Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. Although boasting a fine-arts degree, Wolfe (15 Minutes of Play) writes accessibly about her double wedding ring quilts as if she's jotting bread-and-butter letters. Her words are warm and nostalgic as she remembers arriving in New York City with $200 to her name after practically running from the Minnesota farm of her girlhood. But she found that she never quite left that farm behind, for her quilting grandmother becomes her inspiration. "Everything started with this quilt," she says of "Double Edged Love," a best-of-show winner at the first national conference of the Modern Quilt Guild. Embedded within her breezy reminiscences are solid suggestions for 10 projects: besides "Don't sweat the small stuff," Wolfe offers fabric requirements and cutting instructions for the melons and arcs, as she names parts of the wedding ring pattern, and also additional creative possibilities, laid out like yardage; hints for development of craft; and a list of "ideas carried over" from quilt to quilt. Wolfe is boldly mining her heritage. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
"Double-Edged Love," Wolfe's modern take on the classic double wedding ring quilt won Best in Show at the inaugural QuiltCon modern quilting show, and her second book explores her process for making quilts using elements of this well-known design. "Double-Edged Love" is the first pattern in the book, and quilters who wondered how Wolfe took the double wedding ring and turned it into something fresh need wonder no more-it's a combination of her trademark "made fabric," creative fabric choices, and thoughtful use of solids to have the rings stand out. Each pattern is introduced with a short essay in which Wolfe describes her creative process and inspiration, from fabric choices to decisions about how to quilt the finished quilt top. Wolfe's two primary inspirations are her grandmother's quilts, which made use of scrap fabric in a bright palette and urban living (Wolfe makes her home in New York City). These motivations lead to some unexpected choices, including a quilt top made from double-knit polyester, a fabric that most modern quilters would eschew. VERDICT The double wedding ring is a design that many quilters, both traditional and modern, aspire to, and Wolfe's exploration of the modern side of this classic will draw quilters in. However, this book is more about enlightenment and process than the actual practice of assembling a double wedding ring quilt-the "basics" section is relegated to a skimpy appendix that glosses over the information needed to successfully duplicate Wolfe's designs. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
