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Spellbinding Quilts: Wizards, Witches, and Magical Characters
From the Lord of the Rings trilogy to the Harry Potter series, the worlds of magic and myth have captured the imagination of millions--including quilters! Now you can cast your own sewing spells with paper-pieced designs to enchant the young and the young at heart. Feature fairy-tale creatures in 11 projects, plus full-sized patterns for 17 blocks Create a witch, a wizard, a knight, a dragon, and a unicorn, plus a castle and a magical hat An inspiring photo gallery shows how to combine blocks for a range of legendary quilts
- GenresQuiltingNonfictionCrafts
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 6, 2017
I love this book. I've made several of the patterns: the unicorn, the centaur (my favorite), the hippogriff, and the dragon, and I'm planning to make more.
I have a little experience paper piecing, and found the book straightforward, pretty, and a pleasure to read for inspiration. The pieces turn out pretty large, and I prefer them as wall quilts, not part of a bed quilt, because too much paper piecing makes for a very thick, hard quilt full of seams. Don't hand quilt this, by the way.
Solitary patterns only take a day or two to make, and are far more popular with non-quilter friends and family than the average quilt pattern. It also helps that everyone I know loves fantasy, and there's a lot of variety in the magical creatures in this book, so everyone can find a favorite.
My only regret about the patterns is that there is no separation of hoof and body color, though I understand paper piecing has its limits, and these are already admirably detailed - perhaps too detailed, when it comes to the ten thousand fiddly pieces of the hippogriff's dainty legs. Don't be afraid to adapt the patterns - I've added separate hoof colors (looks great, just use two pieces sewn together instead of the one piece suggested for the hooves) and modified the dragon's wings for more of a bat shape.
By the way, there's a coloring error in the hippogriff pattern - on Unit L of the hippogriff, piece 9 should be body colored, not background colored.
I would love to see more paper piecing books with fantasy creatures - mermaids, fairies, dwarves, trolls, you name it. It's so hard to find patterns that scale well together and have the same level of detail.
I have a little experience paper piecing, and found the book straightforward, pretty, and a pleasure to read for inspiration. The pieces turn out pretty large, and I prefer them as wall quilts, not part of a bed quilt, because too much paper piecing makes for a very thick, hard quilt full of seams. Don't hand quilt this, by the way.
Solitary patterns only take a day or two to make, and are far more popular with non-quilter friends and family than the average quilt pattern. It also helps that everyone I know loves fantasy, and there's a lot of variety in the magical creatures in this book, so everyone can find a favorite.
My only regret about the patterns is that there is no separation of hoof and body color, though I understand paper piecing has its limits, and these are already admirably detailed - perhaps too detailed, when it comes to the ten thousand fiddly pieces of the hippogriff's dainty legs. Don't be afraid to adapt the patterns - I've added separate hoof colors (looks great, just use two pieces sewn together instead of the one piece suggested for the hooves) and modified the dragon's wings for more of a bat shape.
By the way, there's a coloring error in the hippogriff pattern - on Unit L of the hippogriff, piece 9 should be body colored, not background colored.
I would love to see more paper piecing books with fantasy creatures - mermaids, fairies, dwarves, trolls, you name it. It's so hard to find patterns that scale well together and have the same level of detail.
January 26, 2019
Wonderful designs. A decent explanation of paper piecing. I used the book to teach myself.
I wish it had more contrast between different color pieces within patterns-some of the complex ones become difficult to differentiate.
Even more, I wish she gave more suggestions on assembling quilt tops using her pieces. The book assumes you'll be doing exactly the projects given only. (PS-there's also a misprint in the centaur pattern, look closely before cutting.)
*Upon yet another reread-emphasis on wishing for more detail on assembly. modifying a pattern the only note is for a larger quilt use larger or more pieces. NOT HELPFUL. and there's no trouble shooting in terms of handling paper pieces vs not, or ideas for the best type of needle to use*
I wish it had more contrast between different color pieces within patterns-some of the complex ones become difficult to differentiate.
Even more, I wish she gave more suggestions on assembling quilt tops using her pieces. The book assumes you'll be doing exactly the projects given only. (PS-there's also a misprint in the centaur pattern, look closely before cutting.)
*Upon yet another reread-emphasis on wishing for more detail on assembly. modifying a pattern the only note is for a larger quilt use larger or more pieces. NOT HELPFUL. and there's no trouble shooting in terms of handling paper pieces vs not, or ideas for the best type of needle to use*
March 7, 2013
I'm excited to make some accent pieces for my guys with these patterns.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews