Start Quilting with Alex Anderson: Six Projects for First-Time Quilters

This is an excellent book for beginners. The author walks you through each simple project with clear and concise direction. Color diagrams explain each step in the progress. The book features six small wall quilts comprising of basic patterns: rail fence, log cabin, nine patch, friendship star, flying geese, and a sampler. A color photograph of each completed quilt is shown at the start of every project. The beginning of the book covers the nine required tools, fabric basics (grain, color and pattern, and preparation), rotary cutting, piecing, and quilting. Everything is addressed in easy to understand terms. The information included in this sparse forty page book will build a solid foundation for capable quilting. Experienced quilters will probably learn a few things too, like her method of pinning pieces when two points of a shape need to align exactly. I have seen many books written for beginners that assume the reader has extensive sewing experience, or they include large quilts (which can overwhelm an entry level quilter). Alex Anderson never forgets her audience is comprised of beginners and her enthusiasm for quilting makes the whole process enjoyable.

I do not watch t.v., so I have never seen Ms. Anderson's show. I can barely sew a straight line, but her book was so simple and reassurring that I've been a successful quilter from day one (with 8 quilts under my belt now). Most helpful was her *brief* list of supplies. Most books insist that beginners buy a million things that they may not really need. If you want to see if you might like quilting, this is probably the best book available - I've spent a lot of time now looking at a lot of others.

Alex make quilting look as easy as it is. Her directions and diagrams are concise and easy to follow. Any one of the projects would be great to start with. This book is also good for quilters who already know the basics, but want something that they can use their own creativity with.

I am completely sewing challenged, and found this book simple and easy to comprehend. After making threee of the quilts, I feel confident enough to tackle other projects in more advanced books by Ms. Anderson

As a first time quilter I searched for a basic guide with colorful photographs and lots of illustrations. Alex Anderson's unitimidating book was the answer. It guided me through my first quilt, allowing me to piece a rail fence crib quilt by machine, and helping me through the hand quilting process The results were terrific, and my son sleeps under it every night!