The Joy of Quilting

Swim is a Canadian artist who works in fabric, and hers is a stunning collection of designs certain to excite and inspire quilters everywhere. Each piece is graphically simple: a nude faces the sea from a balcony; a girl balances on a ladder, reaching for an apple; five soldiers stand at attention. While Swim includes patterns and clear directions for 25 projects, as well as many color and black-and-white illustrations, she urges readers to find their own inspirations and experiment with techniques. ""Anything goes as long as it works''; the ``joy'' of the title comes into play through finding the creative process. While not all will be as gifted as Swim, even beginners and children can design their own place mats or vests. Purity of form is combined with the richness and dimension of textured material. The slippery silks and satins Swim favors will challenge even the experienced needleworker, along with the nuances of detail work, overlays of materials and the adventure of discovery. Historical Times Book Club selection. (May 19)