Customer Reviews

Small Blocks, Stunning Quilts

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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The authors made all the wonderful quilts in this pattern book making it clear that they are bonafide scrap-loving quilt makers who put as many different reproduction prints into one quilt as humanly possible. Several antique quilts are shown as the book begins to show and tell the reader where they get their inspiriation. With fabric and color leading their every choice in making small block quilts, less attention was paid to the era of the reproduction fabrics they chose. The book does not mention fabric dating or using certain colors and prints of reproduction fabrics for a quilt from a certain era. Their quilts have a traditional and antique-like feel but are not described as accurate representations. The author's piece their quilts by machine and describe their method for making the small block quilts a delight to sew, a time for peace and calm.

I got this book in the mail last week and I can't stop reading it and looking at it. The photographs of quilts, both old and new, are stunning! The authors are encouraging to those of us with busy lives, who have long assumed quilts made of such charming little blocks to be out of the question. In addition to instructions for gorgeous quilts, the book is full of helpful tips for every step of quilt piecing--from choosing fabrics and colors to their method of "batching" (breaking up the construction into manageable parts). These practical ideas can be used for every quilt I piece in the future--regardless of the size of the blocks. The encouragement to lighten up and have fun, (with examples of how to do that) is the icing on the cake. Bravo!!!

Don't Miss This Book! Stunning doesn't do it justice - WOW is more like it! This book is a definite must have for any quilter - even for a newbie like me. Looking at the great photographs of the quilts is like falling into a fabulous fabric library. All ten projects are awesome. Their approach to design - setting some parameters and then letting randomness take over after that, and the batching method of construction have me gathering up fabrics from my rapidly increasing stash already to make the broken dishes quilt. Thanks to Kinch and Storms as they guide the way for us to have fun as we quilt. This beautiful and inspiring book jammed full of ideas will not disappoint.

WOW! If you don't need glasses before you make these quilts, you may afterwards! Or if you weren't able to count over 1,000, you will be able to do so when done! When the title said small blocks, I was thinking maybe 3" but no! We are talking 1 inch to as "large" as 2 inches. I'm not sure I have the patience to work with blocks this small.

The colors the authors used make me think of pioneer days, drab and dull. This is not to say you couldn't choose brighter colors to make your quilts, it's just that they didn't and the quilt photos are drab and dull.

The first 18 pages contain an overview on the small quilt which is a bit much in my humble opinion, with an additional three pages on five very short lessons on how-to create the blocks.

The patterns contain a color photo (dull as it is) with a materials and cutting list. Making the blocks and assembling the quilt directions come next. They contain graphics to help you along. There are tips in boxes throughout the book while the finishing is left up to you. The final page contains bios of the authors but with pictures of them as small children.

If you have a passion for VERY small things, then you will not be disappointed with this book.

By far one of my most favorite Scrap Style quilt books. I enjoyed reading and looking at the vintage quilts in this book. There is a wealth of information. I also enjoy the the variety of patterns and colors of fabric in this book. I think there is a little of something that would appeal to all quilters. The authors Mary Elizabeth Kinch and Biz Storms did a phenomenal job on this book.

This has lots of ideas for small-scale-block quilts that look like antique quilts. There are good ideas for using reproduction fabrics. It makes me want to stop my other projects and start a new one.

I own several quilting books and I received this one from my mother for my birthday and I LOVE it! It is so inspiring! If you appreciate detail and hard work, this book will inspire you too! I am currently making a scrap quilt and have plans for three more from this book. There are pictures of antique quilts as well as quilts made recently that look antique. The craftsmanship is amazing! There are techniques for making each quilt and there are drawings of how they go together. Everything I need in one place. If you love antique quilts and a challenge, you will love this book!

SMALL BLOCKS, STUNNING QUILTS comes from antique quilt lovers who celebrate traditional masterpieces that have not been widely seen. Learn how to create some 10 bed-sized projects or use blocks in smaller quilts in a survey of batch work and assembly that includes color photos throughout. Quilting libraries will find it an excellent addition.

The best quilting book I have ever read. I have purchased additional copies as gifts for several friends.