Project Bibliophile

I'm going to start reviewing books here on a regular basis.  There seems to be a need for information-rich, serious reviews of quilting books. Since I'm a major bookworm and happy to make distinctions, I've volunteered myself for the job.

A few things have led me believe there's a need for serious reviews:

1. Blog hops typically contain only a small amount of information.
2. Magazine reviews often simply repeat the publisher's promotional materials.
3. At least five different people have told me, of Free-Motion Quilting by Angela Walters, "I like it, but it's not what I thought it was going to be."  And I've heard that about other books as well.  The fact is that I (and maybe you) rarely get to look at a book in a bricks-and-mortar store anymore.  The shops around me just don't stock the books I'm interested in and so I almost always need to make purchases online, so sometimes a book isn't what I need it to be, and I'm probably missing out on books that would be right up my alley!

My idea is that I will let you know what you might find out by flipping through a book:

• how much space is given over to what
• what the book does and doesn't cover
• the style of writing/instruction
• the style of patchwork is--block-based? minimal? asymmetical? interesting use of negative space? geometric? improv? wabi sabi?
• who is this book for?

I'm also planning on only reviewing books that I have a copy of so that I can answer questions about books basically forever after the review goes up. So, let me know which books you think should be reviewed and what you want to know about them and feel free to ask more questions about a book after a review is up! My intention is to be useful.

I'm putting together a page to make my relationships with book publishers clear; but rest-assured that while I'm getting some advance copies of books, I'm not getting paid by publishers.  I do participate in the Amazon Associates program, whereby I earn a small percentage of all sales made via links through this site.  So, anytime you link through me and then make a purchase from them, I get a small kickback, for which I'm grateful.  I'm hoping to use that money to purchase older books based on your recommendations and reviewing them.  I know some of my favorite books have been around for years and I'd love to talk about them and explore some others!

I'm going to begin with review of Free-Motion Quilting by Angela Walters because I own it (bought it myself) and because, as I mentioned above, it might not be what you expect!

What it is:
A book with a friendly, approachable,  and encouraging tone.  Walters conveys her experiences, her opinion about the special challenges when quilting modern quilts, her favorite quilting designs, and her methods for deciding how to quilt quilts.

Basic breakdown of book's contents:
(1)

Introduction and supplies list (11 pages) 10% of the book.  

In this section Walters introduces herself and lists her favorite supplies.

(2)
Presentation and explanation of Walter's favorite quilting designs (55 pages) 50% of the book.

There are 28 designs total, arranged around themes of how they look (curves, lines, etc). The relative difficulty of the designs is not discussed.  The step-by-step explanations of how to create each design are clear.

(3)

Show-and-tell of the designs as they are used in a series of quilts (43 pages) 40% of the book.  

These pages are organized around types of patchwork that have been popular lately: for example, log cabins, zig zags, and quilts with a lot of negative space. This section provides clear pictures of many quilt tops, as Walters discusses her approach in choosing quilt designs for each top.

What it is not:
This book is not intended to build skills in the nitty-gritty of machine quilting.  There is no discussion of trouble-shooting tension problems, keeping your stitches even, or burying threads.  The focus of the book is on how to make specific designs when quilting--which is discussed exclusively in terms of where to go next with your needle.

There is no discussion of the best approach to getting a design onto a quilt when you are contending with the small harp on a domestic sewing machine.  While you can use these designs with a domestic sewing machine, you'll have to puzzle out your strategy to working with the harp on your own.

Who is it for?
Quilters looking for a catalog of design options for free-motion quilting (28 designs are included).
Quilters looking for some guidance in deciding what kind of quilting to use with their patchwork.
Recommended for quilters who are already comfortable with the technical aspects of free-motion quilting on their machine.


Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters: Choose and Use Quilting Designs on Modern Quilts
is full color throughout, printed on high-quality paper, and 119 pages long.

Publication Date: July 16, 2012

Rossie Crafts Review Date: December 5, 2012

The list price is $22.95, it's selling for $14.71 on Amazon.com today.