Classic Quilts

Classic Quilts
Gifted by: Leisure Arts
www.leisurearts.com
Reviewed by Laura Fernandes for AllFreeSewing.com

Classic Quilts from Leisure Arts contains seven quilting patterns that would inspire beginners to confidently take on a project and provide ample ideas for a seasoned quilter to create a vintage styled quilt.

Some of the patterns in the book like the Rail Fence (p. 20) could be whipped up over a weekend and would make excellent gifts for a loved one.  The traditional Churn Dash design (p. 24) is presented with a unique maze as the sashing border.  All the designs have straight edges that make it extremely simple to piece together. The patterns provide excellent color combination ideas for choosing the fabrics. Every design provides measurements for the individual block sizes and for the completed quilt size making it easier to plan and choose the appropriate project size.

The Trip Around the World quilt design (p. 4) would be a favorite quilt to make and gift to anyone who loves colorful quilts. The pictures provide detailed instructions making this seemingly complicated design easy to piece together in a jiffy.  As with all the designs in the book, the basic block can be used to imagine other different creative designs.  The circular strip idea would be an excellent trick to own and to adapt to other quilting designs. The design could be easily adapted to create a rainbow themed quilt.

Every design in the book also provides a quilting diagram. This would be helpful for many quilters in deciding on a quick design to complete the quilt. Some of the designs in the book like the Tree of Life (p. 10) would a very good gift for a parent or grandparent or as a retirement gift. The pieced trees and the suggested color combination of red, green and white fabric provide a sense of stability and accomplishment. There is surely a sense of accomplishment after piecing together the on point leaves of the trees.  In contrast the hourglasses and geese quilt design (p. 16) would be an excellent quilt for a college bound student.

An entire section in the book is devoted to general instructions on completing the quilt. The tips provided in obtaining perfect points when piecing would be helpful to any quilter. Various ways to border the quilt, including techniques to make the binding from fabric are included in this section.

This book will be a great addition to any beginner wanting to take up a quilting project and to experienced quilters looking out for adding new tricks and inspiration for a project.