And even better is when the book has wonderful photos and lots of great information. (OK, I admit the first three times through I mainly looked at the pictures!)
Bill Volckering has been collecting New York Beauty quilts (which go under a wide variety of styles and names but for simplicity sake I will use the NYB name) for years. He had compiled what is most likely the largest collection of that style. He also has a degree in art and photography - all of which comes through in this book where he did all of the photos.
Can you tell I love the photos! You don't just see the piecing but you can see all the quilting. As a hand quilter this means a lot!
His collection spans almost all regions of the U.S.A. and from the 1850's to current day. I love books that really go into a specific design and really shows the variety that different quilters can take to make it their own.
It is a great historical take on this pattern but it also has patterns for those of us who get inspired and find our fingers itching to try a NYB for ourselves. Since it was published by Quiltmania it isn't surprising that they went for the template style favored by hand-quilters. The only two NYB's I've made have been paperpieced but who knows...I may take the challenge.
So this has found a place on one of my quilt history shelves...once I'm through looking at the photos of course!
