In a word, Crazy Quiting is wonderful. But before I get into its content, let me say that I love the book's format. It has a hard cover with spiral binding, which means pages lie nice and flat no matter where you open the text, making it easy to keep instructions front and center as you work.
Crazy Quilting measures a little more than 5-1/2" x 7-1/2", so it doesn't take up a ton of work space. Not too big and not too small -- it's just right.
On to the content.
"Ten Ways to Patch a Crazy Quilt"
The author leads you through ten different methods that can be used to make a crazy quilt, and you'll find that there's something for every skill level and every purpose. Pay close attention to the introduction for each method, because she describes projects that are best suited to that particular technique, whether it's a good choice for beginners, how it relates to the other nine choices and its overall pros and cons.
Once you've chosen a technique, you'll work through it in a step-by-step manner, with lots of color photographs to help guide you.
Getting Ready to Crazy Quilt
You'll find the tools you need to choose fabrics, threads and foundations. The author discusses color and helps you gain inspiration from the things you see around you. She also helps you select tools and organize a handy workspace.Stitches, Stitches and More Stitches
A nice chunk of the book is devoted to embroidery stitches, more than 100 of them. I like the illustrations at the beginning of the embroidery section -- they depict groups of threads, ribbons and other embellishments, making it easy to compare their scales. But it's more than photos, the author guides you through the selection and use of each material.
Stitch illustrations are much larger than I've seen in many other books, and are accompanied by descriptive text -- a helpful combination.
Other Embellishments
Appliqué, beads, buttons, tassels, cording, lace, punchneedle -- and much more. You'll find a chapter devoted to ribbonwork. The author shows you how to paint and stamp ribbons and fabrics for one-of-a-kind looks. She describes marbling, a subject dear to my heart. Couching and machine work are also covered.
Finishing Your Crazy Quilt
The author doesn't neglect finishing tasks -- you'll find a well written basics section with the information you need to add borders and complete your crazy quilt.Final Words
Crazy Quilting is packed with all the information you need to make a quilt. You'll find helpful tips on every page of the book, load of encouragement, and a good dose of inspiration from continuous color photos.
Have I mentioned every topic covered in the book? No -- I would need way more space than is available here to do that. I'll sum it up by saying that beginners and experienced crazy patch fans won't be disappointed with J. Marsha Michler's guidance -- it's a must-have for your library.
