Quilts Made Modern

When I was in Queensland recently and attending my mum’s sewing group (Buderim Patchwork) I was fortunate to be able to borrow books from their wonderful library and one of the first books I borrowed was Quilts Made Modern by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr - so when C & T Publishing asked me to review it as a Creative Troupe member I jumped at the chance – it really is a fabulous book.

Weeks and Bill are a quilting husband and wife team who have written numerous books on colour theory and quilt design, they both have degrees in design and decades of experience and they also teach - reading this book was like being in one of their classes but you're the only student !

As a relatively new quilter I found the first section of the book invaluable – it's all about design - with information on colour theory and proportion, layers of design, developing a fabric palette,  and even looking at the inspiration for making the quilt - which I must admit I’ve never really thought about in detail (apparently I’m the same as a lot of their students !)

big circles

There are also sections on understanding the fabric with handy hints about working with different scales of fabrics and then looking at the design aspects of constructing the quilt - border vs no border, backings, batting and selecting the right thread along with quilting options.

birds on a wire

Weeks and Bill then present 10 quilt patterns that use various design elements from large blocks in Fashion District, small blocks in Beach Glass, to circles in Roundabouts and the aptly named Improv.  Big Circles uses freezer paper applique and hand applique is a feature of the gorgeous Birds on a Wire.  Each pattern has an introduction, ideas on fabric selection, as well as with different quilting options and colour variations.  Multiple sized patterns are also offered for each quilt.

small change

The final section of the book is all about the construction of the quilt – this section is just as detailed - showing the methods used in each quilt as well as the quilting process and there is also information about the importance of labels and caring for your quilts.  The templates for Roundabouts, Big Circles, and Birds on a Wire are also included in this section.

transparency

Quilts Made Modern is 160 pages of fabulous inspiration with lots of hints and design ideas to think about and lots of different techniques and methods that will suit various skill levels.

If you haven't seen this book yet you're missing out !

you can find Weeks and Bill at FunQuilts and Weeks blogs at Craft Nectar.