Thinking Outside the Block: Step by Step to Dynamic Quilts

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Disappointing
Review: I'm a traditional quilter in the mood to try something new. This isn't it. It's one technique done over and over. The quilts mostly looked alike. I don't have any desire to do any of them or anything like.

Rating:
Summary: Let yourself go!
Review: If you are one of those people who hate to do the same thing over and over again, this book is for you. It gives you some basic design ideas then turns you loose. I love working with fabric, and this book is a fresh aproach to going your own way. There are three or four main block ideas, as well as ideas about how to buuild and learn from doing a series, getting feedback from other quilters, and using up your scraps. I quilt like I cook . . . learn the basics, then substitute what you like for what you don't . . . keeping what pleases you. This book may upset some of those who like to "stay inside the box" keeping the rules and never taking a chance, because of a fear of what the established quilting community may think. But, the methods are easy to learn, and let you make your own statement. I loved this book!

Rating:
Summary: a must-have classic
Review: Once every few years a quilt book comes out that completely changes the way you think about making quilts. This is one of those books. I just got my copy a few days ago and I am already wearing it out. It is full of ways to make beautiful, one-of-a- kind quilts easily and intuitively. After taking you through some vital information about choosing fabrics, Sandi has you start with a familiar star block, and go on to add a few "transition" blocks that make your stars suddenly turn into a whole new kind of quilt. Then you learn how to create all kinds of new free-spirited designs using methods that are as fun as they are easy. For example, Sandi has you cut a simple square or block in a couple of places and insert contrasting strips, then cut again and use the pieces in a variety of ways. She offers several methods and variations for "cutting double," in which you freehand-cut two blocks at once and then trade alternate pieces, and she offers a plan for making gorgeous strip-pieced garden quilts that will have you pulling out all your large-scale florals. There is also advice on setting up a group, on working in series, and on quilting collaboratively. And take a look at the fabrics Sandi uses! Her mix of hand-dyes, batiks, and commercial fabrics is spectacular, and a valuable lesson in itself.
This is not a book for those who like traditional, matchy-matchy quilts, but if you love making interesting and original works of quilt art, this book is a dream come true.

Rating:
Summary: Just OK
Review: This is just a notch above stack and whack. I was expecting more art and less craft. Many of the shown examples are repetative so you feel like you are reading the same exact method over and over again with a slight twist. I expected many different art quilting techniques, not the small unimaginative handful that is illustrated in this book.
This book doesn't elevate the craft of quilting into the realm of art. Even the sample gallery pictures are much more folksy-crafty then the wow I associate with art quilts. Overall, I was disappointed with a book that I had high hopes for.