Family Ties: Old Quilt Patterns from New Cloth (Needlework and Quilting) [Paperback]

Nancilu Burdick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1991 | Series: Needlework and Quilting

This elegant, colorful book is based on the quilts of Talula Gilbert Bottoms, whose inspiring story was told in Legacy. Contains patterns for thirty-eight quilts. Illustrated and indexed.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For Talula Gilbert Bottoms, the author's grandmother and an incredibly prolific quiltmaker, the process of making quilts both enhanced and lengthened her life, and the quilts she left forged connections among her many descendants. And, as the granddaughter reminds us, "Handmade quilts can still cross generations to provide ... those same benefits even in our own fast-moving and uncertain world." Family Ties is a treasury of wonderful quilt patterns (38 in all) based on Talula's creations, which were made in a time before printed patterns were readily available. (She often borrowed quilts from others to draft the designs herself.) Each pattern includes color photos of both Talula's lovely original and a stunning modern interpretation, along with the author's comments about the pattern and its relevance to her grandmother's life. Although this is not a how-to book, there are templates for all the patterns, plus brief construction notes. This is a fascinating glimpse into one woman's life as told through her highly accomplished needlework. --Amy Handy

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (December 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558531343
• ISBN-13: 978-1558531345
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Thumbs Up!, December 10, 1999

By 

Sue Garber (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family Ties: Old Quilt Patterns from New Cloth (Needlework and Quilting) (Paperback)

This is probably my favorite quilt book -- and I have a lot of them. I don't know why I am so intrigued by the vintage quilts featured in this book, but I find it amazing that Talula spent her whole life making quilts and so many of them survived. I intend to make at least a few of her patterns in vintage-stype fabric so my children will be able to enjoy the family heirlooms as well. If you like vintage quilt patterns you'll love this quilt book with a personal history wrapped inside.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than Patterns: a revealing look at historical piecing practices inSouth, February 17, 2007

By 

gi (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Family Ties: Old Quilt Patterns from New Cloth (Needlework and Quilting) (Paperback)

I ordered this book because I wanted to make one of the star quilts Talula Gilbert Bottoms made and Nancilu Burdick discussed in her book "Legacy: the Quilts of Talula Gilbert Bottoms." I also was interested to see the pattern for the Whig's Defeat, for the pattern is entirely pieced, a most curious practice for such a pattern.

What I discovered set me onto a new research trail in my study of Southern quiltmaking. Every quilt is pieced, even the Crossed Tulips and similar patterns that are now appliqued. Preliminary discussions lead me to believe this practice was common in Southern quilts of a certain era and group.

The patterns themselves are well-drawn. And seeing the historic models and the contemporary pieces that reference them gives one an idea how to carry forward the work of earlier quilters while working in the fabrics and colors of one's own time. That, I think, is what tradition is about---not mere copying older quilts, but rendering them in one's own venacular.

This slim volume is worth more than its price.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The book includes both patterns and stories, a sequel, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Family Ties: Old Quilt Patterns from New Cloth (Needlework and Quilting) (Paperback)

I am the author of this book, a sequel to my first book, Legacy: The Story of Talula Gilbert Bottoms and Her Quilts. New quilts are made by old patterns and shown in color. New quilts feature 5 members of Kenan Quilt Guild, Lockport, NY. Quilters have responded favorably to Family Ties.