Customer Reviews

Hunter Star Quilts & Beyond: Techniques & Projects with Infinite Possibilities

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

 

 

As with her first book, Lone Star Quilts and Beyond, Jan takes a traditional pattern and turns it into something beyond what the ordinary quilter has imagined. Her instructions are easy to follow, and if you don't like one method of block assembly, she gives five others to choose from. Not only does she make the piece work simple, she offers an inspiring gallery of Hunter Star quilts, certain to appeal to both the traditionalist and the art quilter, the beginner and the professional. Like they say in the movies, I give this "two thumbs up" along with the traditional 5 star rating. You won't be disappointed.

The Hunter Star is an old-fashioned quilting block, but in Hunter Star Quilts Beyond, quilting expert Jan Krentz has developed six new ways to build upon the blocks to obtain a fresh, new look. This gathers quilt projects which can be either pieced or quick-fused. Template piecing, strip piecing, and fusible web are all discussed as options, while the chapters cover using the Hunter Star as a block or in log cabin settings. An inspirational presentation packed with color photo examples.

I saw Jan Krentz on HGTV's "Simply Quilts" and so I bought the book. The Hunter Star pattern is beautiful and Jan has several methods for putting the quilt together: paper piecing method, strip piecing method, fusing method, and colorwash method. Beautifully illustrated too with clear instructions plus lots of pictures of finished quilts for inspiration.

I love that this book has instructions for several techniques to build the Hunter Star as well as wonderful color photos of completed projects. It is one of the clearest how-to books I have ever read and used!

I'm an experienced, long-time quilter. The Hunter's Star, though, is far from the usual half-square & quarter-square triangles, or nickels-stitched-into-square-blocks quilt -- this one has angles, biases and inset seams.

It is possible the author is so very experienced, her focus is on variety rather than practical aspects of construction. The book offers an interesting variety of different looks that can be achieved with the Hunter's Star, and varied by choices of pattern, color and textures. Those things are well covered.

What I'd hoped for was a good-sized section showing step-by-step directions and tips on how to avoid the inevitable stretching that goes with its eccentricities. So -- beauty and novelty aside -- if you want to be "walked through" constructing this quilt, look elsewhere. I know that I will.

The possibilities are available for every type of quilter. This book is a must in your patchwork library.

This is a must have for every quilter's library. Jan has done it again.