Encyclopedia Of Pieced Quilt Patterns [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Barbara Brackman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1993

This pattern identification book places at your fingertips illustrations and sources for over 4,000 pieced patterns. It is user-friendly and is great for identifying patterns in quilts and for furnishing inspiring possibilities for quiltmakers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Originally published as eight volumes between 1979 and 1984, this condensed edition allows for identification of quilts based on design or pattern name. More than 4000 pieced quilt patterns, derived from printed sources published between 1830 and 1970, are organized into 25 pattern categories. Each design is numbered and illustrated in a line drawing and keyed to name and citation for first-known published source. While pieced patterns and those with minor applique are identified, appliqueed patterns with a little piecing are not. Maggie Malone's 1001 Patchwork Designs (Sterling, 1990) serves well as a less-expensive source for quilters, but it does not demonstrate the historical perspective or exhaustive approach that makes this title a valuable tool for quilt historians. This title is an excellent companion to Brackman's Clues in the Calico: Identifying and Dating Quilts (EPM, 1989), a guide to classifying fabrics used in quilts.
- Judith Yankielun Lind, Roseland Free P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

The comprehensive listing of pieced quilt designs from the early 1830s to the 1970s includes illustrations and sources for more than 4,000 pieced patterns. -Sew News

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 552 pages
• Publisher: American Quilter's Society; 1 edition (August 15, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891458158
• ISBN-13: 978-0891458159
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 1.5 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #750,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Quilt Pattern Reference January 5, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book must have almost every quilt pattern known to man! I find it very helpful in identifying patterns - it would be a worthy addition to any quilt collector's library.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference guide for quilt block patterns. April 8, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I found this encyclopdia to be an excellent reference guide for different quilt blocks. I was able to identify several antiques quilts that are variations of well known blocks. I recommend this book!

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Quilt Reference book-A Must have February 22, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This book is definitely an encyclopedia. Very useful tool for practiced quilters to beginners. Every quilt pattern and lots of ideas, plus references upon references. A must have for your quilting reference library. One really needs to see to fully enjoy the power behind this book!

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for! December 30, 2002

By Rachel E. Pollock

Format:Hardcover

I have wanted this book ever since i heard of its existance, because i can't even count how many times i've found myself in the position of trying to describe a quilt pattern that I *know* has a recognizable name that i just can't remember, or wanting to look up patterns by name for one reason or another (for example: "Hrm, i wonder if there are any quilt patterns with Tennessee in the name, something like a Tennessee Star...?")

It is pretty much exactly what i imagined it to be, a compendium of as many patterns as the author could track down (over 4000 total), sorted using a grouping system that makes it pretty easy to look up a pattern to find its name if you know what the block looks like but not what it's called. I imagine it would be a valuable resource for museum curators, quilt collectors, and quilt scholars, in terms of identifying antique quilts or writing about them, and also perhaps for instructors. If you are looking for actual patterns, you won't find them here; it does not provide templates or any piecing instructions. It is not a how-to book, but more of a reference book.

The patterns are depicted in small black-and-white drawings, so that several can fit on a page, and they are shaded to show how they are traditionally pieced using lights and darks, if applicable. Brackman lists each pattern and the name(s) by which it is known, along with the earliest known source mentioning the pattern by name. It's interesting to see how "old" some of the patterns we think of as "traditional" really are! (A lot that i thought went back a couple hundred years actually cropped up in the 1930s, according to this book!) The book covers up to as recent as the 1970s....

Another amusing note: The author, Barbara Brackman, is--no surprise--a serious quilt scholar, but was also involved in that "The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue" project, with the quilt blocks depicting Sunbonnet Sue dying in horrible ways.... Read more ›

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for your quilting library May 31, 2000

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This is probably the most used book in my quilting library, both for researching the names of patterns I've seen, and for inspiration for new quilts.

46 of 54 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A priceless compendium of patterns, but nothing is in color July 20, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I have mixed feelings about this book. The collection of patterns is priceless if you're seeking a specific, obscure pattern difficult to find elsewhere. Unfortunately, however, nothing is shown in color (or with clearly delineated components), so I couldn't visualize how they'd look as quilts. I, myself, much prefer BH&G's _501 Quilt Blocks_, which shows each in color (gorgeous!), along with a block clearly showing each segment, and directions for assembling it. That one is so gorgeous (it just arrived) that I'm about to see if I can buy it in hardcover; it sparks my creativity whenever I look at it. If this (the Bannister book) had included color photos, I would be wildly enthusiastic about it -- but the tiny black and white blocks seem very uninspiring, with no hint how they might look good, tips toward assembling them, etc. I'm returning my copy; it just cost too much and takes up too much room for something this plebeian. However, if you're just seeking basic sketches of obscure old blocks, you'll adore this one -- which is obviously a million times more complete than the BH&G book I just raved about (or any other book I've ever heard of, for that matter).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect addition to complete your library March 13, 2006

By Joseph F. Mertens

Format:Hardcover

The title is honest: this truly is an encyclopedia. Taken by itself, this wonderful resource will seem dry, but you'll return to Ms. Brackman's book again and again. There is a brief introduction and an easily understood key to finding the blocks which follow (drawn in black & white). Don't look here for colorways tips or settings options, don't look for projects or how-to's - you won't find any. Instead, come here to browse, revisit old favorites and perhaps discover new and rediscover forgotten blocks. There is enough inspiration here for a bazillion quilts. Truly a treasure.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have Resource April 2, 2007

By Joan Badami

Format:Hardcover

The book reveals the intense research the author employs in all of her works. I particularly enjoyed the ease of identification by which any block can be researched by a series of shapes. Recently I was asked to conserve a family quilt which I called "Spools". Hidden for 90 years in a chimney in Fort Worth Texas, the book revealed it is also called "Double Bit Ax" and that name originated in Amarillo in 1879. This information gave the heirs a clue to the maker of their quilt.