Customer Reviews

More Fat Quarter Quilts

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

 

 

I loved M'Liss Hawley's first fat quarter book and looked forward to this one. All the quilts in it look wonderful, particularly the Bargello which I'm dying to try.

However, there is a big error in at least one of the sets of instructions! "Triple Rail on Point" is the first quilt I'm trying from this book, and I've discovered that the diagram illustrating the number of blocks in each row is wrong. The diagram shows a single block in each corner of the main body of the quilt. This seemed a bit funny as all the example quilt photos showed 2 blocks in two of the opposite corners, 1 in the other two. As I began sewing my rows together as per the diagram, I finally realized there _is_ supposed to be 1 more block added onto the end of 6 or 7 of the rows. I have to go back and somehow fit them in to my already-sewn-together rows. If I don't, there will be either holes in my quilt top when I trim the setting triangles, or my block points will be cut off. NOT GOOD!

I hope this is the only error - I still want to make the other quilts but I'm going to be extremely cautious in comparing the diagrams to the photos from now on. I've pulled a lot of my hair out over this one!

The first quilt that I made was from this book, and I plan on making at least two or three more. Actually, I like all of the patterns, and it is very rare that one likes every single pattern in a book! The quilts range from quite small baby/wall size to one that's big enough for a bed, with most of the designs falling into the lap quilt category. A couple of the quilts are easy enough for a brand-spanking-new beginner, and the others are in the advanced beginner/intermediate range. Two are paper pieced, the rest are strip pieced, and there is one quilt specifically designed to showcase machine-embroidered blocks.
One thing I really love about this book is that each quilt is shown in three or four variations, so the reader gets a chance to see how dramatically fabric choices affect the outcome of a quilt. Hawley also gives tips on fabric selection. Brief sections on piecing and finishing are included, though this is not really a how-to book. It is, however, an excellent book for a new quilter, as well as for a more advanced quilter who is looking for a fairly quick stitch, or for ideas on how to use some of those pretty fat quarters she has collected!

I ran into the same problem as the previous review with the Rail Fence quilt. Also the design called Island Star contains errors both in the finished size (51.5 x 41.5) and some of the cutting instructions. It is a lovely quilt so I would suggest making a sample block first to be on the safe side.

I love ALL the patterns in this book. I too discovered the error in the middle of making a quilt and had to make do with what I had. I love all the patterns and as a fairly new quilter, I found these quilts easy and fun to make. The colors in the book are great. I love how there are multiple quilts shown for each pattern, each with great colors. I can't wait to make more. Just be careful and read all the directions to make sure there aren't any other mistakes.

At least two reviewers have pointed out that there is a discrepancy between the photographed quilt on p. 42 and the two diagrams of the quilt on p. 44. That is certainly true, but I must say that I have made the quilt before, following the diagram, not the photograph, and it came out just fine! I never even noticed the discrepancy. I am now in the process of making the quilt for the second time--some 7 years or so after making the first one--and again I didn't notice the difference, and I've been following the diagrams on p. 44. After reading these reviews and studying the book, I've figured out the problem is that the author left out one of the rows of 12 blocks, in the middle of the quilt. Leaving out this row is really not problematic, though I think (since I have leftover blocks) I will now go back and put it in. Thankfully, I've not yet sewn all the rows together. I found the reviewer who mentioned that the photo showed one block in two opposite corners, and two blocks in the other corners, yet the diagram doesn't show this configuration is just wrong, or she has a book printed at a different time from mine! My diagram matches up just fine as far as the corner blocks are concerned; it is "merely" that there is one diagonal row of 12 blocks that is missing. Yes, this is a serious error; I agree with that, and that's why I didn't give it the 4 or 5 stars it probably would otherwise deserve. I was about to order this book for a friend who saw mine and admired it, but now I don't think I will! Rather, I'll let her use MY book and show her this error. As for the other error mentioned by another reviewer, I haven't checked that one out, but certainly if I ever make another quilt from this book, I will be most cautious! This is really a shame, since my other rail fence quilt and the current one are both really nice quilts, and I've been looking forward to making other quilts from what OUGHT to have been a super good book!

I love looking at the quilts in this book and her previous books. I find a lot of inspiration in the gallery. I just finished making the top of the bargello quilt and had a lot of fun.

Has some great embroidery blocks for quilting. I have some ideas for these quilts that will be EASY to make.