Customer Reviews

The Quilting Path: A Guide to Spiritual Discovery Through Fabric, Thread and Kabbalah

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I enjoyed the way Louise intertwined her life experience with the her passion for her "practice". I also appreciated learning about Kabbalah, from a woman's point of reference. The projects are exciting and are appropriate for beginners and advanced quilters.

I found myself smiling & nodding as I turned the pages.

I, too, am an artist. This book has inspired me to bravely embark on a new journey.

Written by Louise Silk, a professional quilter of thirty years' experience, The Quilting Path: A Guide To Spiritual Discovery Through Fabric, Thread and Kabbalah is a unique blend of needlecraft and Kabbalah spirituality. Silk presents the mystical traditions of Kabbalah as a contemplative system open to all regardless of individual religious or spiritual background. Chapters walk the reader through the practical steps of crafting ten products ranging from a utility quilts and string-pieced pillows to applique quilts and signature tablecloths, and more while simultaneously introducing the practitioner to the spiritual aspects of cutting and piecing. Each chapter introduces a human attribute as selected in accordance with Kabbalah tradition, and applies the attribute to the quilting project discussed. A deeply reverent and meaningful guide to the higher dimensions of a widely beloved craft and hobby.

As a quilter who also has a career, I often wonder why it means so much to me and how to fit it into my busy schedule. This book helps to put it all in perspective. The author is a quilt artist who shares her personal and spiritual journeys with the readers while integrating quilting and quilt projects. This is much more than a "how to" book. It will enrich your life.

Although not a quilter myself, I could see how easily I could follow Louise Silk's "path" as a painter. I found the chapters fascinating as she wove together personal stories, Jewish mysticism and the spirituality of her quilting art. This is a book about a real life that is shared with courageous honesty, and one steeped in spiritualty. For example, the chapter that ends with the creation of a baby's quilt fittingly begins with Louise's brave and frank and loving reflections on her children. A discussion of Kabbalah's fourth divine attribute, "Chesed", or loving kindness naturally follows. Louise's book is meant to be savoured slowly, and her projects provide the opportunity for meditative reflection. I am grateful to have read the book.

This is a vanity piece more than a helpful book on quilt design. The instructions are basic, but bettter basic instructions are available from books by master quilters such as Alex Anderson.

Her philosophical journey is interesting, but better books (less ego-centric) are available here as well.

The Quilting Path is a remarkable book not only from the quilting aspect, but also from the wealth of love and spirituality that each chapter imparts. Faced with the end stage of an illness, it has become my constant companion, I reread parts of it every day. While I can no longer physically do the quilting projects, I study the directions and create various adaptations in my mind. The Quilting Path is a must have. You will not be disappointed.

I enjoyed the book. I got a sense of Zen as I read it. The stories in the book kept coming back to me after I'd finished, and made me think of it again and again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOUISE !!! Maybe some day our "Paths will Cross" and we can share our history over coffee :)

Louise Silk is a woman who was destroyed emotionally. I have enormous respect for this individual who had the courage to expose all of her pain and suffering that she endured over the course of her marriage. She had to let the world know that she suffered and the only way possible was through her quilting which kept her strong. If one notices, she never names her husband of 20 plus years throughout the entire book. Why? The pain is beyond belief. I am very close to this situation as I know her ex husband very well. Believe me, he may be re-married but his pattern has not changed. Louise is stronger as a result and will always have the unconditional love of Isadora, Eli, and Sarah. Her book has given me strength and inspiration in times of sorrow. I refer to it often. A must read for anyone who has been through tremendous pain and suffering. Omit the quilting instructions and focus of her life story. She had to have a catharsis and I commend her for doing so.