Quilt BooksQuilt books can be a great way to learn to quilt or learn a new type of quilting. They often include patterns or designs and instructions. They are fascinating reading. Few things beat curling up with a good book about something you love. They provide tons of inspiration and ideas for new projects and improved methods. There are several types:
Quilt Design Books are the most popular. There are thousands of books for making quilts. There are books for pieced designs, applique designs, traditional designs, contemporary designs, art quilts, easy designs, baby quilt designs and many more. My favorite is Encyclopedia of Classic Quilt Patterns. Books on Quilting quilts include instructions on machine or hand quilting and often include quilting designs. There are fewer of these books but there are more every year. This growing market is reaching more people every day. Quilt History books often focus on one quilt or region. There are only a few that focus on the general history of quilts. The books are great for research and for teaching kids about the historic importance of quilting. There are now quilt study groups all over the nation, and probably the world, that are researching quilt history. That means there will most likely be more quilt history books as those groups publish their findings. Quilt related novels are a rare breed. The most popular and the best that I've found are the Elm Creek Quilts books. Be careful when looking for novels. Not everything that has a quilt design on the cover or a quilting related title will be worth reading or have anything to do with quilting. Buying quilt books can be addictive. I know I have to be careful and set a budget or I'd buy way too many. A less expensive option is to check out your local library. Many librarians are also quilters so many libraries have great selections. If you can afford them a few great books are excellent additions to your library and save you lots of time hunting for patterns or figuring out how to do something.
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