Description
Get a fresh burst of spring with these original interpretations of the traditional Sunflower block. Once again, the talented winners and finalists of The National Quilt Museum's New Quilts from an Old Favorite annual contest have outdone themselves. The originality, visual impact, and excitement of their quilts make this year's volume a worthy addition to this collectible and informative series. For the seventeenth year, a selected traditional block design has inspired quilters to create uniquely individual quilts. Each has expanded on the block's design, taking it in new directions. Meet the quilters and let them tell you in their own words about their original design ideas, quilting decisions, and innovative techniques. Other titles in this popular contest series are Burgoyne Surrounded, Sawtooth, Rose of Sharon, Dresden Plate, Seven Sisters, Monkey Wrench, Feathered Star, Tumbling Block, Bear's Paw, Storm at Sea, Kaleidoscope, Pineapple, Mariner's Compass, Ohio Star, Log Cabin, and Double Wedding Ring.
Reader Reviews
“...a powerful collection of nearly 20 quilts...” - 08/17/2010
Reviewer: James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief from Oregon, WI, USA
“Sunflower: New Quilts from an Old Favorite” provides a powerful selection of nearly twenty quilts by over twenty-five quiltmakers who take the classic Sunflower block as a foundation of inspiration for their designs. Each expands on the sunflower design in different ways. The result is a pairing of lovely color photos, black and white line patterns, and interviews with the innovators themselves! --James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief, The Midwest Book Review, The Bookwatch, August 2010, The Needlecraft Shelf.
A wonderful collection of original interpretations of the traditional sunflower - 07/09/2010
Reviewer: Fabric Trends Magazine from USA
This book features 18 award-winning quilts chosen for their innovation and workmanship, accompanied by comments from each quiltmaker concerning the ideas and visions that led to their composition. Techniques, textiles, and software used are presented, in addition to how cutting and manipulating unusual fabrics add movement and energy to the quilts. Specific quilt instructions are not included, as each is a one-of-a-kind free-form quilt; nevertheless, this book offers templates, layouts, and block patterns to assist in designing your own quilt. Beautiful, large colorful photos, including the artists’ sketches, stir creativity and also make it easy to distinguish the variety of threads and stitches in the machine quilting. --“Fabric Trends,” Summer 2010, page 87.
SunFlower - New Quilts from an Old Favorite - 04/12/2010
Reviewer: Kathy Niemann from USA
You need to peek inside the book to see the wide variety of quilts included. The cover quilt is a contemporary quilt. Inside is something for everyone. The quilts are the winners in a design contest with Sunflowers as a theme. This book "picks the brains" of the designers. Therefore, the reader can learn so much that can be applied to any quilt. It is fun to hear about how a quilt comes to life from just an idea.
Sunflower: New Quilts from an Old Favorite - 04/07/2010
Reviewer: Vivian Benton from Pittsburgh, PA
To take a traditional block and turn it into something complex, artistic and creative, while still maintaining its identity, is amazing---and yet these quilters continue to rise to the challenge year after year. I admit the sunflower block has never been one of my favorites, but after seeing what these quilters have done with it, I now look at this block with new eyes. And to read about each quilter’s inspiration and approach to the creative expansion of the block is itself an adventure. I am absolutely thrilled to add this book to my collection.
Sunflower - New Quilts from an Old Favorite - 03/28/2010
Reviewer: Barbara Polston from Phoenix, AZ USA
I look forward to the arrival of the latest in the "New Quilts from an Old Favorite" series each year. I look forward to seeing the collection inspired by traditional blocks. I'm excited to "meet" the quiltmakers and read about their inspiration, design choices, and how they overcame technical challenges. This year's competition, based on Sunflowers, does not disappoint. There seem to be a number of quilters who worked in collaboration; interesting to see how they shared the workload. Beautiful, inspiring quilts with stories to match. Worthy of being in your collection. Besides, Sunflowers make for happy quilts!
