Nightstand stack: Quilting books

In December, during my Master Knitter portfolio correction avoidance phase, I stopped by our local library to sit in cozy wing chairs, perusing art magazines and This Old House (one of my guilty yet practical pleasures). Inevitably wandering over to the stacks that house Dewey Decimal Classification number 646, I walked out with my arms full of quilting books. My nightstand stacked high, here are books that alternately lulled me to sleep and kept me up during the last month.

Already on my nightstand was Gwen Marston‘s Minimal Quiltmaking. Every one of Gwen’s books has her fantastic energy and this one is no different. The photography is excellent and she pulls in many wonderful interpretations of minimal quilting. While there are specific projects that you can complete, Minimal Quiltmaking offers opportunities for you to explore the ideas yourself. As I balance my interest in figurative and abstract expressions in my quilts, I could see a small series of studies based on the chapters of her book.

Almost everyone who comes to Laurena’s Longarm Quilting coos about Angela Walters. If you are just walking into free motion quilting, you may want to subscribe to her rss feed… or buy the book, so you keep all of that info in one tidy place. Her approachable manner and enthusiasm are contagious. While Cheryl Malkowski’s Doodle Quilting would be another example of this fun approach to free motion quilting. Karen McTavish’s second edition of Mastering the Art of MacTavishing should be on your nightstand if the Angela Walters book gets your free motion mojo moving!

Quilting Line and Color had such an alluring cover, I thought this would be the most enticing find of my detour. The photography is marvelous and I love her aesthetic. If you want interesting quilting projects, take this book and prepare for a fun beginner quilter journey. If you’re a quilter who doesn’t bother with patterns and projects, don’t worry if you miss this.

It was Rachel May‘s Quilting with a Modern Slant that sparked the most contemplative moments. With a long list of contributors, I was amused to see artists like Kaffe Fassett and Jane Sassaman on her list of “Modern Quilters.”Ok, I just wrote a litany about the definition of modern quilting and my rather accepting, scornful, pleased, eye rolling understanding of the “movement.” The litany was deleted then pasted into another post. Stay tuned Definitely buy or check this book out of the library. Can we talk about it together soon?

It was a lovely full nightstand. Don’t you just love the library? What quilting books inspire you these days? I’d love to build up the nightstand stack again.