Treasury of American Quilts [Hardcover]

C. I. Nelson (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (September 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517448610
• ISBN-13: 978-0517448618
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars magnificent quilts, January 27, 2008

By 

E Rice (western ny state) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treasury of American Quilts (Hardcover)

the first half of this book is quilts--wonderful photos of quilts (and also a few embroidered bed rugs) on each page. the quilts range from the late 18th century to the mid-20th, applique, piecework, amish, hawaiian, original and commercial designs. the captions contain the usual information about dates and maker (if known) plus informative and frequently entertaining comments by the authors. the second half of the book has instructions for several of the quilts.

this book is copyrighted 1982, and, comparing this and other quilt books from about the same time to those published more recently, i am struck by the differences--the earlier books, such as this one, seem to offer a far broader range of styles and types of quilts (most remarkably individualistic), as well as more of them--it's as if the attitudes and standards in the quilt world have hardened and narrowed when it comes to which quilts deserve publication. while i have seen a few of the quilts in this book reproduced in other publications, many of the quilts are new to me. two of the most magnificent log cabin quilts i've seen are in this book, as well as a range of applique, from naive to baltimore album quality, that is unsurpassed. why more of these quilts have not seen further publication is a mystery.

aside from the captions, there is no text in the first half of the book. the space is given to the photos of the quilts.

the instructions date from before the time of the rotary cutter. much as i love my rotary cutter and rulers, i deplore the apparently complete dependence on them. these instructions offer templates for the piecing, and shapes that are not broken down into half square triangles or simplified out of character. templates are not frightening--they can be more efficient that ruler cutting. and y-seams are not difficult, they just need a bit more attention. patterns for a few applique quilts and a few patterns for quilting are also included.

this is a book that should be in every quilter's library. there is inspiration on every page. and, since the used prices start so low, there's no excuse not to buy it!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great quilt book, October 19, 2005

By 

Deborah (Wanganui, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasury of American Quilts (Hardcover)

I also got this book out of the library then immediately purchased a copy. It has great timeless quilts, some of which look incredibly modern, although they are 100 years old.Every time I look through this book, and I do regularly, I see something new to admire that I havent noticed before. I was also very impressed that the book has the instructions and templates for 20 of the designs. I figure there are at least 10 quilts I would like to try my hand at. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates quilts.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need in one book, October 29, 2002

By 

Melissa Sowder (Indianapolis, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treasury of American Quilts (Hardcover)

I checked this book out from my library and after flipping through the first few pages, knew that I had to have it. It has a wide variety of quilts for inspiration, and if that is not enough, patterns and directions for making several of the quilts featured. The instructions are extremly helpful; I have several books and magazines, but none equal the information given in Treasury Of American Quilts.