Harriet Hargrave

I thought I was selecting a book on quilt-making, but this is actually exactly what the title states: a book on quilting. It covers hand versus machine; a variety of fabrics; the pluses and minuses of various batting options; tools; workstations; stitches; techniques; ergonomics; and troubleshooting. The illustrations are clear (even on my small Kindle screen). There are suggestions for finding design inspiration and for altering sewing machine feet to make them more user friendly. This is a book that will prove useful over the years as a refresher, an inspiration or a solution.… (more)

If you're looking for a quick project, this is not the book for you. If you'd like a step-by-step in-depth immersion in theory, process, geometry, design and construction then snatch up this book and plan to pass it on to your grandkids. Numerous color illustrations and large photos help you plan, draw, cut and assemble intricate quilt blocks. These are classics such as Grandma's Flower Garden and Lone Star, but they're presented in such detail that a careful, patient planner will be able to lay out a doll bed quilt or a marble ballroom floor with precision. Photos show the pattern on the "right" side of the block and the nested, clipped and pressed seams on the "wrong" side of the block. It is easy to accept this book serving as a textbook for a college course in textiles, fine arts or home economics. If you want to develop strong skills in timeless hexagon and diamond quilt patterns then plan to spend months with this guide.… (more)

I'm not a quilter, in any sense; but I'm wildly interested in textile production.

Who knew? "Prior to the invention of air conditioning & humidity control, only the New Bedford & Providence, Rhode Island, locations had the proper humidity conditions for cotton yarn spinning." I did have a sense of this, having this year read a whole book about air conditioning; but I didn't know matters were this precise.

Who knew? "Greige goods (pronounced 'gray goods') are unfinished fabrics in their raw state." Muslin is, often, essentially, greige good. I love the term; I love the thought of those simple raw fabrics - and I love the pictures, lots of pictures in the book of factories and machines and fabric being processed.

Processed, processed, processed! They do SO much to cotton fabric, it's a wonder how humanity comes up with these things. Singeing! Sizing! Desizing! Bleaching! Mercerizing! Not to mention the dyeing. Oh, the dyeing!

This is mainly a book geared towards choosing better materials for quilting, and was vaguely interesting on its own terms; but obviously I was in it for the big picture, as I usually am.… (more)