Publisher's Weekly Review
As quilting designer and teacher Hogan explains in this delightful crafting guide's introduction, after finishing her first book, String Quilt Style, she asked herself, "What else can I do with strings?" Her question produced a compilation of 16 "fresh, contemporary" projects, some with "no equivalent, traditional design." Hogan carefully goes over string quilting, in which quilters can relax their normal "rules of perfection" and trade the classic solid block of traditional quilting for one pieced from "strings" of fabric left over from other quilts. As a result, there is "so much more to look at." Hogan describes essential tools (a sewing machine, rotary cutter, and cutting mat), preparing and cutting strings of varied widths, picking foundations of fabric or paper (the pictures of paper backing she provides are especially helpful), and setting and trimming triangles and squares. Then come the striking string quilts Hogan designed, each photographed in a picturesque outdoor setting. Perhaps most notably, her "Night Flight" quilt, depicting a goose formation, exploits strong contrasts between light-colored blocks representing the flying birds and a dark background representing the night sky. Hogan's enthusiastic, well-explained primer will leave experienced quilters feeling inspired to start their own string-based projects. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
String quilting, a long-standing technique that likely originated with the goal of using even the smallest scraps of fabric, is enjoying popularity for its thrift, ease, and possibilities for creative, one-of-a-kind results. This follow-up to String Quilt Style (2016) is an expansion of the concepts from that book and includes details on this technique, required tools, basics for constructing 18 types of blocks, and patterns for 16 quilts. Covering both paper and fabric foundation piecing, these instructions and patterns are a useful introduction to string quilting, and the techniques illustrated will be useful beyond the patterns included here. Most of the patterns are based on traditional designs, but three of them are original with no traditional equivalent. All designs are elegantly constructed and effectively show off the beauty of string quilting, and the original Four Seasons of Trees design is a real standout. Step-by-step color photos make it easy to follow the instructions for building the blocks, color diagrams accompany all the patterns, and a list of terms and definitions is appended.--Anne Heidemann Copyright 2019 Booklist
