Customer Reviews

Quilty as Charged: Undercover in a Material World

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

 

 

I loved this book. I'm a novice quilter and I learned a lot about the history of quilting and what's going on in the quilting world today. It's a suprisingly fascinating subject and Gillespie handles it wonderfully. I'd recommend it to both novice and experienced quilters alike. You don't even have to be a quilter to appreciate this fun, terrific book.

This is a fun book to read. You don't have to read the book from beginning to end...you can jump around. I loved reading all of the quotes that she has included through the chapters of her book.

I was somewhat disappointed about this book. It's a mix between a story about quilting and quilters and a few anecdotes about the material world. But you get the feeling the author has no real connection to this subject and it clearly shows. Sorry, but after forcing myself to finish reading it,and reviewing the stories in my mind I find more excitement in a simple quilters magazine than in her book. Like I said, the title is more promising than the book...

Fom the title and the introduction and the notes on the book liner, I expected this to be a memoir style personal story about someone with no prior sewing/quilting experience who falls headlong in love with the world of quiltmaking,and how this journey has impacted her life. And the book started out in that way. It soon became, however, more of a collection of essays and interviews about the social culture and big business of quilt festivals and competitions. In some places I got the feeling that the whole book was a promo piece for Texas tourism, as the "capital" or birthplace of the International Quilt Festival, which has been held in Houston for many years. Using black and white photographs did not do the work justice, nor did the quality or size of the photos in color. This book seems as if it may have been a proposal for Gillespie's book in 2009, QUILTING ART: INSPIRATION, IDEAS and INNOVATIVE WORKS FROM 20 CONTEMPORARY QUILTERS, which I had read prior to this, and which was a tribute to those who work in the area of fiber art.

I haven't read a book in one sitting in years, but that is exactly what I did when this one arrived. Of course, I stayed up late and didn't want to get out of bed when the alarm went off the next morning. If you love quilting and quilt shows, then you will love this book. The author has captured the essence of quilting and the love of quilts perfectly.

This is a great view of quilting, especially for a new enthusiast. Spike gives us quilt stories with an almost non-quilter's twist. You get an insight into why Quilting is addictive and how a person can get hooked. Along the way you meet an assortment of quilters that represent what quilting is today. No patterns, just a few tips, but a must read when you just can't sew another stitch or if you're planning to go to Quilt Festival in Houston, TX.

Quilty as Charged by Spike Gillespie is an intriguing look into the world of competitive quilt making. Quilt makers have come far from the grandmotherly types society expects. From art quilts with messages about poverty in the world, to Victorian crazy quilts, Gillespie interviews and views a wide variety of quilts and their makers, even some men! Gillespie has a wonderful voice for story-telling, but sometimes in allowing her interview subjects to speak without editing them, the stories ramble. Some pictures of the quilts are in black and white and others are in color, however, rather than use different pictures for each section, sometimes pictures are repeated. I would have enjoyed seeing far more quilts in this book, but I definitely enjoyed reading about their creation.