The Quilter's Guide to Amish Quilts

The reason that most of my book reviews are 5 stars is because I usually check the book out of my library system before making a decision to purchase it; that or I've seen it in a shop and want to get a bargain on a used one. Since the morning I saw Joe Cunningham on Alex Anderson's TV quilt show, I've wished I had taped that show. He made everything look so straightforward and do-able, but I did not catch the whole show. I began looking for a how-to book on Amish quilts, even bought a few. Some of the books I looked at have limited instruction in the actual making of the quilts, or have directions for miniature ones, and some of them are just pretty pictures with the history of the Amish and their quilts. This book has excellent directions and photos for constructing the full size quilt tops from start to finish, and also includes photos and history of the Amish communities. An aspect of this book that is very important to me is that the user does not need to keep referring backward or forward to another chapter in following the steps in making the quilt top. Most quilt books have a very large general section in the front, then get to the specific construction per item, group the color photos of completed quilts in the center, and conclude with a section on tips and finishing. Those books are like reading a mystery with a dictionary in the other hand, disruptive to the flow of thought. They are probably alright for the experienced quilter, but not the beginner. Not so with this book. You get the beautiful quilt photos and the history right along with the very specific instructions for each one, then get to a short section each on how to cut templates, sew by hand or machine, and two pages on putting the quilt sandwich together. There is nothing in here that will tell you how to perfect your quilting stitch, but it will surely show you how to get to that point, and two different ways to finish the edges when the quilting is completed.