Classic Quilt Blocks: 849 Inspiring Designs

by Susan Winter Mills

Book Overview

Inspired by the events and activities of their daily lives, quiltmakers in preindustrial America produced colorful covers in extraordinary numbers. Titles for their handiwork ranged in theme from biblical (Job's Tears, Garden of Eden) and historical (Lincoln's Platform, Underground Railroad) to sociable (Always Friends, Next-door Neighbor). As the nation expanded, many of the same popular designs continued to spring up elsewhere under new names. Birds...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486260038
• ISBN13: 9780486260037
• Release Date: December 2016
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.4" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Not joining my collection of quilting books.

This book may be of use as a reference tool for someone looking for a particular pattern, but it's dull black and white graphics did nothing to spark imagination. There are no actual patterns, no layout, no block construction examples or even pictures of completed quilts in color. If I had happened upon this book in a bookstore, I would have certainly looked inside the cover out of curiosity, but would have quickly replaced it on the shelf out of disappointment. I would not advise purchasing this book if you are looking for inspiration for your next quilt.

Great reference for quilt blocks

This book is not for beginners because it doesn't have any directions, just blocks. But if you need new quilting ideas, this is a great book. The blocks are not in grid format (like "It's Okay if You Sit on My Quilt" by Mary Ellen Hopkins) but I like it just as well. Good source to look at if you have quilting software, like "Quilt-Pro" or "Electric Quilt" and want to design your own quilt.

Great Book, Great Price

Leave it to Dover Books to print this beautiful book! It is very affordable, and is a compendium of a huge assortment of quilt blocks, indexed by theme or name. Love this book and I am a beginning quilter.

a good reference for "theme" block (No instructions)

LOVED this book! though only illustrated in BLACK and WHITE. Used its INDEX to find something "themed". ie. several wedding related blocks for a wedding block sampler quilt. Then went on the web, to find instructions on that pattern, now that it had a name. Also, since it is drafted 5 squares to the inch graph paper as the book recommends. It is easy to trace and color, made my own blocks 12" square. Also it is a good place to start if you're looking for some inspirational design. The great thing about this book is that it is black and white, so there is no judgment on personal choice of color. My goal is to make one block from every illustration. So far I made 8.

Invaluable design resource

This book is wonderful for its wealth of designs without instruction, and is therefore best as inspiration for those who are comfortable with quilting and adapting a block design for an overall quilt. Every time I go through it for ideas I am struck by a new pattern I didn't "see" before. Excellent collection in one place.

Excellent for Beginners and Advances Quilters

Susan Mills has collected 849 splendid quilt designs and organized them according to their most prominent geometric configuration (stars, triangles, circles, squares, etc.). She has included both traditional and more recent patterns, and freely admits that there are probably many she hasn't managed to include.The patterns are named using the most typical or most popular traditional name, but alternate names and, in some cases, alternate versions of designs are included as well. This is a good pattern reference for beginners as well as advanced quilters. Advanced quilters may find a block they forgot about!The only drawback is that the designs are all in black/white and grey tones. This allows advanced quilters to pick their own colors (using the grey scale as a clue to color value), but for beginners it would have been helpful to include some designs in color.