10 Quilting Books to Keep You Bobbin Along

Everyone has to start somewhere, and with the 16 projects contained in this inviting, illustrated book by Elizabeth Betts, you’ll learn the basics of quilting in no time. 

A member of the Quilter’s Guild who has exhibited her own work at the Festival of Quilts and runs a quilting shop in Brighton, Elizabeth Betts walks you through step-by-step, easy to follow instructions that will teach you the various skills and techniques associated with quilting, even as you make handy and attractive bags, cushions, wall hangings, and bed quilts.

Today’s quilters are busy folks, and they don’t always have the time to sit and carefully measure and cut precise patterns. That’s where Jera Brandvig’s rule-breaking book comes in, with its “modern spin on the popular quilt-as-you-go technique” (Modern Quilts Unlimited) that shows you how to piece fabric into small, manageable blocks. 

The result? “A must if you’ve ever thought about trying [quilt-as-you-go] and haven’t had a clue where to start” (Make Modern Magazine).

Hailed as the “all-in-one guide to precuts” by the Applique Society Newsletter, this spiral-bound volume “covers everything you need to know about precuts.” 

Jenny Doan, of the Missouri Star Quilt Company, has been designing with precut fabric for years, and brings that expertise to this “excellent new reference book that brings together top hints and tips for working with precut fabrics as well as 25 block patterns” (Quilters Companion Quilts from Precut Fabrics).

Sashiko is a traditional Japanese technique of needlepoint quilting that has been hailed by Slate as “the perfect simple, low-cost hobby to get you off your phone.” For those who want to know where to start with this enthralling style of quilting, there’s no better place to begin than in this book written with “an obvious fondness for Japanese culture” (The Ardent Thread). 

From the history of the technique to ten project chapters that show how to use sashiko stitching to create a variety of items around the home, this indispensable sourcebook contains everything you need to get started.

Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of quilting or an old hand, you’ll find something that you need in this treasury of easy-to-follow instructions, clear diagrams, and illuminating photos covering just about every type of quilting, from the basics such as hand and machine quilting to more specific techniques such as sashiko, trapunto, free motion, big stitch, and more. 

In addition to a detailed guide to numerous quilting techniques, there are also instructions for more than 100 patchwork blocks, perfect for quilters of all skill levels.

Are you familiar with jelly rolls? These bundles of precut fabric are frequently seen in quilting shops. But how do you use them, and how do they transform from those tight little bundles into gorgeous quilts? 

The answers are in this handy tome from mother-daughter quilting duo Pam and Nicky Lintott, featuring step-by-step instructions that will guide you through 17 exciting quilting projects and introduce you to the ins and outs of jelly rolls – how they work, how you can use them, and what you need to know to make beautiful jelly roll quilts in no time.

“Even the most experienced machine quilter sometimes has trouble deciding what sort of design to quilt,” and that’s where this “inspiring” book comes in (The Applique Society). 

Boasting more than 70 free-motion quilting designs divided into sections addressing blocks, borders, and negative space, complete with “clear and simple instructions which are useful in enabling some complex patterns to be broken down into lines and stages” (Workshop on the Web), this indispensable guide is a must-read.

A seemingly three-dimensional optical illusion is always an impressive and arresting sight, and that goes double when it’s improbably sewn into a quilt. 

While this technique may seem daunting, however, quilt shop owner Ruth Ann Berry walks readers through how to approach this visually striking style with 12 different patterns available in 4 colorways that can generate a wide range of impressive quilts, even for beginners. Before you know it, your friends will be asking how you did it, and you’ll be wondering whether to drape your new masterpiece over the bed or hang it on the wall.

No matter how many quilts you’ve made, you’ll always find yourself encountering a new question. Fortunately, “this compact volume is absolutely packed with almost any calculation you might need to create a quilt” (Quilting Arts Magazine), from “how big is a twin-size quilt” to “how many hexagons can be cut from a yard of fabric” to “how do I sew a curved seam” and many more! 

Check it out to see why Fons & Porters Love of Quilting raved that, “Everything you need to know about quilting, from buying enough fabric to finishing the binding, is in this handy spiral-bound reference guide.”

In this simple guide, Maxine Rosenthal shows how to take a single print and create some stunning kaleidoscopic effects in quilts that will look like they took much longer than they actually did. With tips on how to do everything from figuring yardage to choosing the right pattern, cutting and piecing and aligning your pieces, and so much more, One Block Wonders will show you how to make one of a few simple patterns or incorporate this technique into just about any quilting project.