (Giant letters taking up all of the back of a 18 inch piece? leaving no room for thanking Margaret Rolfe for her elephant??) or does it have to be on the front?

And does 10 designs mean ten facing right elephants on one quilt, or ten lines of fans with a sun inside, or what. I've always figured it was ten different designs, but....

I feel about this like I'm that poor farmer in Canada who "grew" Monsanto's Round-up ready corn because the pollen had been blown across to his property. I think he's eventually won, but it took years and years.

Are the intellectual property people really likely to "get" one if something you did a few years back ends up in your garage sale? Probably not. But still. It is inhibiting. Especially the idea that if you do any quilted embellishment on a fan designs you could spend years and dollars fighting it.

This book is far more inspiring and interesting than Fritz's other book "Mindful Meandering", which retails for a few dollars less. But for the extra money, Creative Classics will give you a far better quality publication and a lot more patterns (250 vs 132).

Creative Classics also provides more explanations for keeping your continuous-line quilting disciplined but still fun and spontaneous. I am the type of quilter who looks at patterns for inspiration but I also need a few good verbal descriptions to make it all work for my hands AND my brain. I just wish more verbal effort had been put into this assemblage, even if it were simply her own commentary on how her techniques evolve and expand. This would have been more entertaining, and also might have given the new machine quilter more ideas and confidence.

This is a black and white publication, but the cover is in color, and shows how variegated thread can make a simple design more extraordinary. More color examples should have been used throughout the book to make this a better resource.

There are five sections to this book, each utilizing a different fundamental structure: clam shells, waves, serpentine (great for borders or long runs), fans (used for filling spaces), and feathers. This organization gives Creative Classics the meat and substance that I found to be missing from Fritz's other similar publication (Mindful Meandering, reviewed separately), and for this reason I would recommend buying this book over the other if you had to choose.

Here is a super collection of good quilting designs that can be used with a table-top sewing machine. Here I have master designs I can use myself rather than send my quilts out to my long-arm quilter friends. I love the variety in this book. Glad to have it in my quilting library.

This book is great as it gives a large numberof continous line patterns which will compliment any quilt.

I have been free-motion-quilting for several years and am always looking for stitch design inspirtation. This book offers a ton! The simple line drawings are easy to follow and presented in catagories for a variety of quilt layouts. Excellent addition to my library!

This book is very similar to the 132 Continuous Line Design book reviewed separately, so much of the commentary will be similar.
I have quilted for years on my sewing machine, but am a beginning longarm quilter so was excited about this book. 250 designs!! It would be a great resource that I coud use in many ways on many quilts, I thought, and I bought it at the same time that I bought the author's 132 Design Book. Just like the other book, this one takes an idea, a curled wave, say, and adds elements to it, mostly angular ones. Stars, crosses, zigs, zags, many different odd shapes with corners, nipples (really!) and some loops and curls. The elements may be inset or added to the outside, and each of these is presented as a different design.
Again, most of the designs are angular, with lots of corners, and that's not what most longarmers want. I bought the machine so I could do ornate sweeping loops and curls, so I tend to leave the angular designs to those still using their sewing machines. And most quilts seem to call for loopy designs; only primitives and tribals look good quilted with these spiky ones. If you like that sort of thing, buy the book. Or you can get a good quilting magazine subscription, one that shows you the quilting designs used, and get many more ideas for the money, plus you get quilt designs!
To be fair, there are different sections, like waves, feathers, etc, with different basics that elements have been added to, and some of the designs are new, interesing and useful. I just don't feel that overall the book is good enough to earn my cash and a place in my already crowded sewing room. A friend loaned me a great book on hooked feathers that I will buy instead. I sent this one back.

It is a marvellous book for me, for the Hinterberg Quilt Frame.
I didn't know there is so much in continuous line quilting. It was a revelation for me.

Laura Lee's designs are innovative and can be adapted to any size
and style. It avoids the all over "quilted bedroom look"of the quilts
than can be purchased in department stores. A bit quirky and
definitely fun. A good addition to any machine quilting library..
suitable for long arm also. Make YOUR quilt individual by unleashing
the creative spirit in you that this book engenders.

This is a great book. I refer to it often for inspiration. Every machine quilter should have this book in their library. It is awesome. Laura Lee has done another fantastic job!

Great ideas, says it all. Some very imaginative and easy to follow ideas for the beginner free motion quilter.