Whether or not you piece with the best of them, these books should appeal to anyone interested in the beauty and craft of quilting. For you quilters, check out some of the library’s books of quilt patterns. And if you like to stick to fiction, there’s a whole genre of quilting novels.

Quilts as art | Quilt patterns | Quilts in fiction

Quilts as art

Masters: Art Quilts
By Martha Sielman
These art quilts showcase such versatility, innovation, and beauty that readers can't help but be truly inspired. The gifted artists come from across the globe – including Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America – and their work displays their varying sensibilities, backgrounds, and talents. Sielman contributes an illuminating essay for each of the 40 featured artists, who are showcased in eight-page features.

Quilt National: Contemporary Designs in Fabric
By Quilt National
Selected from the Quilt National Exhibition, this book showcases contemporary quilt artists who expand the boundaries of the craft.

Gee's Bend: The Women and Their Quilts
By John Beardsley
Since the 19th century, the women of Gee’s Bend in southern Alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. This book is beautifully illustrated with 350 color illustrations, 30 black-and-white illustrations, and charts.

Amish Crib Quilts from the Midwest: The Sara Miller Collection
By Janneken Smucker, Patricia Cox Crews and Linda Welters
A rare collection of 90 antique quilts for children is showcased in this brilliantly colorful volume.

Mississippi Quilts
By Mary Elizabeth Johnson for the Mississippi Quilt Association
With documentation by the Mississippi Quilt Association, this celebration of the state's quilt-making heritage discusses the similarities and differences among quilts from different cultural traditions, and includes photos by Eudora Welty.

Crazy for Quilts: A Celebration of the Quilter's Art
Edited by Margret Aldrich
A fun look at the world of quilts, quilt-making, and the lore and history of patchwork, Crazy for Quilts features brilliant color photographs, historical black-and-white images, artwork, vintage pattern booklets and advertising, a short humorous piece, and informative captions.

Quilt patterns

1000 Great Quilting Designs: For Hand or Machine Stitching
By Luise Roberts
Quilters can choose from more than 1,000 new and traditional designs to take advantage of this ever-evolving art form. Included are templates, stencils, and step-by-step instructions – for hand or machine stitching – making it easy to create unique quilting patterns.

Crazy Quilts: History, Techniques, Embroidery Motifs
By Cindy Brick
An exquisitely illustrated history of the Crazy quilt from colonial days to ours, this book includes expert instructions for planning, piecing, and embroidering or embellishing your own "Crazy."

More Elm Creek Quilts: 30+ Traditional Blocks, 11 Projects, Favorite Character Sketches
By Jennifer Chiaverini
The third in the successful Elm Creek Quilts series of quilt books is inspired, once again, by the bestselling Elm Creek Quilts novels. Eleven projects are featured, with complete instructions, template patterns, and a section on basic quilting techniques.

24-Hour Quilts
By Rita Weiss
Wouldn't it be nice to have a comfy, cozy quilt in no time at all? With these time-saving techniques, even a quilter with very limited experience can enjoy fast, gorgeous results. There's something here for all seasons and all reasons.

505 Quilt Blocks: Plus 36 Beautiful Projects
Edited by Carol Field Dahlstrom
With step-by-step instructions for quilters of all skill levels and beautiful full-color photos, 505 Quilt Blocks make quilting easy and can inspire readers to create new projects for themselves and for others. Blocks can be customized easily and adapted to wear and to use as home decorations.

Quilting in fiction

Interested in some novels that feature the quilting craft? Then, check out the Quilt Lit recommended reading list.

Book descriptions provided by BookLetters.