If it seems to you like everyone is into quilting, you aren’t mistaken. There are between 7 and 10 million quilters in the United States. Orem is home to one of Utah’s largest quilt guilds, with over 270 members. Founded at the Orem Library with 19 members, the Utah Valley Quilt Guild is still going strong after 40 years. If you would like to learn how to quilt, Orem Library has a great collection of books to get you started.
Quilter’s Academy Vol. 1. Freshman Year : A Skill-building Course in Quiltmaking
By Harriet and Carrie Hargrave
Adult Nonfiction
A great series to check out is Quilter’s Academy by Harriet and Carrie Hargrave. This five volume set (freshman to master) walks you through skill builders, tips, technics, and graduated projects to help you master the art of quiltmaking.
Quilts from Sweet Jane: Easy Quilt Patterns Using Precuts
By Sue Pfau
Adult Nonfiction
Layer cakes, jelly rolls, and candy are not only delicious treats; they are names of pre-cut fabrics for quilting. Pre-cuts are a great way for beginners to get started. The library has lots of quilt books with patterns designed for precuts. Quilts from Sweet Jane by Sue Pfau features 10 fun, easy-peasy quilt patterns that can be pieced in a weekend. Charm School—18 Quilts from 5″ Squares: A Beginner’s Guide by Vanessa Goertzen is also a great book that features fun projects made from precut squares. If bigger blocks are your thing, sample Easy layer-cake quilts 2: more simple quilts from 10″ squares by Barbara Groves, which features quilts that are made from larger pieces and will work up pretty quickly. If you don’t have pre-cuts, you can cut your own 5” or 10” squares out of scraps.
Moda All-Stars Cakewalk: A Carnival of Quilts That Begin with 10″ Layer Cake Squares
By Lissa Alexander
Adult Nonfiction
This quilting book offers patterns from 13 quilt designers, all beginning with 10” squares. The patterns are clearly written and offer a nice range of styles and levels of difficulty. Lissa Alexander has curated several books in this same style for quilt designs starting with other sizes of precut fabrics as well as scraps. They are all highly recommended.
If you aren’t ready to tackle a throw or a baby blanket, consider making some cute hot pads, trivets, or coasters out of your blocks. Check out the 746.6 area of the library for lots of cute ideas. If you need access to a sewing machine, check out the Makerspace in the south basement of the library. The helpful staff can get you started. It is so fun to make something that is uniquely yours. Once you get started you won’t want to stop.
Written by Lori, Outreach, and Julia, Circulation
