Marsha McCloskey's Block Party : A Quilter's Extravaganza of 120 Rotary-Cut Block Patterns (Rodale Quilt Book)

Rating:
Summary: A great variety of blocks.
Review: I especially appreciated the little touches in this book, like showing the variations that can be acheived in each block by rearranging light and dark fabrics, showing how some blocks can be used together to create secondary patterns, and including standard quilt size info along with fabric yardage requirements. I bought this book to use in making a scrap/memory quilt out of the leftovers of all the projects I have done for my family over the years. Since each block in the book is 9 inches finished, I can do one block at a time over a long period of time, and not worry that they won't fit together. Great book! I highly recommend it!!

Rating:
Summary: A good book for beginners
Review: I had bought this book thinking that it would be a good refernce to add to my quilting library. However, the book mainly covers 4 and 9-patch designs, nothing along the lines of an Irish Chain or the Feathered Star that M. McCloskey is so famous for. If you want to learn to quilt, or have just started, this would be a good book to add to your home. But, if you are looking for a more challenging design, or already can take a design from another quilt and make templates and yardage calculations, you may want to look into a more advanced book.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best!
Review: I have many quilting books but keep returning to Marsha McCloskey's Block Party. Not only does it have beautifully colored illustrations, but several options in using the same pattern. The instructions are easy to follow and what a variety! I have made several quilts from this book and must say it is my all time favorite.

Rating:
Summary: A great source for patterns and ideas
Review: The blocks are wonderfully displayed and graphically understandable. This is a great book for any level of experience. A book like this is an essential part of any quilter's "tools." There are many block books on the market, but I would rate this as one of the better books.

Rating:
Summary: Good inspiration, some limitations
Review: There are lots of blocks here, and this book is a good source of inspiration. There is, however, a double-edged sword. All the block patterns included are 9-inch, which is in some sense good -- it makes it easy to put them all together, but is from another perspective bad -- it makes for some weird measurements on certain blocks (i.e. anything on a 4- or 16-patch grid rather than a 9-patch grid). So if you're only interested in using those latter types of blocks, it might be nice to do an 8- or 12-inch variation, but you have to re-draft the block yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Good inspiration, some limitations
Review: There are lots of blocks here, and this book is a good source of inspiration. There is, however, a double-edged sword. All the block patterns included are 9-inch, which is in some sense good -- it makes it easy to put them all together, but is from another perspective bad -- it makes for some weird measurements on certain blocks (i.e. anything on a 4- or 16-patch grid rather than a 9-patch grid). So if you're only interested in using those latter types of blocks, it might be nice to do an 8- or 12-inch variation, but you have to re-draft the block yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best!
Review: There are so many things I love about this book! First of all, the blocks range from simple to more complicated, from familiar to rarely-seen. Second, Marsha has so much good advice about all aspects of quilt making. Third, in the section of sample quilts she includes using various ones of the blocks is something for everyone, from beginner to experienced quilter. I have made three table runners and one wall hanging already and have plans to make several of the others. I couldn't recommend this book more highly!

Rating:
Summary: My favorite!
Review: There are so many things I love about this book! First of all, the blocks range from simple to more complicated, from familiar to rarely-seen. Second, Marsha has so much good advice about all aspects of quilt making. Third, in the section of sample quilts she includes using various ones of the blocks is something for everyone, from beginner to experienced quilter. I have made three table runners and one wall hanging already and have plans to make several of the others. I couldn't recommend this book more highly!