Patchwork Among Friends

I saved the best book for last:  Patchwork Among Friends, by Judy Martin. 

As soon as I saw the cover of this book, I knew I had to add it to my quilting library.  I have one of Judy Martin's earlier works, called Stellar Quilts, and it is fabulous.  And it turns out, Patchwork Among Friends is similarly impressive. 

The book includes 10 quilt patterns, with directions for multiple sizes as well as diagrams showing alternative color combinations and/or block setting ideas.  It also includes recipes and ideas for get-togethers with quilting friends, such as a Reveal Party or Block Exchange.

I'm smitten with the cover quilts.  I can see the one in the upper left in the new Etchings collection from Moda while the curved log cabin in the lower right is one of those patterns that lends itself to just about any fabric choice. 

Judy's designs tend to fall into the "complicated but worth it" category.  They are not the kind of quilt you can run up in a weekend.  Most require extra attention to accuracy and may include partial seams and/or Y seams.  But the effects are spectacular.

Friends Forever may be the easiest quilt in the book.  Still, the aughor notes it "requires the full participation of your brain" because of the staggered arrangement.  The cutting directions are ingenius, making use of just about every inch of the fatquarters required. 

State Fair Star looks particularly complicated - nine feathered stars!  But I would love to make one of the star blocks and use it in a medallion setting.  One of these days...

Patchwork Among Friends seems the perfect book to share with my blogging friends.  So I'm having a giveaway.  To enter the drawing for a copy of Patchwork Among Friends, leave a comment telling me about a quilt pattern or book you are currently smitten with.  On the evening of Thursday, November 17, I'll draw a winner from among those who comment here.