Sally Collins, the author of Small Scale Quiltmaking, has outdone herself with her newest book, The Art of Machine Piecing: How to Achieve Quality Workmanship Through a Colorful Journey put out by C&T Publishing (click here to read more about the book at Amazon.com). In our modern day society, there is an emphasis on speed - everyone rushes around trying to squeeze in as many activities and projects into each minute of every day. This sometimes has the unfortunate consequence of less attention to detail and the result is sloppiness. In this book, Sally shows the quilter how to slow down and enjoy the process of creating each quilt block.

She starts her book with a chapter on Philosophy and Creativity and her deep love for quilting is very evident in the words that she uses. Phrases such as "..take pleasure in the journey", "..experience the joy and bliss that quiltmaking gives each of us". She views errors as "gifts...opportunities for success" and says that "problem solving is a real key to finding the joy in quiltmaking". With these statements, she removes the fear of making mistakes and turns errors into learning opportunities. She states that quality workmanship is not just about perfect sewing, but also knowing how to solve problems as they occur. One would be tempted to skip this introduction and jump right into the technique and block sections - this is a mistake. It may sound a bit corny, but after reading these pages, I was inspired at the prospect of making miniature blocks rather than being intimidated as I know most quilters are by the tiny pieces used in small scale blocks.

She follows the introduction with a detailed section on tools and explains what they are used for which is very helpful. A chapter on Color and Fabric is next and she does a wonderful job explaining the importance of color and fabric selection in general and also how to select appropriate fabrics for small scale blocks. There are a number of helpful example images that accompany the text. As we progress further into the book, we begin to learn about designing blocks and drafting. She goes into detail on how to draft blocks from beginning to end, a discussion that I found fascinating. Sprinkled throughout this chapter and each of the ones that follow, there are tip boxes titled "Noteworthy" that are filled with valuable information.

For the quilter interested in improving their accuracy in assembling blocks, the chapter entitled "Workmanship" is without question, the most valuable one to read - and should be read through several times to reinforce key concepts. Sally discusses various factors that cause problems from cutting to sewing to pressing. The bottom line is that the quilter needs to pay careful and close attention to each step of the process. Her quilting experience is evident in the tips on pinning, blocking, and measuring that she includes.

The last chapter before starting the block section deals with various construction techniques, such as assembling half square triangles, English Paper Piecing, and using bias bars. But, she does not stop there - she ends the chapter with a detailed and well illustrated tutorial on matching seams, a very important factor in sewing quilt blocks and one that is rarely addressed in instructional quilting books.

The Block Collection consists of forty-nine blocks with familiar names such as Churn Dash, Dresden Plate, or Bear's Paw and six of the blocks are her own designs. Each block is accompanied by a color photograph and includes template outlines and color coded measurements for three, four, and six inch blocks. She always includes a tip or two appropriate to the block, perhaps about construction or color selection. Each of these blocks is used in her quilt named My Journey which she discusses in the last chapter. I was fortunate to see this quilt at a show and can vouch for its beauty and attention to detail. I spent several minutes looking at various blocks and marvelling at how well she put it together. If you are interested in making a similar one for yourself, she includes the instructions for the quilt along with fabric requirements.

She concludes the book with more eye candy in the form of a Gallery of full color photographs of quilts that she has made using the blocks in the book to whet the appetite of the reader. An alphabetic index and a brief biography of the author can be found on the final pages of the book.

It is well worth taking the time to read the book from cover to cover before embarking on the blocks. The instructions are clear and concise and well presented from a visual standpoint. This is definitely one to add to the collection!