Quilting books offer an excellent medium with which you can add to or improve your quilting skills. Listed below are books that will amaze, inspire and stimulate your creativity and enhance your quilting experience!

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Granny Quilts by Darlene Zimmerman.

Are you irresistably drawn to the light-hearted quilts of the 1930's? Most quilters are, and for a good reason: these quilts induldge in warm whimsical colors and patterns from a simpler time when everyone conserved precious resources. Now, with Granny's Quilts, you can learn how to stitch the same patterns your mothers and grandmothers have cherished and handed down for generations.

Let Darlene Zimmerman show you not only what is unique about these popular quilts, but also how to create them with easy to follow, step by step instructions.

Keepsake Quilts for Baby by Julie Higgins.

Patterns for seven heirloom baby quilts that are reminiscent of a gentler, less-hurried time are included in this book. The quilts are designed in softer hues and have a vintage look and feel. These are the quilts that will be passed down from baby to baby's baby. They are almost too beautiful to use.

Personally, I think a quilt acquires the designation "heirloom" based on the complexity of the piecing and quilting. When a quilt includes an abundance of work, it should be appreciated enough to be taken care of. Then there is something left to pass on to the next generation. Remember the term "Sunday Best?" It simply refers to those things you use on special occasions. I've already made many utility baby and children's quilts, with brights, bugs, animals, etc.

I give them to people to use. But here, I wanted to create Sunday-best quilts. These quilts will be going to my baby's babies.

I hope they will become their keepsakes one day in the future as reminders of my love.

Julie Higgins started sewing garments when she was 12 years old. She began making quilts around the year 2000. She has been enthusiastically learning, designing, teaching and speaking to quilters ever since.

Shape Up Your Fat Quarters by Debbie Caffrey.

Are you a collector of fat quarters?

Do you hesitate to cut those beautifully coordinated bundles for fear that you won't have enough fabric for the quilt once you get started?

What do you do with the expensive scraps caused by cutting into too many fat quarters? Debbie Caffrey presents this book full of fabulous patterns that will help you get those fat quarters into shape, and leave behind little to no leftovers!

America The Beautiful. by Debbie Mumm.
Celebrate America! The heritage, values, and spirit of America are honored symbolic grouping of patriotic projects from artist and designer, Debbie Mumm. Each quilt in this compelling collection is sure to be proudly displayed in your home and become a cherished keepsake for future generations.

Foundation Piecing with a New Attitude by Ellen Rosintoski.
Foundation piecing is a wonderful technique for making accurate blocks with very little pain and agony. You may think some of the quilts in this book are too tough for you to make but that’s not true! Or as my mother used to say, "Try it. Who knows? You may surprise yourself and like it." Of course she was talking about brussels sprouts and okra and I'm talking about sunflowers and pickle dishes but what can I say other than: just keep quilting, it's the right thing to do.

The first section of this book is General Directions-supplies, general techniques, etc. Please read it! In order not to bore you to death, I'll try not to repeat myself endlessly You will also find items labeled I.D.-these are Important Digressions- hints and helps that are more general in nature, but that can make your (quilting) life easier; Punch Lists which are reviews of the major items in a section (shown in shaded boxes); and the occasional R.R.R. (Rosintoski's Rules of the Road).

AMERICA: from the Heart by Karey Bresenhan.
AMERICA: from the Heart was an incredible, spontaneous exhibit of quilts made in response to the events of September 11, 2001.It shared a message of sorrow, unity, and hope from quilters all over the world.

These quilts are truly works from the heart, created in the six weeks following the terrorist attacks as an expression of the artists' immediate, agonized feelings. Houston's International Quilt Festival served as the setting for this heart-wrenching exhibit.

Now the quiltmakers of AMERICA: From the Heart share their work with you in this full-color exhibit catalog. Their quilts are both moving and a true declaration of America's strength and patriotism.

• A Images of 270 quilts with heartfelt statements from the quilters who created them.
• A Foreword by Karey Bresenhan, founder of Quilts, Inc. and organizer of International Quilt Festival.
• A C&T Publishing and Quilts, Inc. are proud to donate all profits from sales of America from the Heart to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund.

True Friends by Nancy Halvorsen.

5 Easy Pieces & Accessories to Complement. by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith.
Do you think you don't have the time to decorate your home with beautiful quilts? We've made it a little easier for you with Our five simple patterns in Five Easy Pieces.

Large patches and applique shapes help you speed along as you create colorful quilts to fill your house with warmth and comfort. We have included small coordinating projects such as pillows and pillow cases.

Each quilt is shown in two different fabric selections to inspire you to create your own one-of-a-kind project. One fabric selection is our own Sweet Bouquet line, and the other selection is made up of currently available fabrics, to show that whatever fabrics used, the result will be beautiful.

Favorite Quilts Fast & Fun by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith.
We all have a favorite quilt we enjoy curling up with when we're chilly, when we're sick, or when we need a little TLC. Often these comfort quilts have been made by loved ones and have been constructed with classic block designs. Continue the tradition of simple and cozy quilts with Favorite Quilts Fast & Fun. Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan show you how to make charming and timeless quilts using one of seven basic blocks. Make a beautiful BASIC quilt using just a few fabrics, or try a rich SCRAP version of one of the quilts. Whatever you choose, you're sure to fall in love with quilting.

• BASIC and SCRAP quilts made from 7 favorite quilt blocks.
• Complete yardage and cutting charts for BASIC and SCRAP quilts in five sizes from crib/wall to king-something for everyone from beginners to the more experienced!
• Step-by-step directions with extra-large diagrams.
• Full yardage, cutting, and directions for two Mix & Match quilts using several of the basic blocks.
• An excellent guide for teaching yourself or others to quilt 16 favorite quilts in all

PS I Love You Three by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith

• 21 Charming quilts for babies, toddlers, and young children.
• Twelve pages devoted to more than a dozen coordinating accessories. Crib sheets, bumper pads, dust ruffles, receiving blankets, crib organizer, 3-D picture blocks and more!
• Quilts and projects for every skill level, plus a complete general directions section.
• Full Color picture of every Quilt!
• Fun coordinating ideas for baby showers and birthday parties.

Desiging TESSELLATIONS by Jinny Beyer.
Tessellations - designs that interlock perfectly to repeat across a surface - have enchanted designers for decades. Intricate latticework from India and fanciful patterns on mosaic tiles - these are but a few of the tessellations that decorate our world.

From geometric patterns in mosaics, architecture, and traditional patchwork to the incrediblerepresentational art of M. C. Escher, tessellations have an intrigue that always delights yet sometimes overwhelms.

In this groundbreaking book, author Jinny Beyer explains how these seemingly complex motifs are achieved and offers endless possibilities for new and unique patterns.

Because tessellations are governed mathematical symmetries, she first explains how these can be applied to shapes and still allow those shapes to tessellate. You’ll work alongside the author as she analyzes and demonstrates key symmetry groups and illustrates each in a variety of design media.

Building upon this expertise, Jinny Beyer next introduces the principles of creating tessellating designs. She explores both geometric shapes, popular in traditional quilt making, mosaics, stonework, and textile design, and true-to-life, representational images in the style for which M. C. Escher is celebrated. Beginning with singIe-motif images that repeat across the surface, she moves on to explore multi-motif designs where one pattern flows into the next, interlocking perfectly as it progresses. Simple geometries twist and turn into stars and spinning pinwheels that are seamlessly intertwined. Birds blend magically with butterflies and fish nestle between the sails of ships at sea.

At each step, the author skillfully demonstrates exactly how tessellations are formed and provides you with the tools - step-by-step diagrams, charts and clear directions to create these and thousands of new designs on your own.

• More than 2,000 color illustrations analyzing tessellating designs.
• 150 color photographs in media as diverse as patchwork, textile design, mosaics, stonework, glass, and graphic art
• 12 original designs by M. C. Escher, with his sketches and the author's interpretations of how the images were achieved.
• Hard Cover 237 pages.