Customer Reviews

Patchwork Persuasion: Creative Possibilities from Traditional Quilt Blocks

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Has Joen Wolfrom ever written a bad book? She's really amazing. I have four of her books now, and have learned so much from each one of them. The ideas in this book have changed the way I look at quilts. She presents practical, clear methods for modifying traditional designs to make more complex and striking quilts. The color pictures alone are worth the price of the book; the quilts are SO beautiful. Be aware that this is a book intended to provide you with the tools to design your own quilts; it does not include detailed designs, piecing instructions, etc.

This book features some of the most stunning, dynamic quilts I have ever seen. I think the major theme of this book is optical illusion quilting. Most of the compositions aim to tease your depth and/or motion perception. The use of color is also remarkable. This book has inspired me to open up the old scrap bin. Highly recommended!

I love this book. It is a must for any quilter's library. There are many examples of stunning inovative quilts made from traditional patterns. There are also some less traditional art quilts, but the majority are traditional with a punch. I borrowed this book from my library and now I am buying it because I don't want to return it to the library!

PATCHWORK PERSUASION by Joen Wolfrom is more art book than work book, but interesting nevertheless. If you've been making quilts for awhile you will find this book relatively straightforward. If you've never made a quilt or are not terribly practiced then it will prove less useful. Wolfrom provides an illustration of each of the quilts she discusses in the text (there are many of them) and for some, examples of the basic block used in the construction of the quilt.

Some of these quilts are quite literally works of art--many of recent origin, such as "Layfayette Square" (1993) and "Georgetown on the Potomac" (1995). In fact, most of the quilts were recently made by contemporary American artists. Excluding the cover example ('Sunlight and Wheels' by Junko Sawada of Yokohama-shi Japan) my favorite is Carol Bryer Fallert's 'Oswego, Illinois' which shows a stylized idyllic fall river scene viewed through a garden lattice. Consider this book the next best thing to the annual quilt show (or better depending on the exhibits at the show).