A Paper-Pieced Garden: 27 Mix-and-Match Blocks

A Paper-Pieced Garden: 27 Mix-and-Match Blocks Plus Unique Quilts
Provided by Martingale
www.shopmartingale.com
Reviewed by Julia Wiatr

Many available quilting patterns are all based around one singular theme or motif. Each block for the quilt is the same or very similar to the other ones, and there is not much variety. A Paper-Pieced Garden: 27 Mix-and-Match Blocks Plus Unique Quilts, by Maaike Bakker and Francoise Maarse, offers 27 different block patterns for you to mix and match as you see fit. Create a quilt that is completely your own design!

A Paper-Pieced Garden is a block pattern compilation that focuses on the paper piece technique, which is used to create block designs that are impossible with more traditional methods. If you’re new to this technique, Bakker and Maarse provide helpful information and a step-by-step how-to on the process, complete with photos of each step. For those who aren’t just new to paper piecing but to quilting in general, there is a brief overview in the beginning of the book that should help you out. There is information on how to choose your fabrics and what colors to look for for the nature-inspired patterns. There are also some tips for washing fabrics, too.

Moving into the quilting portion of the book, the authors provide information on the basics of constructing a quilt, from joining fabric to finishing up a quilt with binding, complete with photos for each step they describe. Whether you’re a sewing novice or not, you can quickly get the background knowledge you might be missing. The rest of the book is focused on the garden-inspired quilt patterns. If you don’t want to start mix-and-matching, you can choose from one of seven garden quilt tutorials, but if you are, there are 27 paper-piece block patterns for you to work from in the back of the book, so you can mix and match motifs as you go. Each block is clearly divided up and labeled so that, following the paper piece technique, you can quickly construct each one.

This instructive and detailed book has all the information you need to create your own quilted garden. From beginner to experienced quilter, you’ll love the amount of freedom you get with the variety of block patterns provided.

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