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49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
defeated, November 7, 2003
This review is from: Quilting Curves : An Innovative Technique for Machine-Piecing Curves with Incredible Ease (Paperback)
I bought this book 2 years ago when I was very enthusiastic about learning to piece curves. I was on a very tight budget and saved for some time to afford the book, so was very excited when I finally got it. Once I started reading through the process, though, I became more and more discouraged. The technique described does not appear to be simple or fast. In addition, the edges are very obviously top- or blind-stitched which results in a rather amateurish 'crafty' finish. The simplest designs require a minimum of 40 - 60 tiny paper pieces that must be carefully traced out, marked and coded. They then must be cut out on fabric and matched to each other in order. Trying to be optimistic, I thought I'd give it a try, just to learn the method, so I started with the simplest project. I was defeated before I ever attempted to go to the trouble of making anything bigger. The artist's work is beautiful and complex, but the designs offered as sample projects are unfortunately cheesy. To produce the kind of results the artist achieves must take literally hundreds of pieces. I was bored with the sample before I ever finished. Although I greatly admire the artist's work, I was disappointed with this book and the tedious strenuous technique required for unsatisfying results. I look forward to a truly fast, easy and spontaneous technique in a curved piecing book, if there is one.
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125 of 142 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not really piecing, December 31, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Quilting Curves : An Innovative Technique for Machine-Piecing Curves with Incredible Ease (Paperback)
I have been quilting for over 10 years and am always looking to try new techniques. I own over 50 quilt books. This book has the distiction of being the first one that I have seriously considered returning. Perhaps if it had not been for the misleading claims that the book makes, namely a QUICK way to PIECE quilts, I might not have been so harsh on it. But since this is what it adverties and not at all what it delievers, I must voice my frustration. I purchased this book on the strength of its claim that it offered a new and quick way of piecing curves. I was extremely disappointed to discover that the method is really a variation of blindstich applique. While her method is techniquely piecing because unlike applique there is no base fabric, it looks like applique because each piece is topstiched to its neighbor with a very visible blindhem. The author's technique uses a matching thread that is always quite noticible and gives her pieces a distictive look that is great for making a name for oneself in the world of quilting competitions, but not so great for someone who thought they were going to learn a shortcut to piecing curves. For some reason it never occurred to her to use invisible thread which would be far less noticble. Beyond the fact that this does not look like picing, quick is not the word to describe this method. It involves many steps and blindhemming is a very painstaking work that is hard on the eyes. I also question the strenth of the seam. I suspect that this technique is only suitable for art quilts and not for anything they would subject to any kind of stress, such as a bed quilt.The instructions are clear, but I found all of samples to be uninspiring. Only a handful of her prize wining quilts are shown, and they are knockouts, but the rest of the stuff are simple studies. The author says she is self taught and that is evident. Like many other self-taught quilt artists, she has pioneered her own look through her vast ignorance of the wealth of technical know how that already exists. If she has a firm grasp of of the many excellent piecing and applique tecniques, she would not be using this method, which would be a shame, because it is interesting. However, just because an artist has an interesting result, it doesn't mean that her method is worth copying.
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32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Curves Made Easy!!!, March 21, 2002
This review is from: Quilting Curves : An Innovative Technique for Machine-Piecing Curves with Incredible Ease (Paperback)
I recently received this book as a birthday gift from my Amazon wish list. I read the entire book in just one evening and sat there wishing the fabric store was open at midnight! The technique Vikki uses is very easy and she breaks it down so anyone can do it. She has several patterns you can follow but she also gives you enough information ( and inspiration) to create your own curvy designs. The quilts look more like modern paintings than traditional block quilts and you are limited in design only by your own imagination. Finally, curves in quilting with no "puffy" seams! Thank you Vikki....
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