Customer Reviews

Design Your Own Quilts

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My mother wrote this book and tested its premise on me and my friend many years ago. Neither of us had ever made a quilt. We followed the instructions for selecting fabrics and combining them and made two very different quilts that we were each immensely pleased with. Mom gave us our basic piecing instruction in person, but she does a very nice job of explaining the basics clearly in the book. This book has been updated with a lot of wonderful quilts made by mom and the many quilting friends she has made in her classes and travels. There are many different types of quilts pictured, from the traditional to the very contemporary, all using mom's menu-based method. Even people who don't consider themselves "creative" can make great quilts with this method.

I'd have to say this is one of the greatest quilt books ever--especially if you lean towards more contemporary layouts. The formulas for laying out a quilt and what blocks to make are fantastic; even beginners can expect a great result. I have bought this book several times and given away some as gifts. The only downside is that the book is out of print! I really wish the publisher would reprint it as more people are jumping on the quilting bandwagon every year. I think this book needs to be in every quilter's library.

I had a wonderful beige/yellow print of various lions. I wanted to cut up the lions--the lions came in different shapes, making them difficult to fit into a traditional pattern, like a sawtooth star. With Judy's book, I was able to design a quilt using the lions in different shapes, plus a variety of hand-dyed prints, creating a soft look, almost camouflaging the lions. I choose a pattern that best fit the lions, then worked with her concepts (although I didn't exactly follow her plan) to design the quilt. For anyone who wants to start designing your own quilt, but still need a little direction, this book is perfect!

Pleased to get a hard to find book.....arrived right on time. Thanks
BTW....the author is a distant cousin which makes this very special.

This book is full of easy to follow design plans. Choose from the layout and block suggestions, or pick your own using the guidelines provided. I have made several quilts using this technique. All different. All wonderful.

If you are looking for something new and creative this is the book. It gives you a basic formula for creating your own designs using a focus square or squares and an artful background. The formula is based on a grid system that is easy for even the non-creative to use. I made a quilt and now my sister has borrowed the book.