Start Quilting with Alex Anderson: Six Projects for First-Time Quilters, 2nd Edition

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Summary: This book changed my life
Review: Alex make quilting look as easy as it is. Her directions and diagrams are concise and easy to follow. Any one of the projects would be great to start with. This book is also good for quilters who already know the basics, but want something that they can use their own creativity with.

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Summary: Great step by step guidebook for beginning quilters
Review: As a first time quilter I searched for a basic guide with colorful photographs and lots of illustrations. Alex Anderson's unitimidating book was the answer. It guided me through my first quilt, allowing me to piece a rail fence crib quilt by machine, and helping me through the hand quilting process The results were terrific, and my son sleeps under it every night!

Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life
Review: I do not watch t.v., so I have never seen Ms. Anderson's show. I can barely sew a straight line, but her book was so simple and reassurring that I've been a successful quilter from day one (with 8 quilts under my belt now). Most helpful was her *brief* list of supplies. Most books insist that beginners buy a million things that they may not really need. If you want to see if you might like quilting, this is probably the best book available - I've spent a lot of time now looking at a lot of others.

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Summary: Simple and helpful
Review: I found this book very helpful for the basics of making a quilt from start to finish. The simple directions are easier for me to follow than the large amounts of information provided in similar books. I have a good deal of sewing knowledge, so I do no know how helpful it would be to someone new to sewing.

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Summary: Great First Book for New Quilters
Review: I had never quilted before in my entire life - this book got me started and made it so easy. I learned about rotary cutting, and the most common types of machine pieced blocks. I would recommend this book to anyone who has never quilted before. Also, Alex's recommendation that you have a walking foot for your machine is excellent advice. I did my first two quilts without it and was so frustrated because of puckering. Get a walking foot for your machine and if you can't find a walking foot that fits your machine, buy a new machine - that is how important it is to straight line machine quilting.

Rating:
Summary: Great First Book for New Quilters
Review: I had never quilted before in my entire life - this book got me started and made it so easy. I learned about rotary cutting, and the most common types of machine pieced blocks. I would recommend this book to anyone who has never quilted before. Also, Alex's recommendation that you have a walking foot for your machine is excellent advice. I did my first two quilts without it and was so frustrated because of puckering. Get a walking foot for your machine and if you can't find a walking foot that fits your machine, buy a new machine - that is how important it is to straight line machine quilting.

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Summary: Great book to start quilting
Review: I signed up for a quilt class but couldn't wait for it to start, so I made my first quilt on my own using this book. Wonderful, easy to follow instructions! My project turned out great,and I'm looking forward to making another one from this book. I'm sure I will refer to it often.

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Summary: . . . and now I call myself a quilter!!
Review: So, I decided to become a quilter (with no previous sewing experience). I bought a sewing machine, and then I went to the local fabric store. There, an extremely helpful sales associate practically threw this book at me. She said to just try the first quilt in the book (and just make a small one like the book recommends - that way you have a greater chance of finishing it!). I did, and a few months later, I had a great quilt - it looks absolutely amazing! The book was easy to understand, and by finishing the 42"x42" quilt which I turned into a wallhanging, I now have the confidence to tackle a larger project someday, AND I see the motivational piece (aka my new quilt!) in front of me everytime I enter my living room! Thank you Alex Anderson - great book!!

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Summary: Not a bad guide, but one annoying thing left out...
Review: This book is a pretty good simple guide, but I was quite annoyed when I got to the part about the actual quilting. She doesn't really tell the beginner how to do the basic hand-quilting stitch! I figured out something on my own anyhow and I know it's just a running stitch, but the quilting stitch shouldn't be glossed over in a quilting book for beginners! I would have appreciated a diagram and something more than one or two throwaway sentences on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Overall an excellent book for beginning quilters
Review: This was the first purchase that I made when I decided to try my hand at quilting.Alex Anderson's extremely positive and motivating text is perfectly inspirational for the first-time quilter. The projects are not difficult, but you do feel a great amount of satisfaction when you've completed one. Each project is cleverly explained.She tells you exactly how much and what kind of fabric you need for each project and exactly what to cut and how to piece it together.Easy to follow steps. I only wish she would have written more about machine and hand quilting itself. With her vast knowledge of quilting and knack for explaining things I know she could've written a section on quilting that would've proven useful and enlightening to the beginning quilter. Nonetheless I am extremely happy with this purchase. I finished my first project in 3 days!