Gallery of Amish Quilts

I first acquired this book about 30 years ago and lost it somewhere along the way. What a joy to have it back! The color photographs are beautiful and most show the intricacy of quilting designs and stitches. Some of the colors in the photographs are so vivid that the stitching is hard to see. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to know the history and development of Amish quilts. The 25 page introduction gives us historic background on the Amish community and explains how the Amish faith is incorporated into all facets of daily life. A subsection of text, "Geographical and Chronological Evolutions of the Amish Quilts," describes why specific communities use, or don't use, certain colors and quilt designs. The remaining 70 pages are devoted to color photographs, usually with a minimum of two and up to five quilts over a two page spread. In writing the captions, the authors occasionally refer back to information from the introductory text to remind the reader of what is being seen - why the embroidery, why the use of different tones of color, how the quilting pattern was designed, etc. The captions also describe the fabric used and name of quilt design style, as well as an approximate date the quilt was made. This is a beautiful book.

This book provides the reader with what I feel is an indepth look at the designs used by the Amish. The spritual origins of not only the quilting but the piecing is fasinating. For any one interested in the history of Amish quilting and the influence their relgion has played in developing their quilts this is a must have book.

The fascination with American quilts continues. Of special interest to many collectors today are the boldly colored, handsomeely quilted bedcovers made by the Amish women in Pennsylvania - particularyly Lancaster County - and in the Amish communities of Ohio and Indiana.These old Amish quilts have a dual appeal - their visual impact and their superior craftsmanship. Some students of modern art are drawn to them because their abstract geometric designs are strikingly parallel to the paintings of several contemporary artists. Other collectors treasure these quilts for their intricate, refined handiwork and their minute stitches. What is amazing, and worth exploring in this handsome book, is how the Amish women, with a limited range of materials and with limited exposure to the tastes and patterns of the "outside" world, have created enduring works of art that are visually exciting and sophisticated.A Gallery of Amish Quilts presents for the study and enjoyment of all 150 Amish quilts in color, together with splendid balack and white photographs of the Amish people and countryside. Also, a comprehensive introduction gives the cultural and aesthetic background for the fuller enjoyment of these beautiful quilts.