Rachel May

First, I want to say I am not a quilter, but I am a fiber artist and teacher and have long, long been obsessed with quilts. I own a ton of quilt books for their inspiration and even own a fabric stash & a sewing machine, though I can barely sew. I want to be a quilter, but the fiber life has a mind of its own.

The book starts with the basics, explaining how to make a simple quilt (6 parts) and defines what modern quilting is, and what different people feel about quilting and modern quilting show more in particular. There's a lot of writing from lots of different quilters from all walks of life, talking about how they make quilts and why and how they got started. You'll reconigize some of the names included in the book if you have any interest in quilting at all.

The book also has gorgeous, inspiring photography on each and every page.

I enjoyed the improv section the most, which makes sense because I love freeform the most in my fiber journey. show less

I like this book because it has a lot of design inspiration, but I found the formatting a bit confusing. Each chapter is prefaced by a sewing skill and then a bunch of quilts with information about their designers is given on the subsequent pages. I found it difficult to skim through to find the skills, and the ordering of the designers didn't seem to have anything to do with the skills. I would say keep them to two separate sections, or two separate books.

This is a book not only about quilting, but about the quilters who produce some beautifully designed and implemented quilts. There are profiles on many quilters which allow us to see a little bit about what is going on inside their heads and inside their workrooms. The photography is outstanding and shows the quilts in stark relief allowing them to be appreciated fully.

There are also a number of projects within the pages which appear well set out and easy to follow. As a brand new quilter, show more this book has been nothing short of inspirational. show less

(59) A tour of modern quilting comes to life. From established and influential quilters like Jane Sassaman and Nancy Crow to new designers who found their voice and audience on quilting blogs, stories about the design process intermingle with well-lit photographs and occasional hints about how to reproduce the look. Fans of the modern quilt movement, which features contemporary fabrics in often-improvised patterns, will crave this title. Highly recommended.