SMS Favorite Quilting Books
One of our favorite features from Quilting Month I was the list of quilting books we compiled from our readers. We think it’s important to keep our recommendations up-to-date, so a couple of weeks ago we asked you to suggest books we might have missed or books that have recently been published. We took your suggestions and combined them with our staff favorites to append the 2008 list of Sew,Mama,Sew! Favorite Quilting Books. (The original list is at the bottom of this page.)
FREE SHIPPING! You can pick up any of these seven books for a great price at Connecting Threads, a Quilting Month II sponsor. What’s more, Sew,Mama,Sew! readers get free shipping on their entire order (whether it includes books or not!) Simply enter the code SEWMAMA when you check out. (Make sure you stop by their big quilting tool sale too.) Edited to add: This wasn’t working, but it is now. Apparently you will see some text that tells you you still need to reach x dollar amount for free shipping, but if you click through to check out, you’ll see that it is $0 for shipping.
We love to read your book reviews. Comment here, or join our Goodreads sewing book group!
The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns: 4050 Pieced Blocks for Quilters
by Jinny Beyer
Breckling Press (October 15, 2009)
SMS: Several readers recommended this book and we’ve seen it other must-have lists. We’re fascinated by the concept of “4050 unique block designs.” Wow!
From the publisher: This visual encyclopedia of quilt block designs provides quilters, designers, researchers and patchwork enthusiasts with a comprehensive tool for finding, identifying, and drafting more than 4050 unique block designs. World-renowned quilter Jinny Beyer has categorized the designs in a way that eliminates duplicates and allows quilters to understand exactly how each block is successfully pieced. Jinny has analyzed all designs in terms of the grid on which they are drawn, making it easy for quilters to recreate the blocks in any size or color scheme desired. Imagine-more than 4050 unique designs to choose from for your next quilt!
Quilts, Baby! 20 Cuddly Designs to Piece, Patch & Embroider
by Linda Kopp
Lark Books (May 5, 2009)
SMS: This is an amazing compilation of beautiful, contemporary baby quilts. The contributors are all talented modern sewists that you may know from blogland, including Sew,Mama,Sew! board member, Kajsa.
From the publisher: Modern, innovative, and exciting: if you’ve never associated these words with baby quilts before, you will now! Here’s a collection of fresh designs that aren’t fussy, cutesy, or old-fashioned, but that still have that “aww” factor. Best of all, every one is easy to make, and most take only a weekend to complete. Try a round “Peekaboo” blankie with fanciful creatures hidden under fabric flaps, the clever two-in-one “Good Morning/Good Night” quilt, and a funny “Monkey Monkey” block quilt. Plus, there’s helpful information on choosing baby-friendly and safe materials.
Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts
by Kaffe Fassett
STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book (March 1, 2010)
SMS: Many of our readers include Kaffe’s books in their list of favorites. Pick any of them–they’re all great! We’re particularly excited about this one, which was just released last month. In addition to the 23 unique quilt patterns and instructions, the stunning photography makes this book worthy of your best coffee table. Make sure you check back here on April 20 when we interview Kaffe about this book as part of his blog tour!
From the publisher: In Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts, world-renowned quilter Kaffe Fassett demonstrates how basic geometric forms—squares, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, circles, and quarter-circles—found in natural and manmade environments inspire his quilt designs. Twenty-three of his magnificent, inventive quilts—ranging from the relatively simple Tilt, ideal for beginners, to the more complex Circle of Stars, for more advanced stitchers—are showcased in the book, along with step-by-step instructions for making each one.
Along the way, Fassett also offers over a hundred photos of geometric inspiration from around the world—everything from triangular watermelon slices, to rectangular sheets of metal on African scrap dwellings, to lollipop-shaped topiary trees in Japan. In the accompanying text, Fassett reveals how he experiences the colors and basic shapes around him, how we can train our own eyes to see this rewarding source of creativity, and how we can, just as he does, combine striking fabrics with simple shapes to create our own spectacular quilt designs.
Material Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots
by Kathy Doughty & Sarah Fielke
STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book (March 1, 2009)
SMS: This book had a big impact on lots of bloggers. The authors’ “what rules?” attitude struck a chord with many quilters who were inspired to experiment with color and print to make fun, modern quilts using traditional designs.
From the publisher: Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke, owners of the popular quilting shop Material Obsession in Sydney, Australia, bring an unconventional spirit to a traditional craft. They encourage quilters to use bold patterns and unusual color combinations, and to trust their instincts rather than follow rigid rules.
In Material Obsession, Doughty and Fielke present 23 vibrant quilt patterns that appear fresh and modern, but are often based on traditional designs. They explain how any quilter, novice or seasoned, can create striking variations of their own by seeking inspiration from both the fabric in front of them and the world around them. Patterns are arranged in order of difficulty, from easy to advanced, and a techniques section fully describes the basics of patchwork and quilting. Material Obsession provides quilters with everything they need to put a modern twist on an age-old craft—and to express their own creative spirits while they’re at it.
Quilting for Peace: Make the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time
by Katherine Bell
STC Craft/A Melanie Falick Book (October 1, 2009)
SMS: In December we reviewed Quilting for Peace and interviewed Katherine Bell. We were so inspired, we started our own Quilting for Peace team. This book is full of fun projects, but most importantly, great stories about how you can affect change through the simple act of sewing. (Check out our Sew Good page for more ideas!)
From the publisher: As crafters of all ages take to their sewing machines in unprecedented numbers, many of them join a movement to distribute hope and warmth to those in need through quilting. These are volunteers who have inherited a tradition of comfort and protest, and a belief that they can make the world a better place one stitich at a time.
Quilting for Peace, the follow-up to STC’s Knitting for Peace, profiles these quilters in more than 25 essays about individuals and organizations devoted to making quilts and other necessities for the needy. The efforts range from Newborns in Need, a group that makes clothing for premature babies at nearby hospitals; to Quilts of Valor, which makes quilts to honor wounded soldiers; to the Sleeping Bag Project, which distributes 100,000 homemade sleeping bags to the homeless every year. This timely book also includes 15 projects and guidelines for quilters who want to contribute to an existing effort or establish a new one.
I Love Patchwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew
by Rashida Coleman-Hale
Interweave Press (December 1, 2009)
SMS: We call our theme “Quilting Month”, rather than “Quilt Month”, because we believe quilting techniques are transferable to whatever you want to sew and aren’t just limited to blankets. Rashida’s wonderful book is proof of that. You can practice binding, quilting, paper piecing, applique and, of course, patchwork on any of the 21 fantastic and approachable projects.
From the publisher: Offering a modern approach to traditional fabric design, this charming instructional illustrates how to create sophisticated patchwork projects by combining linen and print fabrics using simple quilting procedures. Presenting a diverse collection of projects—many inspired by the Japanese zakka aesthetic—such as a travel sewing kit, sewing machine cover, table runner, apron, eco bag, towels, calendar, lap quilt, tote bag, pillowcase, and shoulder bag, all designs are fun, functional, and easy to master. Combining sewing, appliqué, quilting, and patchwork techniques with thoughtful advice on how to select, work with, and care for linen, this colorful handbook is brimming with sophisticated and innovative projects to challenge and inspire both beginning and intermediate sewers and quilters.
Liberated Quiltmaking IIby Gwen Marston
American Quilter’s Society (January 1, 2010)
SMS: This sequel to Liberated Quiltmaking comes highly recommended by SMS readers and is another book that’s chock-full of modern twists on classic designs. Marston has legions of fans who attest to her genius.
From the publisher: At long last! Gwen Marston has updated her signature Liberated Quiltmaking! The fascination with Gwen’s Liberated Quiltmaking has generated a demand for more, more, more! Introduced in 1996, her distinctive methods for creating original quilts are expanded in this new volume including Liberated Square Within-a-Square, Liberated Medallion, and Recut Blocks and Sashing. Gwen presents nine Liberated Quiltmaking processes and each is clearly illustrated with step-by-step instructions, pieced samples, and loads of example quilts. Multiple techniques and variations are given. Liberated Quiltmaking II provides a way of working without using templates or set patterns. Truly original quilts result that engage the quilter’s intuition and emotion as well as technical skills.
Our original list of favorites:
Denyse Schmidt Quilts by Denyse Schmidt
Last-Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!!: The Complete Guide to Quiltmaking by by Diana Mcclun and Laura Nownes
The Modern Quilt Workshop: Patterns, Techniques, and Designs from the Funquilts Studio by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr
Quilter’s Ultimate Visual Guide: From A to Z–Hundreds of Tips & Techniques for Successful Quiltmaking by Ellen Pahl
Kaffe Fassett’s Kaleidoscope of Quilts: Twenty Designs from Rowan for Patchwork and Quilting by Kaffe Fassett
Quilter’s Complete Guide by Marianne Fons and Liz Porter
Bend-The-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew by Amy Karol
Collaborative Quilting by Fredd Moran and Gwen Marston
Comment in any post this week for your chance to win one of these great prizes. Wow!:
Make! Over 40 Fantastic Projects with 16 Exclusive Designs by Cath Kidston; Pretty Little Mini Quilts by Ray Hemachandra; 200 Quilting Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets by Susan Briscoe; Simple Contemporary Quilts A Beginner’s Guide to Modern Quiltmaking by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader; The Quilts of Gee’s Bend ~ 23 Fat Quarter Pack, Retail Value: $57.50.
114 Responses to “SMS Favorite Quilting Books”
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I love both of the Material Obessesion books. They are so inspirational. I have also been wanting the ‘Quilts, Baby’ book for that monkey quilt pattern. It’s ridiculously cute!
What a great list of books. It is always fun to see what books other people love.
The Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns, looks incredible! Thank you for the list. Free shipping is always nice too.
Great list! I have had that baby quilt book on my “list” for a long time. Maybe I should finally pick it up!
What an amazing collection of books!
What a great list of books. I really need to get my hands on the Liberated Quiltmaking!
Thanks for the book suggestions! I have a few of these, but not all, and I’m always looking for excuses to buy new books!
The Quilts, Baby and Liberated Quiltmaking II caught my eye! I need to check out the selection at the library.
Now, I got a list to work with when hitting the book stores. Thanks.
These all look like great books! Thanks for the recommendations.
I have an early Jinny Beyer book out from the library, and will be sad to have to return it. Looking at all the patterns is so inspiring, and the way they are grouped in the book I have really makes sense to me.
I would love to look at the baby quilting book. I need to go find that one
thanks.
All great books. I ‘d love to have ‘I love Patchwork!’
Many of those books are on my wish list!
Great selection of quilting books!
The Material Obsession and Quilts Baby are still on my wish list. I did get the I (heart) Patchwork. A wonderful book!
Great choices (O:
Denyse Schmidt Quilts by Denyse Schmidt was the first quilting book I purchased. Still one of my faves. Intuitive Color & Design: Adventures in Art Quilting By Jean Wells is a new favorite, the photos alone are worth the price of the book.
Great collection!
These are all great suggestions, now I just have to learn how to quilt!
Ooh that Liberated Quilting book is calling to me.
That encyclopedia looks wonderful! Actually, they all do.
I love the idea behind the Quilting for Peace book!
I would love to get my hands on a copy of material obsession! I love patchwork is a very cute read too!
I have so many of these on my wishlist!
On the Connecting Threads orders– using SEWMAMA for free shipping– didn’t work for me. My order was less than $50.00, and I thought your note said we could use the SEWMAMA to get the shipping free but it won’t take it. Darn….Just thought I’d let you know.
Great list of books – I have a few of them and I’m always looking for another book or two that will really add something special to my collection.
I WANT the Material Obsession book. I’ve had my eye on it for awhile, but I forgot to ask for it for Christmas…guess I know what I’ll be getting for myself before too long!
While I’m at it, I highly recommend Maria Peagler’s book COLOR MASTERY: 10 Principles for Stunning Quilts. Best book on color for quilters that I have seen. It includes lots of color wheels and so much information on how to put it all together, and it is easy to understand. She also has a website: quiltsandcreativity.com.
You have some of my favorite titles, and I see a few new ones to check out. Thanks for featuring these.
Oh wow! I just want all these books!!!
Ah. great suggestions! I need to bake some brownies for the girl that handles Inter-library loan!
I am ‘craving’ for these books!
Great books! Thanks for the free shipping bonus too at Conecting threads! Sharonj.
MO1 is my all time favorite!
Thanks for these book suggestions! I am unfamiliar with all of them…it’s time to start reading!
Thanks for the list of quilt books. Some of these look like something I might be interested in.
I have never purchased a quilting book because it always seems there are so many to choose from I get overwhelmed. Thanks for helping to narrow the selection a bit.
That patchwork book looks great! I have the other ones already… I’m such a quilting nerd! LOL
Jennifer
As a beginning quilter, I really appreciate all the information this month!!
What a great list!!!! The second Material Obsession book is as good as the first one. I find myself always coming back to them for ideas, tips and inspiration. The kaffe fasset books are always a sumptuous delight! I’ll have to check out some of those other books…
I almost bought Quilting for Peace yesterday! It’s a really amazing books.
And I’ve heard such good things about Liberated Quiltmaking II. I’m going to have to hunt down a copy…
I love these books! They are great. Thanks.
Thanks for the ideas! There’s a few on there that I hadn’t heard of and they’ve now made their way onto my amazon wish list!!
The only thing I love more than sewing is books! I am definitely going to need to add some of these to my wish list.
Great list those books are all interesting to me and I’d love to have all of them in my library.
I love Rashida Coleman-Hale’s blog and tutorials. Thanks for the resource.
I’m so excited to build my collection of quilting books!
Thanks for letting me know about books I didn’t know I needed! Hmmm birthday is coming up!
I really need all of these books. Yeah, need not just want. Now, how do I convince Hubby?
I can’t seem to stop buying quilt related books.
I’d love another for my collection.
Thanks
Liberated Quiltmaking II is on my list of gotta get’s.
great list! Just finished Liberating Quiltmaking II!!!
Thank you for the great book reviews!
What great books! Thanks for all the inspiration!
i’ve been looking for a new quilting book. these are great suggestions! thanks!
i really really really want material obsession. may have to be my next big splurge.
Several of my favorite books are posted here!
Ak! Stop! I want ALL these books now.
Thanks so much, what an inspiring list to be included on
Thanks everyone
Sarah Fielke
Want to get my hands on the Jinny Beyer patchwork patterns and the Material Obsession books. Could use them together…traditional blocks with a modern twist!
Enjoyed reading your book list
These are great! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the list of quilting books. It’s always helpful to start with books that actual quilters recommend. The Material Obsession book has been in my shopping cart for a while now, with all the great reviews I’m going to have to order it!!
I need so many of these books!
What great books! I definitely need to order one.
Such great books! And I just joined your Goodreads group!
Oh, My, just what I need more books to wish for! I want them all!!!
thanks for this list. i have seen a lot of refs to quilting for peace – i need to check this book out!
i love book recommendations..thank you.
Great. Now if I could just get ‘em all!
I’m going to have to check a few of these out of the library for sure!
Those sound interesting! I don’t have any of them net (nor have I read any yet), but I can’t wait!
I’m almost finished with a gift quilt from a pattern in Material Obsession. Love the pattern and my quilt looks gorgeous. Great book list, thanks.
Great list! I’m always looking for good sewing books and appreciate the expert suggestions!
great list. Im such a sucker for sewing/quilting books!
Any of Jinny Beyer’s books are worth owning. She was profiled in the AQS magazine this month. Unless you’ve been quilting since the 80′s you might not know of her, but she truly singlehandedly revolutionized the quilting industry. She came up with the grid sytem for classifying blocks so that we all knew what we were talking about when we said that a certain block was based on the 9 patch grid or the 4 patch grid, etc. She has an engineering brain and was able to teach many of us how to analyze blocks so that we could draft any block we wanted in any size we wanted….totally freeing! claudia w
Thanks for the great ideas! Hadn’t heard of several of these.
If only I did not have a budget I would have bought all these great books! Thanks for the list!
Last Minute has a lot of good instructions and easy projects for beginners!
Love the Material Obsession quilt books! Have managed to make a few quilts from their books and am now happily looking through the new Kaffe Fassett quilt book too. What wonderful choices!
I love quilting books. They get me so inspired. Now to actually DO something with that inspiration!
What fantastic books – and what a wonderful way to be introduced to what’s out there. Thanks!
Oh, I’m going to have to check out Material Obsession!
Would love any or all of these, but especially Quilts Baby, it looks divine.
I want the Make! book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love the Material Obsessions Book- am making the “Strawberry Fields” from Alexander Henry fabric of Spotted Owl and also made Burgoyne Surrounded/Charlotte Sometimes from their second book! Their ideas are inspiring as is this list!
Material Obsession is my most favorite quilting book…have to check out that Kafe Fassett one! Thanks for the suggestions.
I love collecting books. These all look great.
Material Obsession and Quilting for Peace look amazing!
I’m loving this quilting month. I’m getting more ideas than I have time for.
I have purchased the Quilts, Baby book and I think that this month, with your inspiration, I just might get a quilt done for it. Thank you for keeping us inspired!
Material Obsession looks awesome! I’m hoping to get to do some creating just as soon as this semester of school is over…
I’m with Alisha on that – I will be hunting down the Marerial Obsession books. It’s hard to ignore all these great reviews! Thanks!
I would love to read through all of these and make QUILTS!
I love Material Obsession! The other titles look just as inspirational.
Great books I’ll have to check some of them out.
Quilts, Baby! and Material Obsession are high on my list of favorites, too!!
Several of these titles look very interesting…Material Obsession and Liberated Quiltmaking….
I have several of these books but see now there are more I “need”.
What a great list! I’m always looking for inspiration. That first one has such and intriguing concept. So many blocks!
Nice! I love Material Obsession!
Everyone seems to love Material Obsession. I need to add that one to my collection asap!
Love Material Obsessions…great doable inspiration for a beginner like me.
Thanks for the book info!!
Great list! I mentioned a few of those in my list and I just love them – can’t wait to check out the rest!
That Jinney Beyer book looks FANTASTIC. I haven’t quilted for years, but that might be the book that gets the rotary cutter back in my hand.
I keep getting drawn to the ‘Oh, Baby’ and ‘Simple Contemporary’ books, but the problem with all books unless you can get the chance to go through them is – do the contents continue to reflect the cover images that attracted attention in the first place – all too often the best quilts are those on the cover, and sometimes there aren’t instructions, guidlines for those quilts in the book.
I will second the Gwen Marston book. I am going to her retreat in October and I can’t wait! She is fantastic, and incredibly humble too.
I love “Material Obsession One”. It is my permanent nightstand book. I always pick it up to put a smile on my face and give me some inspiration. Can’t wait to check out some of the other picks. Thanks!
I know I want Material Obsessions as soon as it fits in the budget!
You have really nice list of book and i love the quilts baby book as i love baby photography!!!
I love the Material Obsession book. And Gwen Marston. My next project will have me breaking the rules and moving out of my comfort zone.
Check out most of these books from our library.
Grea books.
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