[.ca] 849 Traditional Patchwork Patterns: A Pictorial Handbook (ISBN 0486260038)

a good reference for "theme" block (No instructions):
LOVED this book! though only illustrated in BLACK and WHITE. Used its INDEX to find something "themed". ie. several wedding related blocks for a wedding block sampler quilt. Then went on the web, to find instructions on that pattern, now that it had a name. Also, since it is drafted 5 squares to the inch graph paper as the book recommends. It is easy to trace and color, made my own blocks 12" square. Also it is a good place to start if you're looking for some inspirational design. The great thing about this book is that it is black and white, so there is no judgment on personal choice of color. My goal is to make one block from every illustration. So far I made 8.

Invaluable design resource:
This book is wonderful for its wealth of designs without instruction, and is therefore best as inspiration for those who are comfortable with quilting and adapting a block design for an overall quilt. Every time I go through it for ideas I am struck by a new pattern I didn't "see" before. Excellent collection in one place.

Great Book, Great Price:
Leave it to Dover Books to print this beautiful book! It is very affordable, and is a compendium of a huge assortment of quilt blocks, indexed by theme or name. Love this book and I am a beginning quilter.

Good for identifying mutliple name for the same block.:
849 Traditional Patchwork Patterns is very good for identifying blocks, variations of blocks, and multiple names for blocks. If you are thinking of starting a new project and don't know what to do, it would be a good place to start.

Excellent for Beginners and Advances Quilters:
Susan Mills has collected 849 splendid quilt designs and organized them according to their most prominent geometric configuration (stars, triangles, circles, squares, etc.). She has included both traditional and more recent patterns, and freely admits that there are probably many she hasn't managed to include. The patterns are named using the most typical or most popular traditional name, but alternate names and, in some cases, alternate versions of designs are included as well. This is a good pattern reference for beginners as well as advanced quilters. Advanced quilters may find a block they forgot about! The only drawback is that the designs are all in black/white and grey tones. This allows advanced quilters to pick their own colors (using the grey scale as a clue to color value), but for beginners it would have been helpful to include some designs in color.