lots of American patterns, old, new and Amish ( )

This book begins with a 21 page narrative covering the changing views of children in American society and related changes in their clothing and bedding, and various anecdotes involving children and quilting. This is followed by a section with 166 color plates, each with a brief description. Most of the photos are of complete quilts, but some show doll furniture, Victorian scenes involving children, or details of the quilts. The emphasis is on 19th century quilts.

The color plates are small, averaging 3 per page. They are large enough to provide general design inspiration, but too small to provide details of the fabrics for those who might want to attempt a close reproduction.

Patterns are included for 13 of the quilts illustrated here. As would be expected for a book published in 1981, the patterns are based on the template method, and do not provide instructions for rotary cutting. This might be a problem for those who are not comfortable with drafting their own patterns from photos. ( )