Customer Reviews

Prairie Flower: A Year on the Plains

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

 

 

Emphasises the hardships of the trail and the creative drive of the women who were moving west. Provides excellent patterns relevant to the historic environment.

I am loving working on the quilt being made from this book. Others in my quilt guild have already made the quilt and each of them is lovely.

Barbara Brackman has a well-deserved reputation for writing compelling histories of women and quilting. One of her earlier works is out of print and if you can find it, sells for many times its original price. This book is well written, the patterns are clearly drawn, and the text is enjoyable. But . . . I feel mildly disappointed. Of the 12 patterns given, I will actually produce one, maybe two, of them. Is that a flaw of the book? Probably not. The patterns appear to be of a more primitive style, so that if you are looking for finer applique, you may want to examine this book more thoroughly before buying it. I think I can adapt the patterns I like by reducing the thickness of the stems and adding more detail to the flowers, maybe even some embroidery. Yes, I'll keep it, but it won't be on the shelf with my favorite quilting books.

There are so many books available with applique and patchwork pieced flowers. However, this one has simple and elegant patterns that are historically based. Excellent resource for quilters that love gardening or flowers.