Book Review:
The Weekend Quilter opens with a section on Quick Quilt Techniques
which covers everything from a brief overview of how quilting techniques
have developed over the years, quilt sizes and their uses, selection
of fabrics, preparing (washing, drying and ironing) the fabric for
your project, Rotary Cutting (including equipment, measurements,
Creating a straight edge (with diagrams), Cutting; strips, squares,
measurements wider than ruler, half-square triangles, quarter-square
triangles and stitched strips (all with diagrams), Machine Stitching
(including Preparation and Piecing (Chain piecing (with diagrams),
Taming seam crossings and Pressing), Adding Borders (including Borders
with butted edges and mitered corners (with diagrams), Quilting
(including Marking quilting designs, Bagging out (with diagram),
Layering, Basting (with diagram), Machine quilting, Quilting in
the ditch, Freehand quilting, Hand quilting, Frame, Hoop, and The
quilting process (with diagram), Tying a Quilt (with diagrams),
Binding the Quilt (including Continuous strip bias binding (with
diagrams) and Double-fold binding(with diagrams), Adding a Hanging
Sleeve, and Labeling a Quilt.
The Weekend Quilter is divided into chapters with quilts made by
different contributors; Zigzags and Meanders by Pauline Adams, Changing
Seasons by Gill Turley, Simple and Serene by Jenni Dobson, Pioneer
Blankets by Anne Walker, and Night and Day by Carole Dowsett. The
designs and patterns for all the quilts in this book are created
to be done in one or two weekends so if you are looking for complex
patterns this book is probably not for you. Alternative color schemes
are provided for some of the quilts to give you a bit of variety
to choose from. It is good to see different color combinations because
it will help you decide on the colors that you might want to use
or inspire other color combinations you will use. There is also
a section on dyeing materials if this is something you want to explore
(the Square on Square quilt includes dyeing the fabric as part of
its pattern but you can also purchase predyed fabrics). The instructions
are very clear and straightforward throughout the book and together
with the techniques section at the front of the book these quilts
are easy for the intermediate quilter to make.
I really like that the patterns involved in making the quilts don't
need to be enlarged, this saves you time because it takes long enough
to make a quilt. Some of the quilts shown in this book can also
be used as wall hangings (i.e. Spring Wall Hanging) or crib quilts
(i.e. Catch a Falling Star) and there are also quilts of different
sizes, which can be used in different rooms in the house. The origins
and history behind the quilt and the type of quilt in general as
well as the possible uses for this type of quilt are given in a
small introduction below the name of the quilt. This introduction
sometimes also includes a description of the fabrics traditionally
used for the quilt in the past and those being used in present times.
I like that the quilts are shown in being used in real - life situations
in the photos. I think it helps to see what the finished quilt will
look like, especially when it is displayed on a bed or a wall so
you can see it in a real setting. |
