101 Fabulous Small Quilts

I love quilting.  From choosing the pattern and all the fabrics, to cutting the pieces and creating the quilt itself, I love each step.   Unfortunately, for me quilting is usually a cool-season activity.   I just can’t seem to get enthusiastic about dealing with 5 or 6 yards of fabric when the weather is hot.  But I’ve found a way around that! Small quilts!  From 48" square to 12x18" or any size in between.  They are just as much fun to make as a full size quilt, with only a fraction of the fabric to deal with.   Now I can give in and make that Red and White quilt I’ve always wanted to make, but have avoided because there would have been too much red in a full-sized quilt!

101 Fabulous Small Quilts from That Patchwork Place is a great collection of quilts.  There is a wide range of beautiful designs, with full color photos and easy to follow instructions.   But there are some important things missing in the book itself.

The introduction and back cover mention quilt designers by name, yet there is no name index.  There is a table of contents, but it contains only the names of the quilts, and not even in alphabetical order.  The arrangement of the book, if there is one, I just can’t grasp.  Logical groupings such as stars, strips or applique would have been very helpful, or at the very least a thumbnail next to the title in the table of contents.

As it is, the only way to find something in this book if you don’t know the name of the quilt is to flip page by page through it.  Which I’m sure is something most quilters will love doing, as this really is a book of eye candy for quilters.  As a Librarian who also quilts, I find it frustrating that a book with such potential fell so short.

That’s not to say I won’t be buying myself a copy.  It’s too beautiful a book not to.