The Patchwork Planner: 350 Original Designs for Traditional Patchwork

Ranging from delicate styles to bold and striking designs, this book presents 350 ideas for wallhangings, full-size quilts or cushions. Each one is built from a few basic squares - often just one or two - so that even the most intricate patterns are simple to make. All squares are shown in line drawings which can easily be enlarged for the cutting of templates, and the designs are presented in a way which enables the finished patchwork to be visualized and the effects of different colour-ways to be seen. The book has been prepared with the aid of a specially-devised computer program which has enabled the author to explore designs in a comprehensive way and select only the best.

The personal computer has met up with the quilter of the 1990s, and the sky is now the limit. Those who design their own quilts (or any craftsperson who employs geometric designs) will be pleased to know all the quilts in Hilberg's book were designed on a computer. The potential for multiple designs will satisfy those who need to visualize a finished product in various colors and/or sizes. Brief but careful explanations for working up the blocks (or tiles, as the British author calls them) create curves, points, parallelograms, and many square patterns. Most pictures are black and white, but colorful finished quilts are sprinkled throughout. The 350 designs will serve as an inspiration for quilters who seek new ideas and methods from which to work. Iva Freeman