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Overview
A practical and inspirational guide to creating beautiful bespoke quilts without the constraints of strict rules or patterns. In Free-Form Quilts and Patchwork, internationally renowned Jessie Cutts of Cutts& Sons shows quilting doesn't need to be daunting or require meticulousmeasurements or lots of planning. Instead, you can design and make up yourwork as you go along, being playful with colour and allowing mistakes to take yourprojects in new creative directions. In clear and engaging text accompanied bystriking photography of the artist's own work, Jessie guides readers through: - Exercises to help practise improvisation, encouraging a looser approach topatchwork without a specific project in mind. - Projects that introduce methodology while allowing space to create uniquecompositions. These include hand stitching a potholder or a mini quilt;experimenting with tonal stripes; creating playful blocks and loose checkboards. - Information on materials and techniques with tips on collecting fabrics, creatingpalettes, cutting with confidence, machine piecing, hand stitching, improvisingguidelines, patchwork guidelines and how to finish and display quilts. With an emphasis on letting go of conventions and perfectionism, and insteadallowing serendipity to be part of the enjoyable process of creating compositions infabric, this book is ideal for anyone who feels intimidated by precise patterns andwants to create personal and unique quilts with guidance on how to get there.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781849949767
- ISBN-10: 184994976X
- Publisher: Batsford
- Publish Date: May 2026
- Dimensions: 9.96 x 7.79 x 0.85 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.71 pounds
- Page Count: 144
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“Sometimes the best way to understand a thing is to just start doing it,” writes UK-based textile artist Jessie Cutts in Free Form Quilts and Patchwork. That disarmingly simple advice is a great entry to her guide to making fun quilts that are as much an art project as traditional craft. “For me, quilts are the perfect marriage of craft and art,” she writes in the book’s introduction. “They provide a chance to design with colour and play around with form, but I also love the physicality of making something three-dimensional, not least utilitarian.” The book is divided into two main sections: The first provides you with backgrounds into the traditions of quilting and its various techniques, and includes primers on everything from how to bind your quilt to how to display it when you’re done.
The second section is full of free-form quilting projects, and this is where the book really comes alive. My favorite project is her Crumb Star Cushion (“crumb” is a piecing method that employs scraps of fabric), which combines the simple, approachable framework of a throw pillow with a fun design that utilizes all of Cutts’ stylish tricks. (And in all honesty, the manageable size of this project means I’ll be less likely to give up halfway through.) The step-by-step instructions are detailed while also leaving plenty of room for experimentation. “Use pieces that have similar widths or lengths, depending which way you are sewing,” she instructs. “Don’t worry about angles or which direction you are going in. Sewing ‘crumbs’ is really a time to try all directions and just enjoy creating a haphazard fabric.” There are even smaller projects than this, including pot holders and a pumpkin-shaped pin cushion, so the book is appropriate for many levels of commitment and skill. It’s illustrated with plenty of colorful photographs of each quilting project at every phase of its completion, so you’re unlikely to be stuck mid-project without a helpful reference to guide you through.
But it’s Cutts’ encouragement to experiment that makes Free Form Quilts and Patchwork truly worthwhile. For example, she suggests that readers pull out handfuls of fabric scraps without looking and then prompts them to create a unique, random composition. “This is a great exercise in working with what you have, rather than needing specific fabric in order to make something.” That’s advice crafters of all stripes can put to use.
“Sometimes the best way to understand a thing is to just start doing it,” writes UK-based textile artist Jessie Cutts in Free Form Quilts and Patchwork. That disarmingly simple advice is a great entry to her guide to making fun quilts that are as much an art project as traditional craft. “For me, quilts are the perfect marriage of craft and art,” she writes in the book’s introduction. “They provide a chance to design with colour and play around with form, but I also love the physicality of making something three-dimensional, not least utilitarian.” The book is divided into two main sections: The first provides you with backgrounds into the traditions of quilting and its various techniques, and includes primers on everything from how to bind your quilt to how to display it when you’re done.
The second section is full of free-form quilting projects, and this is where the book really comes alive. My favorite project is her Crumb Star Cushion (“crumb” is a piecing method that employs scraps of fabric), which combines the simple, approachable framework of a throw pillow with a fun design that utilizes all of Cutts’ stylish tricks. (And in all honesty, the manageable size of this project means I’ll be less likely to give up halfway through.) The step-by-step instructions are detailed while also leaving plenty of room for experimentation. “Use pieces that have similar widths or lengths, depending which way you are sewing,” she instructs. “Don’t worry about angles or which direction you are going in. Sewing ‘crumbs’ is really a time to try all directions and just enjoy creating a haphazard fabric.” There are even smaller projects than this, including pot holders and a pumpkin-shaped pin cushion, so the book is appropriate for many levels of commitment and skill. It’s illustrated with plenty of colorful photographs of each quilting project at every phase of its completion, so you’re unlikely to be stuck mid-project without a helpful reference to guide you through.
But it’s Cutts’ encouragement to experiment that makes Free Form Quilts and Patchwork truly worthwhile. For example, she suggests that readers pull out handfuls of fabric scraps without looking and then prompts them to create a unique, random composition. “This is a great exercise in working with what you have, rather than needing specific fabric in order to make something.” That’s advice crafters of all stripes can put to use.