A Recommended Book For Quilters: Wollquilts by Edda Gehrmann

I just received a second-hand copy of this wonderful book in the post today.

It is called "Wollquilts: von Glencheck bis Kaschmir" by Edda Gehrmann, published by Herausgeber und Lektorat in 2002. ISBN 3-9806815-4-8 [I use bookfinder.com for finding out-of-print books such as this one].

Since it is a German book, I was expecting the text to be only in German, but was pleasantly surprised to find that there is an English translation throughout.

Here were some of my favourite quilts from the book:-

The quilts were mainly made from bags of assorted wool fabric scraps which were passed around the members of a Berlin patchwork group (mixing knitted with woven and felted wools in different weights, and sometimes other fabrics such as cotton, velvet or wool mixes). There is often a commentary by the maker discussing what they thought of the scraps (usually disappointment at the dull assortment!), followed by how inspiration hit them, and how they made such beautiful pieces from the remnants.

Several makers commented on the problems with cutting tiny pieces or trying to iron flat seams. The most successful pieces seemed to use very simple shapes - squares or rectangles, but with thought given to the placing of the different tones and colours of the fabrics.

The book has a section of tips for sewing with wool fabrics at the back, and patterns for six of the quilts found in the book, but it is more of a gallery of inspirational images than a 'how-to' book.

I can tell that this will become one of my favourite books, and it has inspired me to have a go with some of the wool and wool mix fabrics in my collection - maybe just a wall hanging to begin with.

Initial gleanings from the book are that:-

• anything goes with regard to mixing weights and types of fabric
• simple shapes will probably be easiest to work with
• focusing on colour and tone placement is important for a successful design
• tying is an easier option than trying to quilt very thick fabrics
• larger seam allowances are best to stop fraying (1 - 1.5 cm)

Peasant Silver Buttons

I recently bought some interesting silver link buttons and was hoping to find out more about them, when I came across this superb book on the subject: "A Collector's Guide to Peasant Silver Buttons" By Jane Perry. It has opened up a whole new field of interest in button collecting and knowledge for me.

The book is a large paperback, illustrated throughout with clear black & white photographs of buttons. The author has divided the book into sections about:-

• Flat and other one-piece buttons
• Domed buttons
• Filigree buttons
• Round or contoured buttons
• Appendices (covering terminology, silver marks and dating etc)

The buttons are grouped by country or geographical region, covering Europe, Asia and the Americas, which made it simple to identify the origin of the buttons I had purchased. The buttons were normally used to fasten men's jackets and waistcoats.

This one is from Dalmatia.

The next two are Spanish.

And this one is Croatian.

The book is very clearly written and will certainly help me to better describe these buttons if and when I decide to sell them. Jane also keeps a useful up-to-date guide to prices for these buttons, (which she will email to purchasers of the book on request). The guide prices are reached by keeping an average of prices achieved at auctions and sales during the previous year.

Book Review: Rag Rugs - Old Into New By Debbie Siniska

My most recent book purchase, was, in fact, a set of three...

I was expecting a normal-sized set of books when I purchased these, so was a bit disappointed to receive a set of three stapled booklets with card covers. Each booklet has 36 pages and is filled with plenty of diagrams and colour photos of work in progress and of finished pieces. Size 8 1/4" (21 cm) high x 5 7/8" (15 cm) wide.

Book 1 looks at tools and materials.

There is a brief history of rag rugs, followed by descriptions of the tools used in making them. The rug hook, bodger, peg, latchette hook, shuttle hook, scissors, cutting wheels, frames etc are shown with a paragraph of description. The author describes choosing and obtaining textiles to use; backing fabrics; methods of marking out designs; and use of colour.

Book 2 covers techniques and starter projects.

One or two pages are devoted to each of the tools described in Book 1, also making simple tassels, and how to braid and coil rugs. Next are sections on finishing your rug and ways to display it and clean it. Some small project ideas will get you started:- flower brooch, herb pillow, memory mat, and seat mat.

Book 3 contains further projects to try.

There are instructions for making a child's mat, celebratory banner, wall panel, braided mat, welcome mat, flower bag, and penny patch rug. There are some sections at the back of the booklet for stockists, rag rug makers and places of interest to rag rug makers to visit.

In summary: I'm glad to add these to my collection of books on making rugs, and they are a useful basic overview for someone new to the subject. They cover, in brief, a good range of techniques and styles, which should provide the initial inspiration needed to give rag rug making a go.

I'm not sure why this material was split into three booklets, rather than a single book, as you would really want to have all three to complete the 'course'. The pattern line drawings are pretty tiny - you will need to be good at enlarging designs to make use of them.