Stack the Deck!: Crazy Quilts in 4 Easy Steps

Rating:
Summary: Easy to stack, easier to sew
Review: I have made two of her crazy quilts, and during the making of one of them I worked with the author. Karla was encouraging and helpful and inspirational. A great teacher! Her book is intelligent, original, accessible, and you will be pleased with yourself when you make one of her quilts!

Rating:
Summary: Easy to stack, easier to sew
Review: Ms Alexander has created a very innnovative way to tackle a crazy quilt: via piecework. There is no real development of the embellishment stage of her piecework; other books like Michlers or Montano Baker can tackle that. This book is totally for the patchwork, piecework, sewer in you.
It's an interesting approach of cutting material, patches, into various shapes and then 'shuffling them' into a whole. I was quite impressed by the easy variety of this simple method.
Some of the early quilts shown are boring and not really indicative of the method but as the book progresses it gets steam and starts showing how the use of colour in this art form can really breathe life into a quilt.
I think this book is 1) an easy introduction into crazy quilts,
especially for those who have not been smitten by the other methds and 2) a different way for those of us who love crazies but want more colour variety and play in their quilts, many have a hard time with this aspect of the crazy free-form quilting method, getting the colours to interplay correctly, and 3) for those who like the mechanical piecework aspect of patchworks (same blocks sewn together) in a rhythmic pattern. All three groups will not be disappointed. Just remember for the final stage, embellishment, go elsewhere.
So on allot of levels this book satisfies. Happy quilting.

Rating:
Summary: Innovated method towards piecing a crazy
Review: Ms Alexander has created a very innnovative way to tackle a crazy quilt: via piecework. There is no real development of the embellishment stage of her piecework; other books like Michlers or Montano Baker can tackle that. This book is totally for the patchwork, piecework, sewer in you.
It's an interesting approach of cutting material, patches, into various shapes and then 'shuffling them' into a whole. I was quite impressed by the easy variety of this simple method.
Some of the early quilts shown are boring and not really indicative of the method but as the book progresses it gets steam and starts showing how the use of colour in this art form can really breathe life into a quilt.
I think this book is 1) an easy introduction into crazy quilts,
especially for those who have not been smitten by the other methds and 2) a different way for those of us who love crazies but want more colour variety and play in their quilts, many have a hard time with this aspect of the crazy free-form quilting method, getting the colours to interplay correctly, and 3) for those who like the mechanical piecework aspect of patchworks (same blocks sewn together) in a rhythmic pattern. All three groups will not be disappointed. Just remember for the final stage, embellishment, go elsewhere.
So on allot of levels this book satisfies. Happy quilting.

Rating:
Summary: Very Easy but they look so complicated!
Review: My daughter and I are sharing this book, it is wonderful!. The designs are so easy to put together and the finished product is wonderful! I highly recomend this book and her follow up book for quilters who work full time and don't have all the time to quilt that they want.