Customer Reviews

Mariner's Compass Quilts-Setting a New C: New Process, New Patterns, New Projects

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Judy Mathieson has designed a new way of paper piecing the Mariner's Compass pattern; no paper to tear away! It's a great project-oriented book, one that most intermediate quilters that are ready for a new challenge will enjoy.

This book contains all the patterns you will need for making many Mariners Compass blocks. I really liked this book because it has clear directions and lots of photos.

I just took a class at the 2007 Houston Quilt Festival w/Judy Mathieson learning the paper piecing technique taught in this book. While tricky and a bit more involved than traditional PP, the results are just as good and you don't have to pick tiny pieces of paper out of your blocks/quilts when you're finished. Judy is a wonderful teacher (take a class when you have the opportunity) and this is truly an advance in paper piecing.

Personally I love these patterns. The layout of the directions make it simple to make all types of different variations. If Mariner's compasses are your favorite, then buy this!

Easy to understand, clear & concise. A very useful tool to be able to draft your own compass or use one of the included pattern pages. Loads of ideas for setting quilts and colour choices.

This book was an eye opener for a paper piecing and showing one a new and easier way of doing this method, I highly recommend this book.

Long have I admired the Mariner's Compass from afar! Years ago at the home of a relative who is a master quilter, I saw the Mariner's Compass block she was in the process of creating using the foundation paper piecing method. It was so striking in appearance that I immediately made a mental note that someday I was going to learn to make that pattern. The more experienced I became as a quilter the more I realized what that would involve and the less I thought I could really do it.

When the local quilt shop starting advertising a class based on this book, Mariner's Compass Quilts: Setting a New Course, I vacillated for a couple of weeks as to whether or not I thought I could actually make such a thing. I'm here to tell you that it is very doable for an intermediate quilter. I think it still would be a daunting task for the average beginner, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the compass went together with sharp points and no tearing away of paper foundations and thus no tiny stitch length making unpicking difficult. Author Judy Mathieson has developed a new way to use freezer paper as your foundation without actual sewing to the paper. It is very effective and faster than I ever dreamed. After a two hour class this morning and another 2-3 hours on my machine at home I have completed the compass and started work on surrounding it with a circle of flying geese units using the same method. I am thrilled with the result! I keep looking at my Mariner's Compass in awe thinking, "I really made that."

I actually went into the class thinking this may be the only Mariner's Compass I ever make in my life. Honestly, it was so much easier than I imagined that I am eager to make more. The reason I am giving the book 4 stars rather than 5 is that I had a very capable instructor who taught the method in a clear and concise manner. Though the book is filled with thorough, step-by-step photos, I am a very visual learner and I'm not sure how well I would have done without actually seeing the process in action. I've looked at the photos and read the instructions and it all makes sense to me because I have seen it happen--I don't know if the book alone, for me, would have made the process come alive. I'm sure that many quilters would not have trouble following the book's instructions. Maybe that is unfair to the book if the flaw lies with me, but that is my reasoning for my rating.

For the more adventurous, there is a chapter on drafting your own patterns, which looked easier than I expected with the help of some basic tools (ruler, compass, etc.). Other chapters cover quilt planning, fabric selection, construction method, patterns, and projects. There is no "How to" section on basic quilting because, as the author states, "most people who are attracted to the Mariner's Compass pattern have more than beginner-level skills." She also points out that this leaves more room for patterns. One reviewer has complained that there are no yardage requirements included with the patterns. That is true, however I feel that the nature of the patterns leaves so much to the quilter in the form of which pattern pieces to make in which color that it would be difficult to dictate how much of which fabrics are required. Once you have determined what color you want to make each piece you can gauge, based on the size of the pattern pieces, how much of each fabric you need.

This book is filled with visually stunning examples of what the author and others have created using her method. It is amazing what they have accomplished and after completing my first project I feel empowered to venture on to more challenging designs. If you have wanted to try a Mariner's Compass I highly recommend this method.

ETA: I have since made a second Mariner's Compass and it seemed even easier than the first. I had a woman ask me the advantages of this method over foundation paper piecing. The only one she could see was the lack of the need to tear off papers from the finished block--a process she said she doesn't mind (more power to her). In my review I also mentioned that you don't have to adjust your stitch length as in FPP, so unpicking an error is easier. The last advantage I see is that once you have made your perforated "foundation" you can reuse it several times in making more blocks. You don't tear it to pieces when you are done with the block. To me, all of these advantages are time-savers and I'm all for having more time for my projects!

Once again Judy Mathieson excels. Her books and patterns are beautifully written and easy to understand. The photographs are perfect additions to her directions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try Mariner's Compass'. Her patterns and directions range from relatively simple for those new to the process all the way to complex designs and anywhere in between.

I saw Judy on an episode of Simply Quilts, thought her freezer paper piecing idea was simple, bought this book and dived in.

When other quilter friends saw my finshed project, they thought I was crazy for doing a mariner's compass but with Judy's method it was easy.

I had never paper pieced before, nor seen it done, so I had no preconceived ideas that it should be difficult.

Since then I taught my mother and a friend using Judy's method and they were thrill that they could get such fine points and perfect seam matching.

I have wanted to make Mariner's Compass and New York Beauty blocks but, although an experienced quilter, I felt that these would be far too difficult. Judy Mathieson's book changed my mindset! With the aid of this wonderful detailed book I now have the confidence to tackle both these blocks and be assured of success.

This book tells you all the information you need to make a beautiful Mariner's Compass quilt with patterns included. Very good instructions.