Customer Reviews

Liberated String Quilts

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

 

 

This is another "got to have" by Gwen Marston. It was like I was looking at the quilts my grandmother made when I was growing up. These quilts are not only easy, but they give you the inspiration to create.
I have two other books by Gwen. Some things I love about her books . . . she has great respect for the quilters that came before us, her books are fun to read, easy to understand - and they ignite the creativity that we all possess. I'm on my second reading of this book,(I'm in the process of trying to decide which quilt I want to try first.)
I think the thing that has made the most impact on me from reading her books is "Who made up the rules?" We make our own "rules", quilt the way we want to quilt, use fabric we love - and the result is something we love doing.

Get this book as a special gift for yourself. And if you look at the many examples, you'll probably find one of your grandmother's quilts between the covers of this book. Bottom line is you'll have a great time - both reading and quilting!

I have been waiting for this book and like it even more than Gwen's Liberated Quilts. (and I love it!) Liberated String quilts focuses on process instead of patterns and draws on color photos of antique quilts made in this manner to inspire more modern versions of string quilt process. I have made samples of Gwen's process and it is fun to make a quilt this way. If you have recently been bit by the scrappy quilt bug--you will be particularly thrilled with this book. Some of the types of quilts covered in this book are: string bars, pinwheel strings, strings and stars, Amish string, chevron sting bars, slanted bars, string tulip block, string baskets.

The color plates of the quilts are clear and detailed and you could tell a lot about these quilts' construction by them.

Gwen writes her directions and discussions with enthusiasm and clarity. I took her string quilt class a few years ago, and her books really do reflect her great quilting personality as well as offer good directions for string process quilts.

As a big fan of "Liberated Quiltmaking", I waited with great anticipation for the release of "Liberated String Quilts"...and I certainly have not been disappointed. While the book itself follows a more common structure than its predecessor, it is still full of liberating ideas sure to inspire creativity. It certainly has given me ideas to apply to my current stack of projects on the go. I have added it to the stack of books I keep close by for easy reference and applaud Ms. Marston's latest contribution.

I am a big fan of Gwen Marston. She is totally irreverant when it comes to quilters' rules. However you shouldn't think that she has no rules at all. If you purchase this book believing it's all just a piece of cake you'd be wrong. Making the basic "string" fabric is extremely simple, then you follow her patterns for making the blocks using this fabric. A couple of her blocks even have set-in seams which are not all that easy. A bit of quiltmaking expertise is required. But then there are the blocks like Amish Rectangular String, Arkansas Traveler, and Slanted Bars which are very simple and go together quickly. I'd recommend this book for anyone who wants a break from the Mariners Compass, Texas Star, and paper piecing quilts you've been working on. It's different! And that's not a bad thing.

This beautiful book is delivered as a print on demand. Terrible quality interior - like a bad color copy. Dark colors, trimmed incorrectly. The shame is that this book is listed as new. Amazon ought to inform customers what they are getting.

Please note this review applies only to the currently available "new" version of this out-of-print book. The original is one of my favorite books ever with gorgeous pictures of antique string quilts - it gets 5 stars. But what is available now is a Print on Demand book even though that is never specified anywhere. It is atrocious. It's not printed on glossy paper, the colors are murky and wrong. I am looking at the two books side by side and yeesh, what a difference. C&T, I'm ashamed of you printing this atrocious thing; Amazon I'm ashamed of you selling it as new, with no warning that it is Print on Demand - highly misleading.

I am having a great time exploring this type of quilt and this book gives great directions and ideas. I loved seeing older quilts made this way and then learning new techniques. The directions are easy to follow and the tips are very helpful.