Southwest Modern: From Marfa to New Mexico: 18 Travel-Inspired Quilts

The book itself has amazing pictures and I'm quite thrilled to start on some of these quilts. I thought I'd start small and do the Zia Mini. Traced the template, scanned and then printed at 125%. Made the 1st block and now way was it going to measure the 6" X 11". I ended up devising my own pattern but as someone else in the reviews said, you need to copy at 134% which will be too big for an 8 1/2" by 11" piece of copy/foundation paper and you will have to print in 2 pieces and tape together. This was very frustrating for a first time paper piecer. I will make this quilt and others but I will do some thorough checking of the measurements first.Editing should have caught this error and I think the publisher should issue a correction.

This book is beautiful. The quilts, the photography, everything is just stunning. However, when I actually went to use it, I ran into problems. I started with the Zia mini for a table runner. I was disappointed first that the templates aren’t available to print online, but I have a scanner, so I was going to copy them from the back. But! The instructions say to print them at 125%. Grumble, grumble. At least they provide a 1” test square. Okay, copied at 125%. But, the square was not 1”. I studied the pattern and found that the finished paper pieced blocks should be 6”x11”. Now, how am I supposed to copy something that is the full length of the paper? That seems odd, especially when it’s not mentioned you need larger-than-letter-size paper. And then I realized what they had done and I’m irritated this wasn’t caught in copy editing. They reduced the template to 75%—the test square in the book is ¾”. The problem is, if you increase ¾ by 125%, you don’t get 1. To get 1 from ¾, you need to increase it by 134%. Sigh. So, once I figured that out, I copied it in two pieces and taped them together. But, a well tested and well edited pattern should not require me to do all that math. This is sloppy.Hopefully the other patterns are better edited, there are some beautiful ones I want to make!

A very inspiring set of quilt patterns and colors that go beyond the current cliche of "modern quilting". The designs are simple but because of that, accuracy is important. Minor misalignments will show so I'd suggest having at least an intermediate skill level at cutting and piecing (including paper piecing) if you expect to produce the same quality as the author. Much of the beauty of the quilts is in the quilting itself which is left up to the maker. I would have appreciated some ideas on how to scale up or expand any pattern with more blocks to make larger quilts if desired, but I think I can figure that out myself. I did like all the imagery and landscape photos. While full photos of each quilt would have been nice, there are at least drawings of each completed quilt. References are provided for where to get the solids used in all these quilts, but dyers might be inspired to make their own colors!

This is a BEAUTIFUL quilt book, made unique by the travel theme of the author's favorite locations in the southwest. The blue sky photos, personal memories and area info are interesting and shows off the inspiration behind each quilt. The quilt designs are made mainly with simple, repeating shapes on a large scale with small color palettes. This is not a negative in any way, as it makes for bold, eye catching quilts that stitch up quickly. The instructions are clear and easily understood, and several of the projects could be a first quilt for a beginner. These are quilts I'd be proud to own or gift. This book still hasn't made it to the bookshelf at my house yet, because I keep picking it up to enjoy the sunny vacation feeling I get each time I flip through. Highly recommended, even if you already have a large library of quilting books.

This book is eye candy! I love the color schemes, alternate color schemes suggestions, simplicity of the patterns and quilting. It has a calming effect on me, and are quilts that can be completed rather quickly. I do wish that some of the quilts were photographed as the whole top, some are just partial photos. I had to go on the internet to find a complete picture of the Macho Canyon quilt, one of my favorites. I want to make most of the quilts or variations of that Kristi has created for this book...a real keeper for me!

AMAZING book. Love the travel-influenced concept. I visit quilt shops whenever I travel to purchase fabric inspired by my surroundings and then create or use a pattern that continues the vibe. The Southwest is one of my favorite places to explore and Schroeder, for me at least, meaningfully captures it’s spirit, mood, landscape, and historical value in her design elements and color choices. The book has easy to follow directions and projects for quilters of all skill levels. I just need to become more adept at piecing half-rectangle triangles to make the quilts in this book that I love most.

I can't wait to make a few of the quilts in this book. They really are gorgeous in their simplicity. My problem with the book is the photos. They are beautiful, don't get me wrong about that, but many of the quilts do not have photos of the full quilt. I need to see the entire thing laid out and often the quilts are folded or shown in little detailed closeups. One full shot of each quilt would have added everything to this book that it lacks. Designs: 5 Layout and beauty: 5 Enough photos: 2 for me.

I love Kristi's style and colour choices. This is a unique take on quilt pattern presentation combining tourist guide with quilts inspired by the places. I'm just trying to decide what to make first!

Colours and design are wonderful - better than I thought this would be. So many projects now.

I love this book. Although I haven't made a quilt from it yet (must finish some WIP's) I certainly will. The hard part will be which one to make! Stunning simplistic layouts using lots of white space. The photograph reflects the quilts, or is it the other way around? I just like to page through the book over and over.

Fantastic !

A wonderful book for modern quilters. I know I'm old but I really love modern quilts and this book is sheer perfection.

Beautiful photos. I love the southwest! nice quilting designs.