Looking for some useful resources to help you learn how to quilt?
We’ve put together a great list of instructional books that teach beginners all the basics of creating their first quilt.
Maybe you’ve been inspired to learn how to make a quilt but don’t know exactly how to begin.
It can be daunting to think about all of the steps involved in crafting a beautiful, finished product.
These quilting books offer a variety of techniques and ideas to help you master some new quilting skills.
There are a lot of books available that can get you started if you’re a beginner or get you back into quilting if you haven’t practiced in a while.
Here are 12 of the best books on quilting to help you create the kind of quilt you are looking for:
1. Simple Quilts from Me And My Sister Designs: Easy as 1, 2, 3
This 32-page book is great if you’re a beginner and want to try something simple.
It offers 12 simple quilt strategies that can be made in a weekend or just at your own pace.
These quilts make great gifts because they are known for their colorful and cheery appearance.
Created by two sisters, Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson, this book will help the reader increase their quilt making skills.
Some of the techniques used include simple square and strips, as well as designs that have stitch-and-flip corners, pinwheels, half-square triangles, a rail fence layout, and even more.
Offering down-to-earth advice, this book will allow you to create a quilt that looks complicated but is actually very simple to make.
2. Beginners Guide to Quilting: 16 Projects to Learn to Quilt
This comprehensive book covers how to do patchwork quilting and is great for people who are new to quilting.
It allows the user to learn how to make beautiful quilts with its clear directions on piecing, applique, and even binding.
This 128-page book allows you to choose from 16 different projects that are all simple but focus on a different technique.
It has instructions on how to quilt bags, cushions, wall hangings, and even table mats.
Using clear illustrations for each project along with easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, this might be the right book for you if you are completely new to this craft.
The book includes a glossary with common quilting terms if you are unfamiliar with the language.
3. The Complete Guide to Machine Quilting
This book includes 128 pages of instructions on how to get the most use out of your sewing machine when you are making a quilt.
It includes information on working with various fabric and batting weights, as well as some useful tricks to help save you time throughout the process.
It also teaches about some creative stitching effects that you’ve likely never used before.
This is a great book for people who are just getting started with quilting, as well as those who have enjoyed quilting for years.
With great new ideas and insider tips on how to make quilting more enjoyable, this book is a great find for yourself or as a gift to a friend who likes to quilt.
4. Simply Triangles: 11 Deceptively Easy Quilts
This quilting book focuses on 11 beautiful quilts in different shapes and sizes.
Author Barbara Cline shows the reader easy and straightforward techniques to create quilts that have a complex-looking designs with the simple combination of easy shapes.
This is one of the best books on quilting because it also teaches the user how to properly use color and add more value to the quilts to make them really shine.
It also includes skill-building techniques for people who are looking to improve their craft.
5. Pat Sloan’s Teach Me to Machine Quilt
Pat Sloan is a well-known teacher, designer, and online radio host who is eager to teach people about successful machine quilting.
This is the third book in Pat’s series and is great for beginners.
It offers a step-by step guide through both walking-foot and free-motion techniques for quilting.
Those who are new to the craft can confidently make their own quilts soon after reading this book.
Those who have been quilting for years will appreciate Pat’s help to complete unfinished projects that need some final touches.
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6. Jiffy Quick Quilts
This 48-page book is great for people who want to make a quilt in very little time, but still want the quilt to have some style.
Each project covered in this book can be made in a short weekend, and some can even be completed in a day.
This book includes different size options for the projects, so you can turn a small quilt into a larger one if you wish.
It offers beautiful patterns that will be great with some of your favorite fabrics.
7. The Farmer’s Wife 1930s Sampler Quilt: Inspiring Letters from Farm Women of the Great Depression and 99 Quilt Blocks that Honor Them
This book includes real-life letters from the popular Farmer’s Wife magazine.
It pays homage to the strength and hope that women living on a farm dealt with during the years of the Great Depression.
This might be the right book for you if you enjoy a story to go along with your creation.
Using reproduction 1930s fabrics, the book offers instructions for template piecing and rotary cutting so the reader is able to use their own techniques to put together these historical quilts.
The book comes with a CD that helps the reader create these colorful, creative quilts.
8. The Quilter’s Bible: The Indispensable Guide to Patchwork, Quilting and Applique
This book includes simple layouts and short paragraphs to lead the reader through creating a beautiful quilt.
It is a great addition to any book collection on quilting because it includes excellent diagrams and techniques for the reader to learn.
This might be the best book for you if you have quilting experience but have taken a break and want to come back to the craft.
It includes very detailed information for people who are at any expertise level in their quilting journey.
9. The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quiltmaker
This is a great book on quilting basics that introduces a modern twist.
It includes 12 quilting projects for people who are new to the craft, as well as those who have done some quilting before.
There are different options available for each project, allowing the user to make their quilt very modern and colorful or tone it down to make it more classical.
You can even alternate the colors that you use by changing out fabrics in your quilting blocks.
This is a great book if you want to learn how to cut, applique, piece, or bind your quilt.
It takes a fresh approach that is relaxed so you can enjoy the process and be proud of the product that you make.
10. Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts
This book was created by two pioneers of the modern quilting movement.
It offers readers seven core techniques for quilting along with multiple projects that use each technique.
With its detailed instructions, this book also includes a step-by-step direction on tools, color, materials, and quilting basics.
Whether you are new to quilting or you are a seasoned artist, you will enjoy creating new bed quilts, wall hangings, table accessories, and pillowcases.
This is a useful guide for those who want to try a new style of quilting that strays away from the traditional.
11. Shape by Shape Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters: 70+ Designs for Blocks, Backgrounds, and Borders
This book offers creative inspiration for quilting on every page.
It is very user-friendly and has visually exciting content that are divided into three sections, including blocks, negative space, and borders.
The blocks section is then organized by five different shapes and includes an illustrated index with 70 quilting designs, clear instructions, and photographs, making this a great resource for any quilting project.
12. The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters: A Guide to Creating, Quilting, and Living Courageously
This book does not offer step-by-step instructions, but rather it takes a flexible approach to quilting that is free from traditions.
The authors give 10 frameworks to create a guiding structure for your work.
They also offer detailed lessons for improving the reader’s stitching techniques, design, and use of color.
Each quilt has common threads, but they all look different from the maker’s unique interpretation of the designs.
Quilting is a beautiful and time-honored craft that is well-worth the investment of your time.
It can be a reflection of your unique vision and creative inspiration that can be showcased in your home and passed on to family.
Learning to quilt the right way from the outset will help you feel more confident and motivated to begin your quilt or return to quilting after a long break.
Choose a quilting book that resonates with your goals and skill level and get started. A beautiful quilt awaits you!
Do you have another quilting book you want to share in the comments below?
