American Doll Quilts: 16 Little Projects That Honor A Tradition

Rating:
Summary: Long Awaited Treasure
Review: I first became interested in doll quilts in October 2004 as I tired from a creative binge of sewing doll clothes, but still wanted low commitment sewing projects to work on. Little quilts and doll quilts are smaller versions of larger quilt patterns. Doll quilts are an excellent start for any beginning quilter or for those who prefer short term projects. Historically, doll quilts were often made by children as they practiced sewing and quilting skills. Today, they are suitable projects for beginning adults as well as supervised children.

"American Doll Quilts" breaks quilt styles into time periods, giving several different quilt patterns for each time period. There are 16 historical quilt designs in this book; complete with lists of materials, directions, color illustrations of each step and full color photos of completed quilts. The author describes fabric, color, and pattern choices for making historical quilts as well as how and when to tea dye a fabric for an antique look.

Although no specific dolls are mentioned or endorsed in this book, I wanted to mention that the historical nature of these quilt patterns makes them a nice accessory to the American Girl historical dolls (as well as antique and reproduction dolls). A Colonial quilt could be given to Felicity, a Western pioneer quilt could be made for Kirsten, a Civil War Era/Underground Railroad quilt could be made for Addy, a Victorian Crazy Quilt might look nice on Samantha and Nellie's beds, and Depression and WW2 era quilts can be made for Kit and Molly. Pattterns for all of these eras and quilt types are included in this book.

Whether made by an adult or an older child, these quilts are absolutely suited for today's audience of young historians and nostaligic adults. This book is well done. Whether you are interested in sewing historical little quilts for wall hangings, to display with antique or historical dolls, or for child's play, this book can help you create something you will be proud to have made.