[.ca] Marsha McCloskey's Block Party: A Quilter's ... (ISBN 1579542662)

My favorite!:
There are so many things I love about this book! First of all, the blocks range from simple to more complicated, from familiar to rarely-seen. Second, Marsha has so much good advice about all aspects of quilt making. Third, in the section of sample quilts she includes using various ones of the blocks is something for everyone, from beginner to experienced quilter. I have made three table runners and one wall hanging already and have plans to make several of the others. I couldn't recommend this book more highly!

Good inspiration, some limitations:
There are lots of blocks here, and this book is a good source of inspiration. There is, however, a double-edged sword. All the block patterns included are 9-inch, which is in some sense good -- it makes it easy to put them all together, but is from another perspective bad -- it makes for some weird measurements on certain blocks (i.e. anything on a 4- or 16-patch grid rather than a 9-patch grid). So if you're only interested in using those latter types of blocks, it might be nice to do an 8- or 12-inch variation, but you have to re-draft the block yourself.

Best of the Best!:
I have many quilting books but keep returning to Marsha McCloskey's Block Party. Not only does it have beautifully colored illustrations, but several options in using the same pattern. The instructions are easy to follow and what a variety! I have made several quilts from this book and must say it is my all time favorite.