The Block Book

Enjoy this book for the myriad of ideas for blocks. I bought it so that I could practice making different types of blocks, and it's fantastic for that. It includes both rotary cutting instructions and templates, so you can choose either method. I prefer different color schemes than the author uses, so I've been drawing the blocks in the EQ4 quilt-drawing software and re-coloring them the way I prefer; it's great fun. I would not call it a beginner's book...maybe intermediate to advanced. It's not meant to be your only quilting book (but then who can resist having more then one quilting book?). Disadvantages to this book: Each block includes a list of the shapes to be used, but you have to count the number of times each shape is used in the block to know how many to make. I imagine that's because you're likely to be making more than one of each block, but it would be much easier if there were another column containing the number of each shape to be made for one block. Then the reader could just multiply that number by the number of blocks to be made. Also, be aware that the book often refers to one of the author's previous books for additional details. Not having that book has not seemed to be a problem so far.

This a great book for those who prefer not to make their quilts by a prescribed pattern. Blocks are arranged according to size and difficulty. There are even a few large, intricate designs that would work beautifully as a medallion for the center of a quilt. There are lots of traditional patterns along with many that were designed by the author. A nice addition to any quilter's bookshelf.