Quilt Modern Curves & Bold Stripes: 15 Dynamic Projects for All Skill Levels

Quilt pattern designers Black and Aschehoug offer a highly detailed yet approachable guide to making quilt designs that feature circles (exact, half-, and quarter-) banked against lines and stripes. First, they teach how to choose fabrics (they caution against knit), select tools for marking and cutting, and master cutting techniques. The authors allow that arcs and circles can intimidate, but they stress that “curve piecing or sewing on a curve is basically the same as straight stitching—you take it one stitch at a time.” They mix projects with block-based patterns, piecing that is either improvised or complex, and patterns that are either simple or demanding. Black and Aschehoug also play with color in these projects: “Festoons” uses high-contrast strips in colors that include orange, yellow, pink, and “light aqua,” while “Rouched” offers subtler tonal shifts, and “Lys” enlightens blue strips with yellow suns. Many patterns include alternate instructions for printed stripes. Patterns are included in the back, with tips embedded along the way. This well-explained manual will leave quilting enthusiasts feeling more than prepared to take on the appealing projects it contains. (Jan.)